Single Parent Holidays

 Tips & Advice

Any parent who has single-handedly taken children with them to shop at a busy supermarket will be well aware of how difficult and tiring this can be. Single parent holidays can be much more daunting, but with careful planning, this time for de-stressing can be rewarding and fun. We have put together some tips for you to help you get the most out of your single parent holidays and return refreshed rather than frazzled. Of course, every set of family circumstances is different, and not all the advice will be applicable but we hope that you will find some of the points useful to your situation. The key words are PLANNING, PACKING, PARTICIPATION, PAYING and PATIENCE.

 Planning single parent holidays

Decide on the length of your holiday. Day trips can be just as much fun as a whole week away, less exhausting and less expensive, and spread out over a few weeks there is always something to look forward to. This type of break requires much less planning and can be less expensive or at least allow you to spread the cost.

Choose your destination and plan exactly where you will stay. Remember that hotels can be very restrictive - do find out the facilities on offer for children before you book. Self-catering is very popular and means you can have a flexible timetable. Find out what there is to see and do in the area and make sure it will offer enough variety to keep you and the children happy. If you plan to travel abroad this is even more important, as is checking the availability of medical provision should you be unfortunate enough to need it.

Choose your mode of transport. Single parents encounter all kinds of problems. Long waits at airports with fractious children and no-one to shoulder some of the responsibility can leave you tired before you even reach your destination. The longer the journey, the more tired the child, but at least on an aircraft you can spend some time talking/playing simple games with your children.

Train journeys are often a real treat for youngsters, but remember that you have luggage and children to sort out at both ends of the journey.

If travelling by car you can break the journey up, stopping for refreshment breaks. Find somewhere where the children can not only go to the toilet, but can run around in safety for a few minutes. Hours of travelling are very boring for the young and games of I spy, counting yellow cars etc only entertain for so long.

Allow extra journey time if a lone parent - it always takes longer when you stop for breaks if you are the only adult supervising.

Plan your route so you do not get lost (an older child might enjoy navigating). Arriving before hours of darkness is less stressful.

 Packing for single parent holidays

Perhaps the most important point to remember is to travel light! Depending on the ages of your children, just who is going to be carrying the luggage, extra bags and the baby! You really need to fit everything into one suitcase and a second bag should have a shoulder strap. Furthermore, you don't want to be spending days doing holiday laundry on your return.

The wrist leashes to attach a young child to you are a good idea so they don't wander off.

If you have small children, clean underwear in case of accidents, travel wipes, snacks and drinks are useful things to carry in an accessible shoulder bag.

Inflatable travel pillows take up little room and are useful for any journey when a child needs to take a nap.

Keep a bag of loose change to hand - it is easy to misplace your purse or wallet when you are in a rush and if you let your child go and buy an ice cream or similar, they are better taking small change than notes which are easily lost. It is also a sad fact that small children sometimes get 'short-changed'.

 Participation in single parent holidays

Having booked your holiday don't sit back and just wait for it to happen - plan an itinerary. Find out what is available and decide what you are going to do and when - but do be flexible with interchangeable ideas depending on the weather. A good holiday comprises doing some things the kids enjoy, some things you enjoy and some things when you will all have a good time! Don't go overboard, however, chilling out time is also important for you all.

Remember that children have shorter attention spans and less sticking power than adults, so make some activities short.

Children enjoy making new friends. If they can play on the beach or campsite etc together under your watchful eye this at least gives you some breathing space. Playing with children from abroad is rarely a problem - children have a knack of getting round the language barrier.

Can you take another adult with you? A friend or even the trusted babysitter maybe. It might not cost you much more but would mean you could perhaps have some quality time to yourself - this is your holiday too. Similarly, if you have an only child it is often not much more expensive if they take a friend (whose grateful parent will undoubtedly supply them with their own pocket money).

 Single parent holidays on a budget

Consider staying with relatives or going with a friend and children and sharing expenses.

Off season holidays are cheaper and less crowded; ideal if your children are under school age.

If you want to eat out on occasion, it is usually cheaper to have lunch out, and have the sandwiches you've made in the evening.

Give the children pocket money and show them how to budget then you will not be handing out extra ice-cream money etc.

 Patience

If you:

- plan your journey and explain it to the children (perhaps having a frequent and designated number of stops of which they are aware);
- organise a varied itinerary with lots to do;
- give them pocket money with which to budget;
- carry small snacks and drinks;

your patience should not be tried too often with the well-worn phrases: "Are we nearly there? I'm bored, I'm hungry, Can I have an ice-cream?" and "I don't want to go to bed!"