Single parent vacation, anyone?
by Rachel Sarah
Filed under All, Featured, Single Parents
We’re curious to know what you’ve been up to during the holidays:
Did you take a long car trip with your kids to visit family?
Did you stay home and entertain? (And then stay up late washing the dishes!)
As the holiday weekend winds down, we know that many of you are asking, “Hey, wasn’t this supposed to be a vacation? I’m exhausted!”
We hear you. Recently, Rachel from Single Mom Seeking wrote an article about vacationing as a single parent. And it got our imaginations running wild. See what we mean:
One single mom took her daughters to the Turks and Caicos Islands in the West Indies last summer with Single Parent Travel. One of the best parts, she says, was having other single moms to hang out with.
Not only did these moms become friends, they also became “vacation parents,” the kind who would “watch my back for me” if, say, she had to run back to the room while the girls were at the pool.
We’ve chatted with another single mom who regularly takes her kids to Vietnam (wow!).
And then there’s the single mom who took her 12-year-old on a safari in Africa. They left the Game Boy at home to watch a pride of lions romaing not far from their Jeep. Would you be up for that?
Well, we’d love to know:
If you could go anywhere in the world — all expenses paid — what would be your ideal vacation?
Photo courtesy of Jenny Rollo
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Twitter @ crazycompdad
I would love to take my son hiking and camping through the nation’s national parks. Driving around the country to get to each so that he can see not just the parks, but the communities around the country as well.
Outside of vacationing, there are so many things to do around our local areas that don’t cost much and can provide the same wonder and excitement on a weekend or a weekday evening too. I watch the paper and online social groups for those opportunities.
I also like to take short trips with just adults too. There are just a number of things that appeal to me that won’t appeal to my son until he is much older.
Twitter @ TheMooksMum
I’m big on the road trip. I’d like to take The Mook cross-country, keeping off the main roads and exploring the small towns that make up Canada. We would haul a pop-up trailer so we could park and sleep as needed. The trip would need at least 2 months for us to get it right.
On the other hand, if I wanted to take it easy, I’d head to Costa Rica, where we would hike in the rainforests. I was there last when I was preggers with The Mook. I’d love to go back to show her the places I visited.
I’d head back to Vietnam asap.
-teresa
Twitter @ aljolynn
I’d take myself and my son to Montreal where his father is from. I had always wanted to go while I lived on the East Coast but never made it. It’d be great to see a beautiful city and to see where his father’s origins are.
Restless Mama´s last blog ..How do you holiday?
Twitter @ http://www.singlemomsaves.com
I would love to take my son to Italy…I studied abroad there for a semester in college, and I’d love to introduce him to all the art and history in Florence.
Twitter @ http://bigcitydadnyc.blogspot.com/
I really want my daughter to get a good appreciation for how amazing the outdoors can be. If anywhere, New Zealand would be the top choice. I’ve never been there and to discover some of the beautiful topography there with her would be a dream. Second choice (and more likely) is Alaska.
Big City Dad´s last blog ..Not So Bad…
@BigCityDad Those choices sound perfect for an outdoor lover…Have you considered a trip to the Adirondacks in the meantime. My kids and I spent some special times there. We also loved New Hampshire. @CrazyComputerDad Our national parks are such a treasure. There are so many that don’t attract the crowds that the better known parks attract. We hope this trip happens for you.
@Restless Mama What a generous choice for your child. Montreal is so European and filled with history. We hope this happens for you and your son.
@bad mummy Ahhh . . .the lure of the open road. We hear you! Good for you …preggers and touring Cost Rica. Hope you also get a chance to return. And take that trip with the pop top camper!
Twitter @ Zoeyjane
I’m closely entertaining the idea of a vacation spot becoming our new home in almost two years. Research, budgets, day dreams are all being culled for a potential move to Paris!
Zoeyjane´s last blog ..On putting it all away
@zoeyjaneParis…how perfect. Keep us posted.
Twitter @ http://avigail74.blogspot.com
If I could go anywhere, all expenses paid….what a tough question! I have been fortunate enough to have traveled in the States and out of the country with my daughter in tow. I LOVE Centro America—they are so friendly and ironically, I don’t feel the stigma of single parenting (whereas in Mexico, the first question I’m often asked is, “Where is your husband?” There were times when I would wear a ring on my finger just to prevent unwanted attention. But in Centro America, I’ve not been asked that question once—and have been invited to join their families more than once.
I suppose, the next place I have my eye on is Cartegena, Colombia (tickets are very expensive–but if it’s all paid for, I”d go there next.
Check out our traveling blog: avigail74@blogspot.com
Twitter @ MyShitty20s
I would love to take my son to India when he is a little older; shortly before I got pregnant, I visited a home for rescued street children in Goa and was struck by how polite and plesant the children were (I hated kids at the time!) I would love to take my son there and let him play with those children and stay in touch with them on his return. I am not religious but I do feel spiritually connected with India (yes, I know that makes me sound pretentious but I’m not, it’s true.) India is colourful and beautiful with fascinating architecture and wildlife – I am sure m son would love it.
Staying in Asia, I would love to take my son to Borneo to see the orangutans, but again, I would like to wait until he is a little older (he is three now) as I want to make sure he understands why he has to take anti-malarials and also the need to be quiet when trekking through the rainforest. I took him to the rainforest in North Queensland, Australia when he was 20 months old but managed to find a wonderful multi-level canopy boardwalk so was able to push his buggy through the undergrowth!
Our next stop is Morocco, as the flights from the UK are incredibly cheap – around £130 dollars each return. I want to show him the sights and sounds of Marrakech but also to venture off into the High Atlas mountains and hopefully stay with a Berber family so that he can learn that people live differently. I am sure he is going to love taking the donkey to our mountain lodge!
There is a cultural divide in many countries because often they are not accustomed to lone parent families – I found in South Korea on our way to Australia that people couldn’t understand why I was travelling alone with my son. The internet is a wonderful thing, because with our trip to Morocco, I am able to plan ahead and arrange a local guide from this end!
Emily´s last blog ..Margaret
@Emily We’re SO happy you commented. Thank you for sharing so much with us! Just so everyone else knows . . .Emily is a single mom and a travel expert.
I have not had a vacation in 4 years, but the last was after my daughter’s 2 years of cancer treatment were over when we were gifted a trip to San Diego from a childhood cancer organization. She loved being somewhere warm, somewhere she could swim. I would love to take her on a road trip with me to see more of America as I got to do with my family of origin as a child. If money was not a limitation, I would love to travel with her to a number of countries where a service organization such as SOS Children’s Villages has a presence, so we could work together on a project supporting other children. She has survived with a lot of help, but she also has been gifted way more than many children in the world have, and I would like her to have an opportunity to experience what it is like to give of herself in that way.