Belonging to the World: Turning Grief Into a Global Quest to Visit Every Country with Barry Hoffner

What would it take to visit every country in the world, and could a journey like that actually help you heal from unimaginable loss? 

Following the sudden loss of his wife Jackie in Botswana in 2017, Barry Hoffner set out to visit every country in the world, a journey that became the basis for his memoir, Belonging to the World. He has since traveled to 192 of the 193 UN member countries, an experience that included exploring his own heritage as an Iraqi Jew who grew up in the United States. Barry also founded Caravan to Class, a nonprofit that provides access to education for young women across West Africa through the Bourse Jackie scholarship program, named in her honor. 

In this episode, Barry shares how grief led him to a global quest to visit every country in the world, and what he learned about identity, connection, and healing along the way. 

This conversation is a reminder that grief doesn't follow a straight line, and that the way we choose to move through it can shape everything that comes after. There's a lot of honesty here about what it means to rebuild an identity from the ground up after everything familiar is gone. And there's a genuine sense of wonder in hearing how one goal, however unlikely it seemed at the start, can turn into a life fully lived. 

What might it look like for you to begin again from year zero? I'd love to hear your thoughts, and I hope you'll share by sending me an audio message. 

Tune In To Learn: 

Why one spontaneous coin flip during high school set the course for a lifetime of travel 

How an early scam abroad taught a hard lesson about travel awareness 

Why working overseas early in his finance career reshaped his approach to life and work 

What it was like to survive a real plane hijacking 

How exploring his family's Middle Eastern heritage as an adult changed his sense of identity 

Advice for processing grief and using travel intentionally as part of healing