The couple, who are both English-as-a-second-language (ESL) teachers, met while working in Vietnam in 2014. Bustling Ho Chi Minh City was a far cry from the suburbs of Chicago, where Knighten, 38, grew up.
But the move made sense for Knighten.
“I need to see new things, and my wanderlust needs to be satiated,” she told Business Insider.
After a few years in Asia, Knighten and Cordier, who is 46, got teaching jobs in the UAE with annual salaries just shy of $70,000.
“Making $1,500 a month was not going to cut it for the rest of our lives,” she said.
They decided to save for a down payment on a house in Chicago, where the typical home sells for about $350,000, according to Realtor.com.
It would have been tough, even with their new salaries, as many young Americans struggle to buy homes amid a challenging housing market with low supply, high prices, and relatively high mortgage rates — but it wouldn’t have been impossible.
Nevertheless, a fateful European road trip in 2018 led Knighten and Cordier to abandon their plans. Take a look.
