talk to me about holidays ...

[1littlequestion]

Anyone like to share their experiences on a single parent taking DC on holiday ?
Abroad - city break, sun holiday, skiing holiday whatever ...
How long for ?
Advice ?

My DD would be 2+ when I'd be thinking of taking her maybe 3.
I'd like something she'd enjoy but also me too !

Thanks for any replies

Centerparcs is great at that age

I'm a single mum to dd age 4 and we've been travelling since about 18 months just us two.
We've done city breaks, beach breaks etc. We tend to go for 3-5 days although have done longer which I found abit more difficult.
It's got easier as she has got older as can do kids clubs/ make friends at the hotel pool etc.
I plan our days by doing something I'm interested in followed by an activity she wants to do. For example we went to a museum about ww2 in Berlin and followed it with the natural history museum as she LOVES space. Tbh she just likes going on a plane and different trams or buses in different countries. The thought of staying in a hotel also fills her with complete joy and she makes me take videos of her showing off the hotel room( including every single drawer) to send to my mum or her dad.
The first time will be stressful and I was worried about the flight etc but we were fine. Plan to a degree but not steadfastly.
Tip for the plane would be to wrap a few little bits up and give them over at increments as it's more exciting for her than just having a bag of things she can see lol.

Plan the holiday around what will keep your DD happy. Center Parcs had lots to do but can be expensive. Other short city or seaside breaks are good as long as there is plenty to keep them occupied.

I don't think you need to go abroad. I've done it but it adds another layer of complexity and at that age I would keep it simple until you get used to it. It does get tiring. It's a fun experience but nothing like a relaxing holiday, whatever you have planned.

ioio thank you I'll check that out !

Jayde oh that sounds like you both would have an amazing time ! I did think about just a few days too. Great advice tho appreciate it and hope me and my DD get away soon !

Doyou thank you for the advice, I'll check out sea side places too !

I would also recommend self catering so that you have flexibility around meals.

Doyou aw thanks, I wouldn't have thought about that !

It's good to get them used to travelling if that's something you're keen to do. I used to find it quite stressful but DD is a good traveller now - knows the drill at Security etc. We've done several European city breaks but usually met up with friends so I wasn't alone all the time with her. We've just done our first completely solo trip to the Dominican Republic and it was great.
If you do fly it's worth paying for fast track through customs as sometimes it can be a really long wait at passport control.
Good luck and keep us updated.

I love Eurocamp’s at least for one holiday a year. You can do stuff in the local area but if you pick a good campsite there’s lots to do onsite.

It’s stressful at that age but fun and I have great memories of our trips. Keep us updated op.

I take my kids on American road trips.
Love the different national parks, beaches etc
No language barrier !
And very friendly to English people

Ohamireally. Oh that's great ! What city breaks did you find were best and most interesting?

Zsaz. That's something a bit different hasn't thought of camping ! I'll have a look at that, thank you

Fidgety oh wow!!!! That's the dream ! How long do you tend to go for ? And how long do you stay in each place ?

I take my kids to haven sites. They’re all over the country so I just find one near where there’s something I want to see.

Last year I took my 2 sons to Menorca, with tui - all inclusive. They had a kids club there which I wasn't planning on using but the friends they had made around the pool all went so they wanted to and tbh it was a godsend. 2 hours a day where I could read my book by the pool and they did all manner of fun stuff.
For this year I have booked Bulgaria - all inclusive again as I found it perfect with the kids and actually coming up cheaper than self catering.
People say "oh how brave going away on your own.." but to us it's normal that we all live alone together so a holiday is no different.

Prolly thank you, I've had a look at haven and they look fab, so much to do !

Avoiding wow that sounds fab ! And you're so right, that you live on your own so why should a holiday be any different ! Never thought about it like that before.

Polly** sorry

We’ve just booked lanzarote, I’m a single mum taking my 4 children, luckily my Sisters coming along Aswell, as I couldn’t manage with 4 alone on holiday. it will be the first time I’ve taken them abroad (all age under 9) we wanted somewhere with a kids club though not sure how often we will use it but nice to have the option. Managed to get 2 free child places with Tui as me and my sister booked separately (2 children on each one) so we could both get the child places, oh and £200 off each for being a single parent!

We’ve done centre parcs in Europe (really great value!), hotel/pool type holidays and lots of city breaks, both in the uk and Europe. They have always been good with flying, long car journeys, airports etc and it’s lovely to get away from the usual school/work drudgery for a while. I still get the odd pang when I see families with 2 parents, but we’re ok as a 3 and enjoy time away together.

Pumpkin that sounds great ! And sounds like you got a good deal too. Hope you all have a fab time. 4, under 9 on holiday alone would be tough- due to them all wanting to do different things (assuming this of course 😅) so glad you have some help. Yeah totally get the feeling of seeing families too 😟 but just need to tell myself I'd rather be a single parent than be with my ex and that helps me a lot !

Justjuggling. Can I ask what city breaks you have done ? I think a short city break would ease me in a little 😅

Not a single parent but I have taken all three away loads of times as DH works away a lot.

Just get organised with supplies to make life easier. Plan stops in driving. Make the journey part of the holiday. Such as special sticker book for the plane, or a KFC treat at a service station etc - they look forward to this as much as the holiday. Mine particularly loved the 8 boxes of mini cereal as a holiday treat!!

Green oh fab idea! The 8 pack of cereal used to be a treat for me too when we'd go away to a relatives caravan. Totally forgot about that, brought back fond memories☺️. Thanks for the advice, can't be that bad if loads seem to do it !

Our first holiday just me & DD we went to Eurocamp, we had a brill time!! The pools, beach and she occasionally went to the kids club so I could read for a bit. We had little bbqs and spent quite a lot of time around our caravan home as it had air con!
We have also done weekend city breaks but she isn't keen on escalators or crowds!!!

@1littlequestion sorry for delay I've only just come back to this thread.
So my favourite city break is probably Madrid. It's quite compact so walkable, lots of nice pavement cafes and restaurants which are reasonably priced. Many of the squares have little children's play areas in them so a couple of times in the evening I had a glass of wine at a terrace whilst DD played. Spanish people keep their kids up late too so you don't feel you have to be stuck in the hotel room by 8pm.
I like the art galleries and the shops and we really enjoyed taking the Teleférico 🚠 up to the Casa del Campo.

I did Haven at that age . Waited till 7 before we went abroad.