Through adventure, I learned flexibility, overcoming fears. I learned about myself...Don’t stay in the same place...But explore!
Habits, Lifestyle

Make Adventure A Lifestyle Choice And Live Better.

Adventure is Calling. Get Out and Explore! Living a Life of Travel and Adventures.

I’ve been on several travel adventures throughout my life. Of course, I am in no way done with adventure. For instance, I’ve been to plenty of U.S. States on road trips. I’ve camped, backpacked, and seen a lot of back country and National Parks. I’ve been to Baja, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Peru (twice), England, France, Amsterdam, Norway, Estonia, and I lived in Russia for a short time. Each of these trips were separate travel adventures, and not at all like the typical two-week European vacation. Yes, I have had a good share of fun and also challenging adventures through my life.

I love talking about travel and adventures, so of course I had to include a conversation in the Live Heart-Fully Conversation Series about adventure. That is why I invited Kate Roman to chat with me about some of her experiences through her own travel and adventures. There is definitely a lot to say about travel adventures as we both have a lot of stories to tell.

That is why I invite you to take a look below at this Live Heart-Fully conversation filled with fun stories and laughter! It is my hope that as you read through these stories-the good, the bad, and the beautiful, you will find inspiration in your own life to make adventure a lifestyle and get out and explore!


About the Live Heart-Fully Conversations

Welcome to the Live Heart-Fully Conversations! The Live Heart-Fully Conversations are a series of interviews and conversations created to inspire, provoke, and challenge you to go deeper in feeding your own soul and pursuing stronger, authentic relationships with others. Over the next year, I am talking with some amazing powerhouse people who have had some true challenges, lived through them, and are now sharing their own personal power stories.


Check out these blogs!


Welcome Kate Roman

Kate Roman is a mother, blogger, and adventure seeker. She certainly has done her share of travel and has had many varieties of adventures throughout her life, some simple day adventures, and others, more complex adventures involving backpacking, trekking up mountains, late nights in unfamiliar places, and more. In short, Kate has traveled to Canada, England, France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Germany, Lichtenstein, Bahamas, Aruba, Ireland, Puerto Rico, St Thomas, Tortola, Belize, Spain, Monaco, Vatican City, Malta, Mexico. She and her husband have also spent some time traveling in an R.V. across the United States and visiting national parks throughout their journey.

Kate has a blog called Adventure Oyster, all about gift ideas for kids that are focused on adventures, and experiences rather than toys.  She also writes about their own personal family adventures and hopes to one day turn the blog into a partial travel blog.

Kate has been married for seven years now. Together, her and her husband have a three-year-old boy and a one-year-old daughter. Prior to becoming a stay-at-home mom, Kate worked for ten years as a social worker. She worked with several different populations including developmental disabilities, geriatrics, psych facilities, veterans, and the homeless. Kate has a Masters of Human Services with a concentration in mental health.

The Conversation: Kate’s Travel and Adventures

Briefly share about some of the travel adventures you have had?

Kate: We travel a lot! Before I got married I traveled a lot. I went to Ireland with one of my best friends and I did the whole backpacking across Europe thing. 

I grew up in New Hampshire, I moved to Denver on a whim just with my one of my close friends. We didn’t know anybody, and I just finished grad school. And we just decided to pack up my car and move. That was quite the adventure in itself [laughter]. And other than traveling, I’ve done a lot of just adventure stuff. I’ve hiked a 14,000 foot mountain, which is pretty popular in Colorado. People do that a lot, so I had to do that when I lived there [laughter].

Sarah: Is that Pike’s Peak?

Kate: I did not do Pike’s Peak. I did Mount Bierstadt.

Sarah: My husband, and I too, but more so my husband-he is an avid hiker. If it’s a high mountain, he’ll go and he’ll do it. He’s actually getting ready to do, well, he’s going on a trip to Death Valley and a couple of weeks later, in June, they got permits to go and do Mount Whitney.

Kate: Cool.

Sarah: Are you familiar with Mount Whitney?

Kate: Yeah, I am.

Sarah: I want to say it’s the highest mountain in the U.S., or maybe if not in the U.S., maybe on this side of the U.S. [the Pacific coastal side). However, I don’t know for sure. [To clarify, after later looking into it, Whitney is the highest mountain in the lower 48 states].

Kate: […] Denali is the tallest, […] Measured from top to bottom is taller. I think. It’s a big one.

Sarah: Yeah. well what else?

Kate: We have an RV. So, we do lots of those cross-country trips, and that’s when we do all the National Parks. We’ve done a lot of those.

Sarah: Are you in an RV in San Francisco?

Kate: No, we’re not. We toyed with it but we have two large dogs and then two little kids and so it just wasn’t going to work.

[…]

Sarah: Awesome. Yeah, I haven’t backpacked through Europe. I’ve wanted to, it was one of those things that I wanted to do right after college. I had a friend who went and he actually never came back. He’s still there to this day.

Kate: Wow!

[…]

Kate: That’s so cool.

Sarah: […] It’s one of those things I always wanted to do. But I did go to Europe a few times but I never did go backpacking through Europe. I never did do a traditional European vacation-where you go for one or two days here and then one or two days there and you stay in hotels. If I wanted to see a particular country or city, then I would go there for a week and I would just do the full week or longer there. I would just get familiar with that one city. So that’s how I did it.

Kate: I love that because I was like two days here and there and it just wasn’t enough to really immerse yourself in the city or country. 

Sarah: Everybody has their own idea of how they want to do things. Part of the reason why I did it that way is because, with a few exceptions, I had friends in those cities. For example, I went to London and I went to Trondheim in Norway and I went to Oslo. Those were cities where I knew people. So, I was just hanging out with them since they live there. They were able to take me around and immerse me in the [culture].

Kate: Mm Hm. Yeah, you’re not just going to touristy spots.

Sarah: Right, yeah. And then there were a few travel adventures where I didn’t know anybody. I was supposed to meet a friend and she ended up bailing at the last minute because she didn’t have money. So I ended up going by myself [laughter]. That was an adventure.

Kate: That sounds like a big challenge.

Sarah: It was still fun. It actually was one of the more memorable trips that I have ever been on. But yeah, at first I was very nervous and kind of disappointed in my friend of course. But then I just realized how much fun I could still have.

Kate: Definitely.

What Does Adventure Look Like?

When you think of the word, adventure, what sort of activities and things come to mind? What does your perfect trip/vacation/adventure look like?

Kate: For adventure I think there’s numerous things it can be. Traveling. It can be thrill seeking. It can be vacations. There’s a lot of different things that come to mind. Usually, I first think of traveling but also just that thrill-seeking. I learned how to scuba dive first. I went skydiving. That kind of thing is definitely adventure-filled too.

Adventure can take on different forms for different people. Relax on a beach, drink wine in a little patio cafe, backpack through the back-country, climb the tallest mountain, rapel, whitewater raft, snorkel, sky dive. Whatever adventure looks like to you, make adventure a lifestyle and live better.

It’s funny talking about a perfect vacation. I like both the relaxing as well as adventure go go go trips. In a perfect world, I would do both each year [laughter]-have a relaxing beach vacation where you’re just catered to, and then the adventure kind of vacation, as we call it, where you’re just go go go, and trying all these different new foods and looking at architecture and not sleeping as much. […] It just depends on my mood really which trip I want to take next [laughter].

Sarah: I absolutely agree with that. A combination of both, even in the same vacation. There’s been a few times when I went to Hawaii and it was the type of thing where the mornings are going to be designated for beach and lounging and relaxing, and the afternoons are going to be for exploring and hiking. So even just doing it that way. 

The thrill-seeking adventure reminds me of my husband because he is not a beach person. He can sit out there on the beach with me if we go to a lake. […] He’ll sit out there for maybe an hour and then he starts getting bored [laughter]. I just want to read my book, enjoy the sun, and he’s like I’m going to walk around and look around.

When we were on our honeymoon every single day was [an adventure like] whitewater rafting, or we did a repelling trip.

Kate: Nice!

Sarah: We did some zip lining. There were all sorts of things that we were doing but there was very little relaxing. We’ve been on other travel adventures together like that too. So, I finally said okay I need to have a relaxing trip. I realized that those are the types of trips that I can reserve for my girlfriends, and then with my husband, it’s going to be all adventure and thrill-seeking.

Kate: Yeah, I hear you [laughter]. It’s nice to have a mix. 

Sarah: When people think of adventure, they think they have to take two weeks off of work and it’s going to be stressful because they have to pack their bags, buy flights, and all these things [sorting out the details and even taking the time away from work]. I think that discourages a lot of people, especially people who don’t have the luxury of just taking that much time off of work. I like what you said about how adventures can even be a day off, like on a Saturday. Just go skydiving. So, it doesn’t have to be a whole planned out vacation, it can just be something that you do in a day.

Kate: Definitely. Yeah, you just have to make it your priority. Everyone has different priorities in life and for our family adventure is a priority. So, we make sure, even if it’s just an all-day trip. [It’s] what we like in life and that’s what we want to do.

Making Travel and Adventures a Lifestyle

How have you made adventure part of your lifestyle?

Kate: I don’t want to be bored [laughter]. I have a big fear of being bored, especially now that we have kids. I don’t want to be bored. So, we make it a priority to make sure we do at least one big trip a year and then do other small little weekend getaways as well just to make sure that we have things to look forward to. We still keep that adventure life, even though we have two little ones.

Traveling with Small Children

Now that you have two toddlers, how do you include an accommodate them in some of these things that you are doing? Describe a little bit of some of the difficulties and challenges that having kids entails, and how have you mastered travel and adventures with kids?

Kate: My son was born in Alaska. So we did so many trips when we lived there. We drove up to Denali and we went in a helicopter up to a glacier when he was only three weeks old. We just really wanted to experience Alaska and obviously we had this newborn. So we just did it [laughter]. We just feel like this is something we want as part of our life, and you just have to figure it out. You have a lot more stuff you have to bring with you obviously [laughter].

Sarah: Yeah.

Kate: We just we wanted to make it work. We traveled so much! We went to Mexico and traveled all over the U.S. […] Then with this little one [Kate’s daughter was sleeping on her during the time of this conversation], she was born right at the beginning of Covid, so that obviously was its own challenge. We haven’t done much traveling with her unfortunately.

We did just go to Vegas this past week.

It’s [traveling with littles] harder because you can’t just relax. You can’t just go and have an hour and a half lunch in the middle of the day. You have to do everything a little bit faster and they [the kids] all have time limits, and a million bags [laughter]. But both of us want to do it.

I think that’s the other thing is finding someone that has that same idea as you. If I married someone who wasn’t really into traveling, then I’d feel like I’d be pulling teeth trying to get it to work. He’s calmer than me. I’m the one freaking out about all the bags we have, or what if they scream on the plane. He evens me out and not a big deal, we’ll figure it out and make it work.

Sarah: You’re very brave, doing some of those things like going up in the helicopter.

Kate: [laughter].

Sarah: We did some travel and adventures when my son was a baby too but nothing to that extent. That’s very brave.

Kate: [laughter] Some people thought we are crazy [more laughter]. We felt it was safe [laughter].

What advice can you give to parents of littles who want to have more outdoor adventures with their littles as far as accommodating them and getting out there?

This is a boy who is going somewhere! Making adventure a lifestyle needs to be a priority. And with little ones, it's not easy! However, giving them exposure to the world around them has so many benefits in the years that follow as they grow.

Kate: You just have to go for it. If it’s what you want, then you just have to take each day at a time. For us something we’ve really learned is that when we go on vacation, we can only do one thing each day with them. Whether it’s in the morning or the afternoon, we plan only one thing. For example, this past week we decided to plan a trip to the aquarium. We just did the aquarium in the morning and then we were relaxing the afternoon.

When we first had our son, we were trying to do what we were doing all along with just us two, and that does not work [laughter]. We learned real [sic] quick, that he has a time limit and he’s going to be tired. It’s when you push them too much that they freak out. Luckily our son has never had a tantrum. But you can tell he’s annoyed and he’s done and he’s tired. So I think that would be my biggest advice. Just don’t try and do it as if it was just you two. Remember you have a kid with you and they’re going to get tired.

Sarah: I love that advice! That can be true and applied to everyday life at home too.

Kate: Yeah! We do that here too. We never try and do two big activities a day. [We] choose one thing and then relaxing the afternoon? 

Let’s Talk About the Challenges of Travel Adventures

Sarah: I have had some sizeable challenges throughout some of my travel adventures. Real quick before I ask you the next question. For instance, I’ll just share with you [one of them].

We went to Peru and I’ve been to Peru a couple of times, but this was about a year-and-a-half after we got married, and my passport still had my original, birth name on it. Even though my driver’s license had my new name, [highlighting a discrepancy between the two, and a discrepancy on my boarding pass], they didn’t make a big deal out of it when we were leaving the U.S. But when we were trying to get back from Peru back into the U.S., they were going to make me stay. They would not let me get on my flight. They were trying to get [my husband] to just go without me.

Kate: Oh my gosh!

Sarah: I know! So, we ended up having to pay. In the end, I think he just had to pay! [We paid for a new ticket under my birth name to match my passport. We were not reimbursed for our previous flight tickets]. It was a big chunk of money.

Kate: Wow! Holy crap [laughter]. Oh my gosh I would’ve been panicking.

Sarah: I know! I was just thinking, well I guess I’ll just start my new life here. You know!

Kate: [laughter].

Sarah: I’ll learn some more Spanish and…

Kate: [laughter] That’s funny.

Sarah: Just kidding.

Kate: [laughter].

Sarah: So yeah, I’ve had some pretty significant challenges. That’s not the only one.

Kate: Do you feel like you were just panicking or were you like all right let’s figure this out?

Sarah: So you said that your husband is the more calm one. And you’re the one that stresses. It’s the opposite for us. I’m a lot more calm. Partly because I feel like I’ve traveled enough to know that these things are going to work themselves out. My husband-he was the one that was really stressed and panicking.

Kate: Gotcha.

Share a major challenge you have had on one of your travel adventures (one that is directly related to the trip-meaning that if you had not taken the trip, you would not have had the challenge)?

Kate: This is a hard one to answer cause honestly, I feel like I’ve been very lucky. I can’t really think of anything that’s been very challenging. […] We had a problem catching the train in France back to Monaco and it was hard because we don’t speak the language. You can miss something and then what do you do? That was really the most anxiety provoking experience because we had to just grab strangers and be like, do you speak English? Can you help us? I think that’s the hardest part [about] travel in general-not being able to speak the language. I feel so lost and helpless.

Sarah: Yeah.

Kate: We’ve been really lucky. Even before I met my husband, I haven’t really had anything go horribly wrong.

Sarah: Yeah, you’re pretty lucky in that way. The whole train thing reminds me of another story where I was in Paris and I took the subway to the airport. I was trying to get to the airport to leave and I took it in the wrong direction. So, I went all the way to the end of the line before I realized that I had taken the wrong direction. It also just happened to be the last train as well, so I had to take a taxicab all the way to the other side of Paris and it cost me lots of money. I was worried that I wasn’t going to get there in time, and I was going to miss my flight. It was a pretty stressful situation.

I think what I’ve learned is that when you’re going on travel adventures, you have to expect that things are going to happen and you have to have extra cash. In short, you have to know that there has to be room for flexibility.

Kate: Go with the flow is really all you can do. 

Travel and Adventure Regrets

Have you ever taken a trip you regretted?

Kate: Oh yes. Back in my twenties I did this girl’s trip with some friends. And they were rather new friends. What we were really wanting to get out of the trip just didn’t really line up, and because we were really new friends, maybe we should’ve talked it out more.

I’ve always been like, let’s adventure during the day and then I want a good night sleep. They were more looking for, let’s party, and they wanted to stay out till 2 a.m, which has never been my thing [laughter]. So, I feel like that was hard. I want to experience the food and I wanted to look at the architecture and the history, and they were just like, let’s go get drunk. So, [laughter] that’s probably the only trip I regretted but it’s not about where we went. It was just who I was with. That’s the only time I made that mistake.

Sarah: I’ve had an experience like that too. The people who you’re traveling with, often are going to make or break a trip.

Have you ever had an opportunity to take a trip that you passed up and now regret?

Kate: Yes. One of my college roommates wanted to do study abroad in Italy, and she did end up following through with it and doing it. I started the process and then, there’s just a few reasons why I didn’t end up going and I just completely still regret it. That’s such a cool opportunity to do study abroad and Italy is still, since then I’ve been to Italy three times and it’s just an incredible city. I think it would have been amazing to live there for six months. So yeah, kind of bummed I never made that happen.

Sarah: I think just being young and, in your twenties-that’s when I did, probably the majority of my traveling. My husband didn’t really travel that much. He was more concerned about money and saving money, which is also important and good. But I was the opposite. I was like, I have money I’m going to go take a trip [laughter].

Kate: Right.

Sarah: And so when we share about those experiences he does have lots of regrets because he feels like he missed out on those precious years. You’re not really in a full-blown career and even if you don’t have money, you have the luxury and the time. As you get older you don’t get a lot of luxury and time for stuff like this, you know.

Kate: Right, right. It is true.

Sarah: My motto when I was in my twenties and even into my early thirties, my big thing was, I can figure out how to get the money, but, this opportunity! remember the first time I went to Peru, I had just been laid off of a job. I was really stressing about money because I was laid off and I felt like I needed to save every penny. But then I had this opportunity to go to Peru with a friend. And in my mind, I decided to go because I thought, this is an opportunity that I’ll never have again.

Kate: Right.

Sarah: I’m never going to have an opportunity to go to Peru with somebody, and he is Peruvian, so I was like, I’m never going to have this opportunity again! This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! I can’t pass up on this opportunity, I’ll figure out financially how to do it. And so I did.

Kate: Yeah. That’s awesome.

What Can We Learn from Our Adventures?

What are some of the things you have learned about others through your travel adventures? Name as many or as few as you wish.

Kate: The biggest thing for me (and maybe this sounds awful), I’ve learned that Americans are so rude [laughter]. All these trips that I’ve done overseas, they’re awful. They complain! I went on this walking tour in Naples, and I’ll never forget there was this group of Americans in the same group as us. And it was called a walking tour, and they were complaining about all the walking [laughter]. I just feel like Americans will complain about everything! We saw so many cool things and we did this cave tour and they were so nitpicky about walking too much. And actually, it wasn’t even that much in the grand scheme of things. So, I feel like [laughter] that’s kind of the biggest take away. Every place I’ve gone overseas, there’s always some Americans complaining or being rude.

Sarah: Too bad.

Kate: [laughter] Embarrassing for us!

Sarah: Very embarrassing. It makes me sad. I feel like there’s some truth to that too for me. And I would add to that, also rushed. I feel like Americans aren’t willing to take their time and look at things more. They have a schedule and they have to get from one thing to the next, quickly.

Kate: Yeah. Most of them [people in other countries] take two hours to eat lunch, where here, people expect-in and out in thirty minutes.

Sarah: Yes! That’s so true.

Kate: Mm hm. Definitely more rush.

What are some of things you have learned about yourself through your travel and adventures? Name as many or as few as you wish.

Kate: My biggest thing is that I am more independent than I realized. When I finished grad school and moved to Colorado. I didn’t know anybody my friend came with me, but she left shortly after. And just I became very independent. I didn’t know a single person and I started my career there. I didn’t need a guy, and I didn’t need to be dating anybody. […] And I lived there for six years and built up my own life there. Ever since that trip, I just feel like I’ve become this very independent person. I think that’s the biggest thing that I learned about myself-I’m stronger than I thought I was.

Sarah: That’s awesome that you did that by yourself!

Kate: Yeah. I loved it so I stayed six years.

Sarah: Like I said before, you’re very brave!

Kate: Thank you. That’s the whole thing about me being stronger than I thought it was. In college I was always dating someone and relying on somebody. And for once I did that big trip out moving to Colorado. That’s when all my adventures started. I started doing all these fun things and I realized that I can do this by myself.

Sarah: Yeah, I love it! That is so cool.

How do you feel like you have grown through all of your adventures?

Kate: I think I have grown from my adventures by becoming more independent but also learning about different cultures. I’m originally from a small town of three thousand people in New Hampshire where there isn’t any diversity. Traveling has really broadened my perspective on life and about other people. My parents have always felt that travel is an important part of life and they have pushed me to experience new things and places.

My husband and I have also made new friends during our travels which is always a positive thing to help you grow. We still keep in touch with other couples we met years ago.

Besides travel, doing other adventurous things, I’ve stepped outside my comfort zone. Hiking a fourteen thousand foot mountain in Colorado, skydiving, and obtaining my scuba certification were all things that pushed me to feel vulnerable and truly experience life. They were all really scary and difficult but I’m also very proud of those accomplishments. My adventures have made me incredibly appreciative and grateful that I am physically and financially able to participate in these incredible adventures. 

When Safety is a Concern

Sarah: Let’s talk about safety for a minute. There are a lot of things I did, and places I explored when I was in my twenties (when I was young and naïve). I can look back now and see a great lack of wisdom and discretion.

Kate: Mm Hm. 

Sarah: I was such an idiot at times. I’ll give you an example. A friend of mine and myself decided that we were going to take this trip to San Diego, and just have a week of hanging out and having fun in San Diego. And while we were there, […] it was raining for a few days. So, when it was raining, we would go to the Starbucks coffee shop, which was, I don’t know, maybe a couple blocks away from where we were staying.

Kate: Mm. Hm. Yeah.

Sarah: […] There was this guy that was homeless, and he was asking us (he was following us, to the coffee shop one morning) and asking us for money. So, we gave him a little handful of money [it may have actually been a meal but my memory fails me]. Then hours later when we came out of the coffee shop, he was still there. And he was asking us for more money. Then he asked us for a ride somewhere. So we let him get in the car with us and we gave him a ride.

My friend remembers it a little differently, but I remember that we were taking him around a good chunk of the day and even the next day. We agreed to let him hang out with us basically. He wanted us to go to this one particular place to pick up another friend of his [and] drop them off at this other, different location. Then, while they were in the car, they did a full-on drug deal [laughter] and then they started fighting, verbally (not physically) but they started arguing and calling each other names and stuff. So at that point we made them get out of the car and then we left.

Things like that, that I would do back in those days!

Kate: Right. I know we think we’re so invincible back in our twenties. [laughter].

Sarah: Yeah, and we really had good hearts. We wanted to help. but especially, and this might be a little bit controversial to say something like this these days, but we were two women, you know when you’re young and you’re female and you’re traveling by yourself!

Kate: Sure.

Have you ever been in a dangerous situation while traveling? OR can you look back now and see how a particular situation could have easily become dangerous?

Kate: Yes. Back in my twenties, of course, my girlfriend and I took a trip, and we were out at a bar. I was just done and ready to go back to the hotel and she wasn’t. She wanted to stay and both of us felt confident in our decision. But you know, I wanted to save money, so I ended up walking back by myself at midnight or 1 a.m (I don’t remember). Now looking back on it, I’m just horrified. How did I walk alone at 1 a.m in a city I’ve never been to [laughter]!? This is awful! Just to save a little money, I didn’t take a cab [laughter].

Sarah: Yeah.

Kate: I feel so lucky like some of the things that, even in college, some of the things I did. It’s like, wow. I’m very lucky that I was never, I never actually got hurt.

Sarah: I think about all sorts of things that, I feel like there’s been so many travel adventures where bad things could have happened and somehow I’m still alive and I’m here.

Kate: Right! exactly.

Can you please add your thoughts on how to travel and adventure safely? What are some tips you can provide to people who are concerned about safety?

Kate: I feel most comfortable doing activities during the day. I am not really a night person so this works out well [laughter]. Activities, for me, are typically best in the daylight anyways like seeing architecture, hiking, eating on patios.

Also, we research where we are going thoroughly (when traveling abroad) so we know how to be safe in certain countries. We make sure we stay on main roads and don’t take shortcuts. We keep our passport/wallet in a backpack and put a lock on the zipper when traveling in very populated spots.

It is usually a good idea to blend in with the locals too. We made the mistake of wearing bright orange and blue raincoats when in Europe for the first time while everyone else was wearing black/grey. We stuck out like a sore thumb haha.

For the most part, we stick to safe countries/areas but one time we did travel right on the border of Belize and Guatemala and at the time it was known for people to be kidnapped or robbed so we booked a special tour that actually came equipped with some police officers. They ensured our tour was safe. 

Making Travel Adventures a Lifestyle

Sarah: Okay, so there’s always challenges and safety concerns that we need to be looking out for. But it’s pretty clear that you love to travel, even despite all of the challenges and the safety concerns, and some of the other things that we’ve talked about today. You still love to travel, because it’s a passion. It’s something that you enjoy doing. So, just in general, what advice would you be able to give people who are wanting to get out more and make travel part of their lifestyle?

Kate: Make sure you plan everything out as much as you can. Not necessarily day-to-day stuff, but just as a whole, make sure you have everything. Make sure you leave enough time. I always think of how my husband and I have taken a couple like relaxing vacations. We went on cruises, and there’s people who show up half an hour after the boat has left (or is supposed to leave). You see them running to the port. Always, always leave enough time, no matter where you’re going whether you’re trying to catch a boat or an airplane or whatever.

I’ve traveled with people who are very organized and planners and those trips always go way better than the people that are just winging it.

[…] Make sure you are traveling with someone that you’re compatible with.

With kids, just make sure you overpack [laughter]. You just have to do it. Just do a small trip first. Do a little night away, or weekend away, and then build up to a week or two out of the country. Just start small. I feel like that’s the easiest way. Then you kind of figure out what you need and how your kids deal with it. How you deal with it.

Sarah: I love that! Such good advice, especially if you have kids. Starting small and figuring out how they [kids] deal with it.

Kate: Yeah, yeah.

Tell us one more story from one of your travel adventures, something that will make us laugh.

Kate: I don’t know if it’s a laugh out loud story, but it’s funny. When we were in Belize on our honeymoon. We went to these Mayan ruins. We were standing on top of it, and we hear this crazy sound that sounded like a loud dinosaur! It turned out it’s a howler monkey! We were cracking up because it’s this tiny twenty-pound monkey, and it sounded like there was a dinosaur coming. [Now], we giggle looking back on that-on our honeymoon, in the middle of Belize, in a jungle. We were like, how is there a dinosaur here?

Sarah: That is really awesome! Had you heard of howler monkeys prior to that?

Kate: No, I had no idea what they were!

Sarah: We learned about them in Costa Rica, on our honeymoon too. I didn’t know what they were but they do have that sound.

Kate: No, I had no idea! Both of us were just staring at each other like, what is that.

Sarah: That’s awesome!

In the spirit of Live Heart-Fully, I have included some key Highlights below. However, rather than my standard Take Action section in which I challenge readers to start transforming their lives and Living Heart-Fully, I have included some essential tips and tricks for travel. Take a look below, and get out and start exploring the world around you!

Highlights: Adventure

  • Firstly, adventure looks and feels different for everyone. Adventure can be any of the following, and more: day trips, road trips, experiences-such as a family trip to the lake for a day, or learning to scuba dive, thrills-such as sky diving, back country hiking and/or hiking up mountains, relaxing resort vacations, weekend getaways
  • Secondly, if you want adventure to be part of your lifestyle, it needs to be a priority. To help: start small, take some time to discover your travel needs and style, if you have a family, take time to discover the travel needs and styles of your spouse and children, build up from there.
  • Moreover, if there is an adventure that is a ‘Once in a Lifetime’ adventure, make it happen. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by.
  • In conclusion-Go. Be Challenged. And Grow!

Travel Tips & Tricks

  • When traveling with small children, limit your activities to one per day. Reserve the rest of the day for relaxing.
  • Plan and expect for things to deviate from the itinerary and leave room for flexibility.
  • Also, carry extra cash, always.
  • Always add a buffer of time in the itinerary, especially when traveling with young children.
  • As for safety: spend more time exploring during the day then at night, stay on main streets, thoroughly research your destination, Use a safe, or lock pad on your bags for important documents, don’t travel to countries that are not generally safe, do your best to blend in with the locals.
  • Finally, travel with people you are compatible with. Make sure that you all share similar goals, desires, and ideas for what you want to get out of the trip.

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The Live Heart-Fully Conversations are published on the first Monday of each month for the year 2021.

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2 Comments

  1. What an incredible conversatiin! I feel so lucky to be a part of your blog. You are a wonderful writer. It was so amazing talking adventures with you.

    1. sarah

      Thank you so much Kate! I really enjoyed chatting with you too. I just love all the stories and memories you have, and it was so nice sharing some of mine with you too. Thank you for being part of the Live Heart-Fully Conversations!

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