Single Parent Vacations
I haven’t taken my daughter on a vacation in ages so I recently started searching travel websites for reasonably priced single parent vacations to see what was available. I quickly realized that it’s hard to find good deals when there is only one adult involved. Most travel websites have great deals that are based on double occupancy, meaning you will be paying for two adults even though there is only one adult traveling.
I found a website that offered tips on cutting costs to vacationing single parents. They suggested traveling to the Caribbean during hurricane season when rates are lower or traveling during a local crisis. They went on to talk about the great rates that were available to travelers during the SARS outbreak in Hong Kong and the initial H1N1 outbreak in Mexico. I know my daughter drives me UP THE WALL sometimes, but I like her a little too much to go with that option.
So I started doing my own research. I don’t want to drive too far because I don’t have anyone to share driving duties with and I am not a distance driver. But, buying two plane tickets along with hotel, food, activities, etc., the costs quickly added up. Here are the best options that I found when it comes to single parent vacations:
-If you are lucky enough to live a reasonable distance from a port, cruising is a great option for single parents. Find tons of activities for parent and child and nighttime babysitting services for a little “grown up time.” Also, most costs are handled upfront. Visit www.vacationstogo.com to find single parent cruise deals year round.
-Vacations with another single parent might be one of the best options because you can split the drive and the lodging cost 50/50. You have adult company and your child has a playmate.
-This might sound a little crazy but hear me out. Almost every travel website offers last minute deals. You pick the timeframe that you wish to travel, you have a budgeted amount that you wish to spend and then shortly before that pre-determined date you take advantage of all the last minute deals posted and you pick one that best meets your needs.
Beaches Resorts All Inclusive Resort has Single Parent Month, Aug 17 – Oct 31, 2010. They are waiving the single supplement fee at all of their resorts when you stay 3 nights or longer.
The following websites frequently list deals geared towards the single parent:
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Great article Angela! While I am not a parent, I can appreciate a good travel deal, LOL. The links you posted are great and I’m going to pass them on to some of my single parent friends. An “older” friend of mine back home in San Diego has 6 kids! She was married for 20 years and got divorced back in 2003 I think. Anyway, I remember she used to talk to me about how hard it was to take vacations with her kids because when she was married, they never had any money to go on vacation with 6 kids and 2 adults. Well, when she got divorced, the older 2 kids went off to college, but she still had 4 kids at home. The 2 youngest ones were still in elementary school and she used to feel so guilty that she could never afford to take them anywhere. So, her only option was every Friday, she would take them to BlockBuster and let each of them get 3 movies, then take them to the store to get all the junk food they wanted and she ordered pizza for them. She said that was the only thing she could do because she could never afford anything, even taking them to the movies was expensive. Now, the upside is that living in San Diego has it perks, the main one being the beach. So, she would take the kids to the beach, but of course, when you are born and raised there, even that can become sort of ho-hum over time.
Anyway, it’s hard for everyone to budget our money, but especially when you have kids. I wish she had info like the websites you posted back then because maybe they would have helped her at a time when she was really struggling.
Muy bien mija!
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Very informative article, Angela!! Again you point out a very realistic and yet unspoken about problem that single parents deal with. After my divorce came liberation and taking annual vacations was a must. I was fortunate to take them for 3 years but then came the realization that they were extremely expensive therefore I opted not to take one last year. I felt horrible!! But with your new ideas and websites that cater to single parents, I think that I might definitely be able to afford one this year. I agree that going on a cruise is the best for your money, especially if you’re within driving distance of a port. Who knew that a Single Parent Month existed? This is definitely good info, thanks;)
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Great article Angie! I will definitely be passing on the information to some of my girlfriends.
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Very good and useful information. Thank you.
Flying off peak saves money as well, took my son to Miami for his bday in August, paid under $300 for both our RT tix from BWI and the hotel was buy one night get the 2nd night free, it was a short vacation but we made the most of it and we went during the week as well, so thats also something to take into consideration.
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Great read. I’ve been thinking about taking my little one on vacation but didn’t have a clue where to start. Thanks for the info.
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Another great article!! Off the subject… I’m a married mother of 4. For the past few years, when taking family vacations, we bring our babysitter along for the trip. She has cared for our children since our youngest was around 2, who is now 11. We consider her apart of the family so her presence is always a delight. Her attendance allows the hubby and I a chance to enjoy one another during our family vacation. Her expenditures are calculated into our travel budget; so the cost isn’t “so” overwhelming. By chance if our sitter is unavailable, we opt to take a family member, so either way the event becomes more of a family affair. Either way the added help make the vacation a memorable one for all!