Love Comes First: Building Connections Through Travel with Parent Coach Sara Cole

Family travel • Parenting tips • Roadschooling

Family adventures are filled with possibility—new places, shared discoveries, and chances to grow closer. But they can also test patience and resilience. 

In this heartfelt conversation, I’m joined by my longtime friend Sara Cole, a certified parent coach with over 20 years of experience supporting families. Sara and her family spent 400 days roadschooling across the United States, weaving together education, adventure, and deep connection. She shares stories of travel challenges turned into growth moments, insights from her coaching work with adoptive families, and practical tips any of us can use to strengthen relationships on the road and at home.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to turn travel challenges into opportunities for connection.
• Why pacing and slowing down matters for family well-being on long trips.
• Strategies for balancing together time, couple time, and solo time while traveling.
• Practical ways parents can care for themselves to better support their kids.
• How the Junior Ranger program and other educational travel tools build engagement.
• Why setting realistic expectations before a big trip can reduce stress and increase joy.

This Week’s Small Step to Enhance Your Next Trip

Take a few minutes to sit down as a family and ask: What would you love to see, do, or learn on our next trip? Including your kids’ voices early will spark excitement and create a sense of shared ownership in the adventure.

Reflection

“Love comes first. Everything else is secondary and tentative.” – Hugh and Gayle Prather
How might our travels, and our lives, change if we keep this at the forefront of our interactions?

Connect with Sara Cole

Sara Cole is a certified parent coach, Neufeld Institute Course Facilitator, and HeartMath Certified Mentor. She's trained with experts like Holly Van Gulden and Dr. Dan Siegel, and served as an Attachment Parenting International Leader for many years. As a coach, she helps parents cultivate deeper connections with their children. Sara specializes in supporting adoptive families. 

• Website: saracoleparentcoach.com
• Free Guide: Collect Your Kids Guide 
• Newsletter: Parenting tips and reflections

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