NEED TO KNOW Hudson and Emily Crider have almost completed their goal of visiting all countries in the world. They have one left on their list: Sudan

The couple told PEOPLE they held off on visiting the Northeast African country due to its ongoing civil war

In the meantime, the travel influencers have settled at home for the first time in eight years and recently welcomed their first baby together

“Think of the stories you want to tell someday, then go out and live them.” It’s a quote Hudson and Emily Crider came up with a little over 15 years ago, and that philosophy has taken them around the world.

The Criders have made a name for themselves on social media as travel influencers venturing around the globe with the goal of visiting every single country. Though some might balk at the number, the married couple proved their endeavor wasn’t unrealistic at all. After years of long flights, jet lag, unexpected adventures and new friends, Hudson and Emily have officially touched down in all but one foreign land.

“The goal of traveling to every country was just a motivator for us to go live these experiences and make new stories,” Hudson tells PEOPLE. “Then we were blessed that things just opened up while we were traveling and we made it to every one except the one.”

Hudson and Emily Crider in Seoul, South Korea. Hudson and Emily Crider | @hudsonandemily

For the time being, they’re holding off on going to their last destination of Sudan. (They have, however, been to South Sudan.) The Northeast African country has been embroiled in a civil war for the past two years, and as such, there hasn’t been a safe time for them to visit. Though even if they felt comfortable going, the country isn’t currently approving visas for American travelers.

“We always want to be respectful of places and people that we visit, and we were praying for the people there. But between the war and the humanitarian crisis, it just more and more wasn’t seeming like the right time,” says Emily.

They’re still celebrating their accomplishment, even with one last country left to be seen. Hopefully, Emily notes, Sudan will take steps toward peace this year, but they maintain that they won’t go until it feels both safe for tourists and considerate of the locals.

“We’ve heard that Sudanese are some of the nicest people in the world, so hopefully we’ll go there next year,” Emily says. “We can’t wait to meet the people. But right now, it just doesn’t seem like a good time.”

Hudson and Emily Crider in South Sudan. Hudson and Emily Crider | @hudsonandemily

Still, the world travelers are impressed by how many places they’ve managed to see. Looking back, Hudson remembers how they once doubted the reality of traveling as far and wide as they did. Being Americans, they assumed there might be a higher number of countries where access would be restricted.

“We were thinking there were probably going to be about 10 [countries] that we’d maybe get to or maybe not,” he notes. “But that’s no reason to not go have the rest of the experiences.”

The Criders are reflecting on their journeys from their current permanent residence in Nevada. They’re home, and ironically, it’s one of the most foreign places they’ve been in the past eight years. The duo is acclimating to their new normal, and as rewarding as traveling has been for them, they’re also enjoying the perks of settling down.

Hudson and Emily Crider in London. Hudson and Emily Crider | @hudsonandemily

“As much as we love international travel, it’s made us even more grateful for the beauty and the life that we have here in the U.S.,” says Emily. Hudson wears an appreciative smile as he adds, “It’s so nice to have a closet!”

Despite their American nationality — not to mention the fact that they’ve visited all 50 states — they admit that there’s been a shade of culture shock in their re-immersion. For nearly a decade, they’ve spent ample time in places where they don’t speak the local language.

They learned the basics wherever they went, making sure they could say basic phrases like, “Thank you,” “Hello,” and “Where is the bathroom?” in a variety of tongues. However, in many countries, that’s about as far as their verbal communication could go, considering they only had so much time to learn. “Now we’re relearning conversations,” Emily laughs.

Hudson and Emily Crider at the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt. Hudson and Emily Crider | @hudsonandemily

Though they’ve largely accomplished their globe-trotting goal, the high school sweethearts are expecting a big, brand-new adventure at home. They recently welcomed their first baby together, daughter Jordan Joy — someone new to tell all the stories they set out to live 15 years ago. They announced her birth with a heartfelt Instagram post on Monday, June 16.

The latest addition to their family serves as another reason Hudson and Emily are putting a pause on traveling, but they’re hardly pivoting away from their careers as travel influencers.

“Our plan is to continue with content creation,” the new dad tells PEOPLE. “All the things that we’ve learned, we want to become a resource for, especially any travelers or travel couples out there and give the best destinations, experiences, and travel tips that we learned and hopefully can help other people too.”

Hudson and Emily Crider in the Bahamas. Hudson and Emily Crider | @hudsonandemily

And once baby Jordan is ready, they’re planning to show her the world, too — or at least the U.S. to start! Hudson and Emily want to head back out on the road to explore in an RV, just as they did when they ventured to every state.

“We’re excited to travel with her,” Emily shares. “I’m sure it’ll be an adjustment getting out on the road, but especially from the RV trip, there’s so many places in the U.S. that we love that we’re really excited to take her back to and show her.”