Holidays abroad with the kids on your own. Where do I start?

[skinnymalinki]

Quite new to the whole single parenting thing, and doing ok but would like to take the kids away next year on holiday abroad.
Preferably Tenerife.

Can anyone please advise me on a good hotel they've been to or how to get the best deals?
One friend even got her holiday paid on Tesco points.
Need to get myself upto speed on booking holidays as a singe parent with 3 kids.

Hey there. I am in the same situation so waiting for your replies! Thinking of Canaries or similar for Christmas sun.. (and an escape from Christmas with- gulp- ex in-laws etc on my back)

Notsohotchic, yes, I would like to go at Feb half term in the middle of bleak winter.
Something to look forward to

lets hope folk come along with some help soon.

i take ds 8 abroad every year on my own - have done since he was 2.

tesco clubpoints was kind enought to pay 3k last year for us to have 2 weeks in august at Lykia world in old deniz turkey. - one word AMAZING!

my biggest tip is make sure the hotel/complex has a kids club. ds loves meeting friends there and it meant i have a couple of hours a day to actually relax and read a book. when your by the pool/beach with them you never get that break that couples get. also even if they dont fancy the kids club it usually mean there will be games etc round the pool they can join in with.

i only went away once without a kids club cos we were staying with a friend (turned out to be a nightmare) i felt i never got a break as had to entertain him all day every day and there is only so may sandcastles he wanted to build.

also what worked for us were the all inclusive type places. the worse part of the holiday for me was walking in to a packed restaurant on my own - this takes that embarasssment away.

any questions ask away. x

tesco clubpoints? you collected that many?

I second kylesmybaby. My top two tips are also (1) make sure there is a kids club / babysitting / anything so that you can have just a small bit of time to yourself. (2) all inclusive is really important to me. Did one self catering week away as a LP with a 1 year old, and it was just like being at home except without all of your own stuff around you. Seemed to spend most of the week shopping / cooking / cleaning.

I've done lastminute things to get holidays more cheaply, tho I guess this would be harder with 3 DCs and at a peak holiday time too.

Don't suppose you have any friends with kids who would want a holiday at the same time? There are times (eg at the airport etc) when it's easier with more than one pair of adult hands. And another grown up around makes me feel a bit less lonely in the evenings.

Rosetintedglasses ; Would love to go away with friends but most are still happily married and its just not done is it
The ones who arent are already pretty well established in terms of their holiday groups.
Plus I would like to book something now so I can save and plan for it. Agree about kids club, great idea. I could imagine never getting a minutes peace poolside . Never done clubs before, but will look for that.

Kylesmybaby ,looked up Lykia World and wow !! Looks amazing. will try find prices for it.Thanks.

Anywhere else?

Menorca is very good for children, only a couple of hours away, great beaches, family friendly etc...also look out for 'Single parent familiy deals', amny of the major tour operators offer these but you'll have to be quick.

Again another great holiday if you are on your own are the complexes that have loads going on, evening entertainment, children's clubs etc. also you tend to find other parents to talk to.

From a price perspectice take into account the supplements that are added on when you are the only adult in the party.

As a rough estimate child ages are considered:

Self catering - upto 16 years of age
Half - Full Board - All-inclusive - up to 12 years of age

Try Icelolly.com they seem to have some great deals, even with added supplements.

have just wrote a massive post and lost it so will reply later.

have a look at the First Chice Holiday Villages. they have them in Turkey, Spain, Egypt andlots of other places including Caribbean.

have been to the turkey one a couple of times and its wicked.. very kid orientated. big plus is that the kids club is open all day and they do DVD in pj nights. although as a single parent i never used this is didnt want to be propping bar up on me own looking desperate. if you are a bit funny having someone babysite for you then this is a great way to get couple of hours in the evening to yourself.

Sign up to TravelZoo they will send you weekly emails with really good deals from a range of operators. These include skiing hols, all inclusive, cheap flights etc. They might not be exactly right but they will give you an idea of where to go for a good price.

We are going to Phantasialand (German theme park) in half term. The return flight to Germany was £40 each, the park hotel charges E70 an adult but only E30 for a child and it's free for under 7's to get in.I'll let you know but it seemed like a good cheap(ish) mini break for a single mum.

singlewithkids.com website does sound abroad deals which I was going to look into as want to take dd abroad but would like to go somewhere where we can both make new friends.

I've going 'camping' abroad wiht my 2 dcs for the last few years alone as a single parent. We stayed in mobile homes which was lovely as the sites had loads of facilities and as evryone tends to sit outside the vans at night (or go to the bar for kids activities) it's very sociable. I've used tesco vouchers and we've had two freebie foreign 'camping' holidays every year!! kjids go free.... Very easy and very relaxing as once the dcs are up they are outside playing in the garden rather than trying to keep them quiet in a hotel room or on a balcony. It does mean you have to put up with other children playing football round about your pitch though, but those children come with parents who are usually up for a chat and some wine in the evening!!