Websites claiming to cater for lone parents tell me the oddest things about
what I want and need. One site explained that the time I most need support
is when I’m unpacking. In my world unpacking is not an issue: unpacking is
the gradual deconstruction of the luggage as and when stuff is needed.
What I need is a place where my children will be happy, engaged and safe and I
can relax and have fun with my children and with other parents. Evenings can
be the most tricky. My teenage children, like most in their age group,
prefer not to have to spend every evening with me. Which can leave me,
alone, at a restaurant table pretending that I love sharing a bottle of wine
with my book while my children find the most hair-raising entertainment
available..
The best single parent holidays I’ve been on have been a mixture of couples
and singles on an activity holiday where everyone plays togather and eats
together. That gives a chance for children, and me, to spend the evening
with our own age groups after a day’s skiing/sailing/swimming together.
So how can you single out a good lone parent holiday? I’ve gathered a few
addresses below and I’d like to hear what you think of what's on offer. Have
you sampled any of these holidays? Also, can you recommend any sites
specialising in lone parent holidays? And what do you want from lone parent
travel firms? Let's hear your comments on the fiorm below, or you can email
me at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk
Lone parent holiday websites:
Acorn
Adventure
Low-cost adventure holidays in UK and Europe with daily planned activities.
Great for sporty families. Parents, single or otherwise, get plenty of
opportunities to socialise during the activities and later
Single Parent Travel Club
Join this club and it will put you in touch with other lone parent families
who want to go on holiday. Great idea if you get the right family. For a
joining fee of £7.50 you get the chance to connect with other families in
the same position. Holidays range from days out in the UK to Kenyan safaris
– it’s down to you to decide.
Single Parents
on Holiday
A new travel company offering holidays in Austria and Croatia, specifically
for lone parents and their children. The hotels booked are child friendly,
and a range of children’s clubs catering for all ages are available.
Activities on offer include pony trekking, torch-lit walks and farm visits.
Crèches spaces are also provided. Activities for parents include Nordic
walking, hiking, mountain biking and golf, or just relaxing. Guests tend to
eat together and half board is usually included in the price…although I was
stumped when it came to finding the actual cost of each holiday
Eurocamp
The company offers discounts to some lone parents…and help with unpacking.
Responsible
Travel
This agency selects travel companies it consider to have low environmental
impact. It then categorises the holidays by destination and type – including
dedicated single parent holidays. At the bottom of every entry Responsible
Travel explains why each respective company has been deemed ecologically
responsible.
Mango
Mango is a young company is run by two single parents who are now partners in
both senses of the word. They have clear ideals about holidays: ‘We believe
they should be for quality time with the children and so we avoid hotels
with kids clubs. We have our values and that’s the advantage of running your
own company: you can impose them on other people,’ says MD Jackie Lewis. She
and partner, Steve Barber, have four children between them. They arrange
group holidays for single parents led by a co-ordinator, usually either
Steve or Jackie, and based in the UK or Europe. Fathers tend to go for the
action holidays like skiing or climbing while the mothers opt for gentler
option like seaside trips.
HELP
This charity specialises in helping any single parent in need of a good deal,
support and company. Armed forces’ wives whose husbands are away, prisoners’
wives, grandparents and many more have been making use of their low budget
holidays for the last 28 years. Janice Davidson, the secretary, first came
to the charity as a single mother of two. Since then she has forged
cut-price deals with companies like Pontins as well as checking holiday
sites to make sure single parents and their children are getting a good
deal.
The
Adventure Company
The Adventure Company is a regular travel company specialising in adventurous
worldwide trips for families with some departures reserved for single
parents. Lone or otherwise you get to adventure and eat together so there’s
never the sense of parental isolation so familiar to single parents.
Small Families
Small Families cater for single families with holidays in the UK and Europe.
In fact they cater soley for single parent families with an annual party and
planty of tried and tested destinations. usually based in small, family-run
hotels, in the UK and abroad
Crystal
Chalets encourage après ski friendliness and some Crystal chalets have
discounts for single parents.
Single
Parents on Holiday
This began life in 2005 when Andrea Robinson grew tired of taking her children
on holiday and finding herself without any adult conversation in the
evenings. They arrange holidays for exclusively for loan parents. Most are
half board and most have kids clubs and various activities for parents and
children non of which are compulsory. Destinations are limited to medium
sized hotels.
FINALLY
Neither Mark
Warner nor Sunsail
make any big claims about catering for single parents but their friendly
reps and full-on activities (from skiing to tennis to sailing) make most of
their holidays great for children and their parents, single or otherwise.
Most guests sail/sky/play tennis in ability groups. Most guests eat
together, too, making these holidays sociable events for every age group and
every type of family.
Got a question about family travel? Email our trio of experts at yoursay@timesonline.co.uk
- Chloe Bryan-Brown takes care of questions for the 0-6 year olds, Emma
Mahony handles the 7-12 age group and Jane Owen the teenage and single
mother groups.
I'm a single mum with an 11yr old boy and to say the least I've found it very difficult to find anything suitable. Most of these websites only cater for parents of small children - well what about when they get older? They still want a holiday. I've had to book as 2 adults for ages cos it's cheaper!
V McClelland, Crawley, UK
The prices of holidays for single parents is ridiculous. I'm a single Mum with a small child and it will cost much more for the two of us to have a holiday than I ever thought it would. Even holidays in the UK are very expensive.. I'm a student and work part time, funds are low. Help!
Rachael, Nottingham,
Visiting these sites as a single Dad to a 4 year old is even more disapointing.. I love holidays and for the first time trying to plan a holiday with just the two of us, but it seems until my little angel turms into a teenager most of these holidays are not aimed at us. Isolation hol it is!!!!
Jon Sumner, Leicester, UK
I,ve had a look at the various sites mentioned and found them rather limited. I was looking for a holiday for my 7 year old son and I in France and could find only 1, which was incredibly expensive and well beyond my means, even as a working parent.
J Rewse-Davies , Somerset, England
I agree with Natalie from Brentwood single parent holidays are just as expensive. For me and my 9 yr old daughter to go abroad averages at the same as a family of four taking an holiday. this is really annoying i find i am just paying for a room for four because there is only 1 adult so then the child has to pay as an adult then you have supplements on top. If these companies are advertising single parent holidays they should give us better prices.
Tina, Dudley, Westmidlands
I have been look at some of the website mentioned in this article about holidays for single parents. Firstly, not all of us want to go on holidays with groups of strangers, so why is that a major factor for one of the sites, secondly, not all single parents earn a good wage, and yet the single parent holidays website prices are just as expensive as any other holiday company. Do you know how hard it is to tell your child that you cant take them on holiday again because you cant afford it? My five year old recently came home from school in tears because his friends were going on holiday and he wasn't. My heart broke into a thousand pieces. Natalie, Brentwood.
Natalie Stella Ince, Brentwood,
I just came across your Times Online writing piece on solo parent travel! It was short and to the point and EXACTLY how I have felt.
Many people outside of the travel world think that there are loads of single parent travel groups. The people inside the travel industry think that what you want or need is a dating scene! What we need is exactly what you mentioned. I find that resorts are usually where we end up, but that doesn’t help me with evening meals. I am thinking of doing a small group trip to Africa or India (my own small group trip more than 10 years ago when I was single was very good that way).
Diana M. Hastings, San Francisco,
Are there any holiday tour operators who arrange overseas holidays for lone parents and teenagers who would like to learn a language together in France or Spain?
neve, staines, uk