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Travel Guide for Single Parent Family Holidays

As a single parent, family holidays don’t have to mean travelling as the only adult. Join other like-minded families on our small group tours. Experience a choice of adventures and enjoy a balance of family time and socialising.

 

More about our holidays for single parent families

If you’re a single parent, looking for inspiration and help in planning your next family holiday, we have plenty of ideas to get you started. We have some inspiration of the best places to travel as a single parent with younger children and with teenagers, and can help you put together the right trip for your family.

At Explore, our small group family tours offer single parents the opportunity to share their experience with other adventure-loving families; nearly a third of families on our trips are single parent families. And with an expert tour leader on hand, everything is taken care of and you can be sure that you’re not missing any of the highlights or lesser-known gems of your destination. What’s more, we never charge families more for single rooms or different room configurations so you won’t have to pay more for being a single parent family.

New to Explore? Discover more about our solo holidays and our family adventure tours.

 

Where to go as a single parent with younger children

Looking for ideas of where to take the little ones? Our trips have a minimum age of seven on date of departure. Here are our some of our favourites for single parent families with younger children:  
 
  1. Swim the shimmering seas in Turkey – The relaxed pace of our Family Turkey Coastal Adventure makes it ideal for single parent families with younger children. Plus, there are still plenty of activities to experience. Sea kayak over sunken ruins to Kekova Island and visit the hilltop castle. Explore the foothills of the Taurus Mountains, enjoying lunch with a local family. Swim and snorkel every day in the crystal clear waters. Spend your evenings exploring the cobbled streets and enjoying local Turkish cuisine in the seaside town of Kas.
    Child on a walk in India
  2. Take a jeep safari in Ranthambore, India – If your family prefers a busy holiday and loves wildlife, try our Family India Golden Triangle Adventure. As well as visiting the Taj Mahal and staying in a historic fort in Rajasthan, you’ll take two game drives in India’s most iconic National Park, Ranthambore. Drive among the park’s many rivers, lakes and forests in a six-seater open-top jeep and perhaps spot one of the tigers in residence. The park is also home to Sloth bear, langur, striped hyenas, marsh crocodiles, pythons and Ganga soft-shelled turtles.
     
  3. Cruise around Halong Bay, Vietnam – For an unforgettable experience, take an overnight cruise in a traditional junk boat on our Discover Vietnam family tour. Admire the dramatic coastline with mountainous islands jutting from the turquoise seas. Take a sea kayak or rowing boat to nearby Vung Vieng fishing village and spend the afternoon exploring the bay scattered with islands and dotted with caves and grottos. Sample fresh seafood and regional dishes at dinner on board before a night spent anchored in Bai Tu Long Bay.

Where to go as a single parent with a teenager

We know that teenagers often prefer to travel with others of their own age so we’ve planned plenty of trip choices for single parent families with teenagers. These trips have a minimum age of 11 on date of departure. Here are some of our favourites:
 
  1. Experience the best of Indonesia – Travel through paddy fields and thick tropical jungle, stopping to walk through ancient tribal villages. See prehistoric Komodo dragons in their natural habitat. Climb Kelimutu Volcano for stunning views of three crater lakes, famed for changing colour throughout the day. End your trip with time to relax on the sandy beaches of Lombok.
     
  2. Hike the slopes of Mount Etna in Sicily – Hike the slopes of Mount Etna, the highest volcano in Europe and one of the largest in the world, on our Sicily Multi-Activity Adventure. Visit the Madonie Avdenture Park and try out zip lines, tree climbing and archery then spend a night in a tree tent. Have a go at sea kayaking in Isole Ciclopi Marine Park. Visit Palermo and take a cookery lesson and learn to cook pasta and gnocchi.

How to plan a holiday with kids as a lone parent

It can be hard to know where to start when planning a holiday as a single parent family. As the only adult, all the decision making falls to you! Here are some things to consider when planning your single parent family break:

What sort of holiday:
  • What activities do we enjoy? You know your family best. Are you all happiest after a day on the water? Would nail-biting downhill mountain biking tick all the boxes? Or would you all relax visiting a historic temple?
  • Consider the pace of your trip. When you know what you want to do, think about how much of each activity you want. For some families, long days packed full of activities and experiences is just the thing. Other families prefer a mixture of activities and experiences with afternoons to relax.
  • Choose age appropriate activities. You might have always wanted to take a four-day trek along the Inca Trail but consider whether your little (or not so little) ones will enjoy the journey too.

What time of year:
  • When are the school holidays? Make sure you check your child’s term dates before you book your travel. If they have exams this year, they might finish up earlier than usual.
  • Consider the climate of your chosen destination. This might be very different from your own. If it is a tropical climate there might be a rainy season too.
  • Are your chosen activities running? Some activities or experiences might be specific to certain times of year. For example, whale watching on Vancouver Island is best between May to October

 Where to go:
  • Think about your budget. Flights will likely be more expensive for long haul destinations and the in-country costs should be considered too. Look into how expensive it is to get around, eat out and for any additional excursions.
  • How far off the beaten track? Think about how adventurous your family are. Would spotting wildlife in the jungles of Borneo be your idea of heaven or would your family relax more if their surroundings were more familiar.
  • Consider your own needs. It’s easy as a parent to put our children first but this is your holiday too. Are there places you have always wanted to visit or maybe somewhere you want to see more of? The great thing about travelling in a small group is the adult company – you’ll meet likeminded travellers and have company in the evenings once the kids are in bed.
 
Travel documents
  • Check your passports. It is your responsibility to make sure that everyone’s passport has the correct, current information and that it is well within date before departure. You must also have all visas and vaccination certificates needed to enter or pass through countries on your trip.
  • What insurance do I need? Travel insurance is an important part of any holiday. Make sure that yours covers all countries and activities you plan to visit and take part in on your trip.
  • Do you have the relevant permissions? Make sure that you have the relevant permissions to take your child or children overseas on your own. Your government website should have more information.

Will a family holiday as a solo parent cost more?

Holidays for single parents travelling abroad can cost more. The cost of a single parent travelling on their own with one child can pay up to 28% per person when compared to two adults with one child going on the same holiday. Most of this additional cost is due to single adult supplements for accommodation.

At Explore, we know that no two families are the same and we’ll never charge you for a single room occupancy when you’re travelling as a family. Instead, we’ll do our best to make sure you get a single, twin or triple room depending on your needs.

Make sure you check your eligibility for family travel in the small print before booking your single parent holiday. Child prices apply to varying ages depending on who you are traveling with. Some tour operators charging full price for young people over aged 16 years of age.

On an explore family adventure, a family is defined as having a minimum of two people, with at least one being an adult over the age of 18 and one child under 18. There is no minimum age for child prices because we have a minimum age of travel on our trips. This is because of the active nature of our holidays, we want to make sure that the activities can be enjoyed by everyone on the tour.

Ready for your family adventure?

Our family holidays are perfect for single parent families - you'll get to share the experience with other adults and the kids can make friends. Which extraordinary destination will you choose to visit next?
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