Single with Child Single with Child: Our tips for an unforgettable holiday
20 percent of all parents in Germany are now single parents – and the trend is rising. In this article we have put together four tips for an unforgettable single holiday with your child.
from KidsAway editorial office
20 percent of all parents in Germany are now single parents – and the trend is rising. Since single parents with child travelers have somewhat different needs and requirements to a vacation journey than classical father nut/mother child families and pairs without children, the selection of the correct journey and/or the correct kind of vacation is extremely important.
In this article we have put together a few tips to ensure that you, as a single parent, spend a great and unforgettable holiday with your children.
So your single trip with child will also be relaxing for you
In order for the long-awaited holiday for mum or dad AND child to be the most beautiful time of the year, everyone must get their money’s worth during the holidays together.
For your holidays together there are basically an immense number of options. You can e.g.
- go hiking and trekking,
- to the sea,
- Go camping,
- I’d like to go on a city trip,
- spend your holidays at the riding school,
- take a language trip with your child or children,
- I’ll take a farm holiday,
- cruise
- etc., etc.
But what kind of holiday is best for a single person with a child?
To find out, we can first consider what criteria are important for a great and unforgettable holiday with your little ones… especially if you are a single parent.
We have 4 tips for you:
- Make sure you can relax on your own.
- Create traditions with your little ones
- Be active and move even more than at home
- Trying to meet some other adults.
Of course, this all depends a little bit on the age of your children (e.g. is a language trip already possible?) and on your preferences.
Relax by yourself too
Resting and relaxing on holiday is always a challenge for parents, but as singles you are always in demand.
What is the best way to relax with your child (or children) during your holiday?
Interestingly, this works best through planning: the more you plan, the less stress you have.
This is especially true for meals, etc. A fixed rhythm even on holiday is an important orientation for children. You can also plan for spontaneity. If you plan a city trip, sufficient planning is of course essential.
Ideally, you should also plan actions in which your little ones can do something independently of you. Depending on the age of the child or children, language holidays (a selection of such trips can be found on Sprachreisevergleich.de) or holidays on a farm or equestrian farm can be a very good choice.
Children can normally also get busy by the sea. But of course you have to pay more attention to your children.
Creating traditions
Certain holiday traditions can create a very special experience especially for your slightly younger children and make sure that you don’t have to worry about the motivation of the little ones.
Imagine that: No more whining children, who you have to force to their luck!
How do you create a great holiday tradition? Quite simply: You give your little ones something on holiday that they normally don’t (yet) get in everyday life or you use something completely new in connection with your holiday trip and thus create a connection between fun and holiday.
Here are a few examples or ideas for holiday traditions (we left out everything that has to do with sweets… but of course it usually works as well):
- a special warm breakfast, with which you always ring in your hikes
- a very special dish, which can only be eaten on holiday
- a small gift, which you always give to your children on holiday (maybe something to collect)
- a special audio book, which you can only listen to while travelling
You can actually use such traditions everywhere. However, the most important traditions are when you have to motivate your children to get up and dress in the mornings, etc., for example… so for example when you go hiking a lot or are out and about in the city.
Move and be active
As in everyday life, sufficient exercise is also very important on holiday. Your children will move a lot on their own. But what about yourselves?
How do you make sure you get your daily dose of exercise? A hotel pool usually works well. Here you can swim a few lanes in peace while your children splash around at the edge of the pool.
You can also do yoga or a few practice sessions in your hotel room, but you’ll probably have to distract your little ones a bit. In our experience, a colouring book, a radio play or (if you can’t avoid it and the children are old enough) a few cartoons are a good idea.
Sometimes it is also possible to organise childcare on site. For language courses or holidays on a farm this is already included for a part of the time.
But by far the best thing is, of course, when you and your little ones are doing sports together. You can, for example, play Frisbee or football together. Or your children can accompany you jogging with their bicycles.
Get to know other adults
Ideal is also a holiday in which you can get to know other adults… if that suits you and you quickly get into conversation with strangers.
Of course, holidays tailored to children (or even better singles with children) are best for this. For example a holiday on a farm. You probably know best how quickly a friendship can develop from the fact that your children have played together on holiday.
Maybe you will travel together with parents from your circle of friends. So you can share the responsibility and the supervision of the children and the little ones can play together.
Conclusion: It’s about balance
Basically, it’s about choosing the trip that suits everyone, based on your preferences (i.e. your own and those of your child or children).
If you pay attention to these four things, your single holiday with child will surely be a great and unforgettable experience:
- You make sure you have enough time to relax on your own.
- You move a lot, preferably together with your little ones.
- You create special holiday traditions, which you can strengthen in the future always further
- You may travel directly with other adults or choose a holiday in which you automatically come into contact with other adults (this of course depends on your preferences).
Do you have further tips for an unforgettable single holiday with your little ones from your experience? Then simply complete the form below and write a comment.