When you have a kid, your priorities change dramatically, especially if you are raising your baby on your own. However, life cannot stop just because you are not alone. You may still want to go on vacation and have a normal rest especially if traveling is your passion, and you cannot imagine your life without it.
Well, if you are tired of children and want to spend time with your soulmate in the winter, you should come up with new winter date ideas.
Well, even the most experienced travelers have more than a dozen questions related to the single parent vacation. In addition to standard questions about flights, airline tickets, acclimatization, the so-called “household” ambiguities arise as well. As a result, only the bravest ones decide to book air tickets and go to meet new discoveries. If you are still tormenting yourself with the question, “Should I take a single mom vacation?” let’s sort things out.
Is It Difficult to Travel With a Child?
You might have heard stories about people who love to travel but stop doing this with the birth of a baby. Sometimes these are rational and quite logical reasons related to health, but more often, it is about fear and suspense. Besides, many people still believe in a stereotype that traveling with children is difficult or possible only after a certain age (for example, after the age of majority).
Of course, any trips with children must be carefully planned, and you should learn the main single parent trips and consider many factors like climate, food, accommodation, and leisure. However, very often, many difficulties are greatly exaggerated. The main thing is to decide for yourself: is it worth going anywhere with a child? And if you say yes, then where will you be most comfortable? A kid will feel good if you are relaxed and calm. The fact is that the success of a joint trip with a child depends on the comfort of their parent. You should be mentally ready for such a trip, otherwise, it’s better to stay at home and forget even about single parent all-inclusive vacations.
The Main Rules When Traveling With a Child
The first trip with a child is pleasant, and at the same time, exciting event. After all, going on a trip, you can’t always foresee how your kid will behave in each situation, in an unfamiliar place or with strangers. You may begin to worry in advance how the trip will go, what to take with you, how to occupy a kid, and other similar questions. Here are 5 main rules to adhere to.
1. Travel time
The duration of travel depends on how a child feels and behaves at such moments. Be sure to tell some interesting facts about the place where you are going. Travel time gives you a great opportunity to chat with your child, prepare them for the upcoming trip and interest in a new place. For a long journey, prepare cartoons and games on your tablet.
2. Entertainment
To begin with, it’s worth creating a positive vibe, presenting the upcoming trip as a kind of adventure. Tell something interesting about your journey or come up with a story, thus you will broaden their horizons.
3. Acclimatization
In the first week of the trip, the children should have a gentle regime. Thus, to avoid overheating on the beach, leave before noon, and you should swim in the sea only in the early morning. Besides, it is more comfortable to live in apartments with young children than in a hotel.
4. Schedule
On vacation, try to comply with the usual routine. Young children need a nap, and they should not forget about it when traveling. Otherwise, you can have big problems after vacation since often, even an adult finds it difficult to get back to a normal schedule.
Medical supplies
The list of the most important medications for traveling with a child includes antipyretic drugs, enzymes, antiseptics, antiviral drugs. It is important to understand that traveling with a small child is not easy, but if you think through all the details in advance, this vacation will bring a lot of vivid memories.
Best Destinations for Travel With a Child
With the right choice of destination and hotel, single parent vacations will be pleasant and useful to everyone. The main factors, in this case, are the duration of the flight, the quality of rest at the resort and, of course, the price. Here are several destinations for the best vacations for single parents.
1. Turkey
Resorts of Turkey are a lifesaver for tourists with children. You can relax abroad inexpensively and comfortably! There are many hotels with the most comfortable conditions for children. Such single parent vacation packages will include excellent animation, interesting excursions, security, developed infrastructure, and all-inclusive service!
2. Croatia
It is a beautiful country with a green hilly landscape, mild climate, and affordable prices. It is one of the cheap vacations for single parents. Most often, single parents stay in comfortable hotels in Istria, Dalmatia or rent an apartment or house. The beaches are mostly rocky or pebble, sandy on the islands.
3. Cyprus
Vacationers with children usually choose the clean sandy beaches of Ayia Napa. There are no all-inclusive kids vacation packages, but children can be entertained with trips to water parks and amusement parks, visit an ostrich farm and a donkey park. If you have older children, choose Paphos since there are many historical sights.
4. Spain
In the summer, the tranquil resorts of Costa Dorada, Costa Brava, Costa Blanca, Tenerife, and Majorca will become the best vacations for single-parent families. Costa Dorada has the Spanish version of Disneyland, Port Aventura Amusement Park and the water park in La Pineda, and it’s also convenient to go on excursions to Barcelona from there.
5. Vietnam
The republic is perfect for single parent cruises. Usually, parents choose this destination if they are not afraid of long flights with kids. The main activities for children are concentrated in Nha Trang: Vinpearl Amusement Park, cinemas, entertainment centers and much more.
What Could Go Wrong?
Many parents who reflect on traveling with kids on their own can simply write a horror story since they have a tremendous number of fears. However, what can go wrong in reality? Well, your kid can start crying, making all other people nervous. You may not like the chosen destination for some reason. Or acclimatization will turn out to be too severe, so your kid may feel weak for the first weak or get a cold. However, all these points have 50/50 chances. You cannot predict anything, and nobody can, so it’s not a reason to reject traveling. Below you will find some useful tips that will allow you to avoid unpleasant moments and get prepared for an interesting and pleasant vacation with your children.
Tips How to Travel With Kids
Nowadays, traveling with small children will not surprise anyone. Numerous gadgets greatly simplify the life of modern parents. Nevertheless, vacations for single parents and children can cause stress especially if they are doing it for the first time.
1. Do not think that journeys with kids will be like those before their birth
The sooner you realize this, the better. Most likely, there will be no time for reading a book or magazine on the beach, a calm swim in the waves, relaxation with a cup of coffee. The main thing is neither to panic nor be upset. You can calmly go with the child wherever you want when they are fed and in a good mood.
2. Treat travel as a part of life
When traveling with a child, do not think that a trip is a temporary inconvenience. Thoughts like, “Oh, we only have to survive the flight” or “We’ll go on travel now, and then return home, and everything will be fine” will not give confidence. On the contrary, you will wait only for it to end as soon as possible.
3. Don’t worry in advance
Traveling with children seems scary exactly until you have taken the first step. When you are already in the process, then everything is treated much easier than it seemed at the beginning. Don’t think of a problem until you face it.
4. Ask for help
Do that especially if you are traveling with children up to three years old. When boarding a plane, for example, parents with such babies always go ahead of the line. And it saves time and makes life easier. If the priority landing was not announced, then you can safely go to the counter and ask if they can let you in. In 99.9% of cases, the answer will be positive.
5. Remember that children feel good everywhere if their parents are calm
Children instantly feel your condition and mood. They are like a sponge that absorbs what you feel, so they begin to behave in the same way. If you are in tension, the kid can start acting up and stop listening to you. Therefore, positive vibes are of great importance, think of the journey not as a vacation, but as a change of scenery and new pleasant experiences.
Change Your Perception
Of course, a vacation with children is not the same as a trip abroad with your friends when you can go to a concert, dance in a club for the whole night or just relax and do nothing, but you shouldn’t think only about limitations. You will still get distracted from the routine, the same walking route, and household scores. You should just change your mindset when traveling. Yes, you will have to adjust the routes depending on the interests of the child, but this will be still a vacation, experience and a change of scenery.