Single-Parent Vacations | |
|
Continued from Single Parent Vacations, p. 2....
Social Ease
In addition to punitive pricing, the second major issue faced by single-parent travelers is: will I feel comfortable with other holiday-ers?
To quote VacationKids Sally Black again:
| "Many single parents feel like an outcast at family resorts. Although these resorts offer the best children's programs, parents sometimes feel peculiar trying to socialize with married couples." |
Surely it adds insult to injury if --after being battered financially-- the single-parent traveler arrives at a resort only to feel uncomfortable.
Positive suggestions
Below are hints for finding a vacation where you'll feel comfortable traveling solo with your kids.
- most obviously, if you sign up with Single Parent Tours you'll be in like-minded company!
- find a place offering Single Parents weeks/weekends/cruises etc-- see links at TWKids.
- as mentioned on p. 2, Beaches Resorts -- all-inclusive Caribbean family resorts -- have three Single Parents months a year. The majority of guests will still be couples, but you'll likely find other solo parents taking advantage of the Month's price break.
- Club Med all-inclusive resorts have a good ambiance for single parent vacationers: for example, at meals, guests sit at round tables that seat eight, which encourages informal socializing. Club Med has terrific kids' programs and baby care, and there's a resort right in Florida.
- Franklyn D. Resort and sister resort Pebbles in Jamaica assign a "vacation nanny" to each family during their stay. (See Resort Reviews.) Terrific for solo parents!
- smaller resorts may offer a friendly atmosphere and more opportunities to chat and meet other guests for company.
The bottom line: is that the travel industry still has a long way to go in encouraging single parents vacations, but progress has been made in the past year.
So, kudos to those companies taking the initiative-- for it could be argued that harried single parents need family getaway time even more than the double-parents do!
