Lifestyle /
Single-Parent Family Vacations
The Modern Family Doesn’t Always Include Two Parents, So Vacations Don’t Need To Be Tailored That Way.
Two-parent families may still be the majority in Asian cultures, but this isn’t the case for all South Asian families. Getting a divorce may not be typical, as Vaishali Sharda points out for Masala Mommas, but life happens, and travel companies are starting to notice that life can still be a holiday with a one-parent home.
Destinations
Signature Vacations offers travel packages that don’t charge a single supplement fee and offers reduced child fares. (The single supplement fees for the other adult that won’t make the trip — ouch! Needless to say, packages that rid your budget of that expense are ideal.)
Beaches also waives the single supplement fee and offers Single Parent Fun Months. You can find Beaches resorts at Negril and Ocho Rios, Jamaica, as well as Providenciales, Turks and Caicos. Celebrating 10 years in business, the resort is now offering family fun with a Sesame Street Carnival Parade, children's play activities and stage shows.
Signature Vacations accommodates travellers wherever the sun shines with resorts in the Caribbean, Central and South America, Cuba, Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Signature's family-friendly resorts offer optional babysitting and "Stay, Play & Eat Free" deals.
Trips can get pricey, so don’t be too shy to negotiate. “In the Bahamas I found magical islands like Cat Island (Greenwood Resort) and Long Island (Stella Maris) where the proprietors were happy to create a package to fit my budget,” writes Peter Ehrlich for the Yummy Mummy Club.
There is also the option of renting a cottage by the lake without breaking the bank by inviting other single-parent families. For the outdoorsy, camping doesn’t force a single supplement fee.
Paperwork
Before you and your little ones bathe under the Turks and Caicos’ sun, make sure you have all the proper documentation prepared and in order. Every country has its own enter and exit rules at the border, so check with your consulate or government office — like the US Department of State — for what's required. These rules will apply not only to single parents, but also to grandparents and even married parents travelling separately. A consent letter is recommended for some borders, with information including custody and guardianship rights information as well as the non-accompanying parent’s signature. Even if this letter is not required, it can make travelling a lot less stressful to have it and reduce your chances of border detainment.
Passports should also be updated. (Who doesn’t like an extra picture of their wee one?) Children’s passports need to be updated more frequently, and the same picture rules still apply. (Stick a piece of candy in their mouth so they are busy concentrating on sucking instead of forcing that smile they’ve been trained to shoot toward every camera.)
Quick Airport Tips
· Look for green circle lanes. These are areas designated for those who will need extra time.
· Strollers and car seats don't count as bags, and airports will allow you to bring at least one of these items.
· Check out guides like this one for the most family-friendly airports in your country.
Have you travelled as a single parent? If you haven’t, now that you know the tricks, where will your next holiday be?
Feature image courtesy of Family Vacation India
Hillary Di Menna
Author
Hillary Di Menna is a freelance journalist who manages to publish her scribblings while raising a six-year-old skateboarding ballerina and sharing her home with two snuggly black cats. Her parenting blog, Misfit Matriarch, follow her adventures in parenting. You can find all her work at
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