Who do you go on holiday with?

[Achooblessyou]

I took 2 dss camping this summer on my own. It was hard but good fun. I've booked to go on hols next year on my own with them.

I don't have family to go with - my parents are too ill.

People often ask have I no friends to go with but even though I have lp friends we all have difficulty with childcare over school hols etc and money worries and we never seem to synchronise.

Also I think friends who are not lps don't normally want a single woman and kids to join them on their hols - does everyone else think this?

I do sometimes get a bit fed up of always being alone with kids, but I also like doing my own thing and not having to compromise. And not having to put up with other people's kids!

[favouritemistake]

I just go by myself with DS. Have been doing overseas holidays with him since he was 2 (been on my own since pg).

I've never really worried about travelling on my own with him, though it's easier with just one. Always loved seeing new places so never wanted to let being a single parent stop me.

I wouldn't want to travel with other families really. Our holidays are a mixture of child-friendly activities plus some sightseeing/shopping for me. I like being able to choose what we do and making all the decisions by myself, I wouldn't want to feel like I have to consult with a companion. Have done days out with other families and it's just a pain trying to agree on anything. Never get fed up of DS's company but we get on well together.

[misstiredbuthappy]

Ive only ever been with another single mum friend but shes moved away. Ive been looking on groupon and theres some realy good deals on for the october school holidays, im thinking of booking one for just me an dd.

Trouble is most of them are for families of four

[chocolatespiders]

If any of you are near Norfolk I can really recommend Clippesby hall campsite

[Achooblessyou]

Favourite I definitely agree. I do like to make the decisions on what to do. You get to do this in a family of four but introducing a different family I sometimes feel I do more of the compromising! Good for you taking a 2yo abroad I think it does take some courage as an lp. But worth it.

I'm glad it's not just me who prefers to go alone I sometimes feel people are a bit judgey and think I'm lacking in a social circle.

Mistired go for it I hope you find a bargain!

Choc I wish I lived nearer Norfolk it's a place I've always wanted to visit but 4.5 hour drive which is too much for me. I'll get there one day!

[Diagonally]

I've been away twice on my own with DS to Center Parcs. It worked well for us because there's so much to do - some activities he can do with me spectating and some we do together.

However I think I will be looking for something we can do with other families / children next year because what he really wants is to be with other kids his age. I'm afraid I'm becoming boring old Mum!

I don't know any other lp to go away with although if I did I wouldn't rule it out.

I'd love to take him on an activity holiday abroad but the prices are terrifying

[MissWimpyDimple]

I go with another single parent friend quite a lot. It works well, though our kids don't always get on!

I have been alone with DD to a holiday village type place in Spain before too and we had a really nice time. She isn't the "run off and make new friends" type unfortunately though so she can get a bit bored.

[Lonecatwithkitten]

Our holiday this year was 4 days at a festival. DD was desparate to go I was a little sceptical, but in truth it was brilliant there was so much for her to do, I didn't have to drive anywhere for 4 days, my mobile phone didn't work and I didn't cook anything.
I didn't think to have my book or crochet in my bag to read /do whilst DD was doing activities next time I will.

[GloriousGloria]

I go by myself with DS.

I've been on holiday with family friends, I hated it.

Doing what we want when we want is so much better than holidaying to every bodies schedule.

[CharlieBee]

So far I haven't plucked up the courage to holiday alone with my children (DS can be quite a handful) but have gone with family. The problem I find is how do you take your older child on, for example, a flume at the pool, with a younger child also present. 1 adult to 2 kids is difficult, unless they're very calm, mature children who can see your difficulty - mine aren't!!

[Artandco]

I have a dh, but I regularly travel alone with dc and does dh. It's obv not quite the same but I love our little trips away.

Ds's are currently 3 and 4. In May we went to Rome for 4 days and in August to Cornwall for the week just the 3 of us. Dh took them to Cyprus for 2 weeks ( but had family with him 1 week - cheating!)

I find the best way is to plan the basic days plan before we go. So see there is Xyz nearby and work out if I can fit it in. Also don't over book day. So if I travel with kids with dh we might try and do say 3 things in one day if sightseeing, but alone I will fit in 2 max and allow plenty of time.

Also prob not what is possible or everyone wants to hear, but spending money generally makes it easier.
Ie if I'm travelling in an unknown city with kids and another adult we would take tubes/ buses/ or walk further as both kids can be carried if needed. Alone I just use taxis as and when needed for the convienience.

Book somewhere you want to go and enjoy, but do include children in planning so they understand where going and if older can look up potential things also.

[Artandco]

Oh and as Charlie mentioned above, I avoid busy places if I want to rest. So rome sightseeing is fine as I'm not on relaxing holiday so can be watching kids all the time, but I wouldn't ever take to a busy hotel with multiple pools and slides and people as mentioned, because then I would have to watch like a hawk all day as split myself.

For a beach holiday I look for small hotels ( like 20 rooms max), where I can relax on beach lounger on fairly empty beach and kids can dig in sand/ potter into shallow water and I can just glance and read a while. So I avoid all major tourist areas beach wise, even if just 5 mins up the coast. Means I'm not having to
Check who's who amongst loads of people

[Purplepixiedust]

I have taken my DS (8) to the seaside or to cities a few times now on my own over the past 18 months or so, just for a weekend or few days and it's been great. I always think about the accommodation and how comfortable I will feel there on my own but everywhere We have been We have felt welcome and had a lot of fun. I tend to have an idea of things to do, collect vouchers and plan routes involving cooked breakfasts at morrisons or wetherspoons!

I have also taken him on Single with Kids camping holidays and we had such a good time. I can really recommend them. Loads of friendly people for me to chat (and have a drink) with and kids for DS to play with. I have made some good friends through SWK.

I am taking him to Disneyland Paris in Feb half term and am both excited and terrified but we can't wait! It will be my first time abroad without another adult but have everything booked and will be well prepared before we go ??

[Waitingfordolly]

I like going away with just DD as it's quality time to spend with her without all the other distractions in life. I have at other times been away with other single parents, or a friend without kids but then took a friend for DD too, or also went with a married friend with her older kids when her husband couldn't go away, and her dog who was main company for DD! So a mix of opportunistic holidays plus being happy to go away on our own, but agree that we tend to spend more money on hols on our own to ensure they are okay.

[cruikshank]

Me and DS always go on holiday alone. I like having day trips out with friends but similar to others on here if it's for longer periods of time I find it easier if we're just doing our own thing and don't have to fit in with anyone else. I think I'm so used to running my own show on an everyday basis that I've probably become really selfish and don't really want to have those 'what shall we do/what do you want to do?' conversations - I just want to do what me and DS want to do! As it's just the two of us, I find going abroad is often cheaper than holidaying in the UK - there are loads of one-bed flats on the continent (I prefer self-catering to hotels because I can watch telly or read in the living-room in the evening while he's asleep) and because accommodation is so cheap there and train travel and accommodation so expensive here, it actually works out the same or sometimes even less than holidaying in the UK.

I know this isn't the same for everyone, but ime if you're a one-parent one-child family then holidays abroad on your own are really easy and needn't cost too much either.

[Lushlush]

Cruikshank that sounds interesting where do you find the self-catering apartments in Europe? Are there certain websites?

[cruikshank]

Hi Lushlush I've always found anything I've got from Holiday Lettings to be reliable. Link:

tinyurl.com/m7k65s2

Ime there are loads of complexes in resorts with one-bed appts and also lots of one-bed places in cities where space is at a premium. It's much cheaper than renting in the UK, especially as I don't drive so am always paying for train fares/paying extra to stay somewhere near a station. The big advantage though is that there are so many of them compared to self-catering places in the UK, which are generally for at least 4 people and often very many more than that.

[ScrambledEggAndToast]

I have been away with Mango three times which is a company for single parents. I am considering a different company for next year as Mango don't have anything I like the look of this time. I am also considering whether to go it alone with DS as I will probably save at least 1/3 compared to the prices of these companies. He is very sociable and I won't mind laying on my sun lounger, eek!

[savemefromrickets]

I can see I'm going to have to pluck up the courage to travel abroad with DS. I'm a wuss, I hate not knowing where I am going!!

[cruikshank]

Do it, both of you! You always meet people when you travel anyway - I mean, honestly always. You know how it is, the kids are splashing around in the pool/sea with other kids, you get chatting etc, swapping tips about restaurants/trips/activities etc - it's not as though you spend the entire time without other adult company, but at the end of each day you can (and I really value this) lock the door to your apartment and have some real down-time, and for some reason it always feels much sweeter in a nice hot climate with a balcony to sit on. Maybe try somewhere like the Canaries for the first time? That's what we did - it is a little sanitised to be honest (pre-child I travelled in a much more adventurous way) but I figured it was developed/safe, no massive cultural differences, pretty much guaranteed good weather and a relatively short flight. Most of Spain is also easy when you've got a kid. In fact, most of Europe is I guess but Spain is really cheap to stay in and they love kids there.

[NickiFury]

I've been with friends twice and generally stay with family (they live aboard in a place we like to holiday so we often go there). Next year though I am going to take my dc to the US alone, I have been three times with other people so feel comfortable enough to go it alone now. I did all the driving when we went so will be happy to do that, as long as I have Sat Nav!

[savemefromrickets]

Maybe the problem is that I've only been abroad a couple of times really and never had a pool/beach type holiday. I wouldn't have a clue what it's like.

[cruikshank]

I think a pool/beach holiday is a good way to break yourself in gently to travelling abroad. It's amazing what a bit of decent really hot sunshine does for the spirits and if all you need to think about is going from the apartment to the beach, to a local restaurant in the evening (there are loads in any resort) then you can properly relax. If there's a few places round and about that you can go on trips to for cultural highlights etc then all the better but you might find that you can't even be arsed with that. It's a nice s-l-o-w pace of living and imo therapeutic.

[cruikshank]

Oh yes and (I'm on a frigging mission now, can you tell?) if you're worried about coping with unfamiliar things on your own, just remind yourself that as a single parent you already do 100% more than each married parent does, all day every day. Going to an unfamiliar environment is as nothing compared to being mother, father, sun, God, stars and moon for your child which is what you are doing all the time. And actually doing all of that in a nice, warm, sunny safe place is a lot more fun than doing it while having to work, run a house, do the washing and all that blah.

[savemefromrickets]

Aah, sounds good when put like that. Actually I have a DP and some quasi step-kids but our hols together are a bit full of strife. This half term we are going off separately and it'll be interesting to see how it goes.

[cruikshank]

Ooh, I hope you enjoy your holiday!