Flying solo - single parent holidays

Flying solo - single parent holidays

Single parent families need a holiday more than most, says Kerry Wilson, so what are the options?

I hadn’t planned on being a single parent, but for the first three years of my daughter’s life that’s what happened and I just had to get on with it. Most of the time I was undaunted, but when I chose to take my child away for a change of scene my prospects looked bleak.

Single occupancy supplements and non-existent babysitting services meant I’d have to trot off to bed at the same time as my little one, but as I discovered, there are ways and means for single parents to take a break.

Try travelling with other single parents or with relatives so that you can take turns on a night out or share costs, plus if your child already knows who they’re travelling with, they’ll find it much easier to get along.

A Greek odyssey

When my daughter was two I put this to the test travelling by plane to Corfu with one sister to visit another sister who lived on the island. Having someone on the ground with good local knowledge meant we got a great rental rate on a house and we avoided the hassle of babysitting rotas because in Greece children are welcome day and night.

North of the border

The following year, my flatmate and I took a caravan up to Scotland, and the whole set up with restaurant/family lounges made it much easier for me to mix with other families and keep an eye on my little girl at the same time.

Going it alone

These days, being part of a typical nuclear family, sometimes work commitments mean I have to travel alone with one or more of my children. The prospect of taking care of their luggage and mine has sometimes driven me to distraction, but we’ve found ways around it.

Whatever your holiday needs, there are several websites dedicated to making travel easier for single parents:

  • These sites can provide a number of options from days out to adventure camps with affordable choices:
  • Some sites do offer the chance to mingle with other families or perhaps even date, but this is not compulsory.
  • If you’re not sure which holiday choice is for you take a look at their testimonials to help you decide.
  • Registered charities such as oneparentfamilies.org.uk provide free regional guides for lone parents aged under 25, as well as holiday advice, links and ideas.

Useful contacts

The full feature appeared in Jump magazine.