Single parent holidays
It can be hard fixing up a family holiday if you're a single parent because not only is it difficult to find hotels that don't hammer you with an under-occupancy supplement, but it's also tricky to find a break that won't leave you worn out from looking after the kids all day or left out in the evenings when they've gone to bed. Which is why we've hunted around for some companies that aim to make holidays for single parents affordable and fun. Here's our selection.
Small Families
Travel with this company and you'll at least be sure of mixing with other one-parent families. Mums or dads who want their own room will still be slapped with a single supplement, but the company does feature hotels with twin, triple or even quadruple bedded rooms so, if you don't mind bunking down with the kids, you can save yourself a bob or two.
Many of the most popular Mediterranean destinations are offered as well as Nile cruises and cruising in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, skiing in Finland and trips to see Santa in Lapland. All breaks are during school holidays. With Small Families a week in Morocco costs from £675 for adults, £567 for children, for full-board accommodation, flights and transfers.
Acorn Adventure
Activity-based holidays keep children entertained for most of the day, leaving mum or dad free to enjoy some rare grown-up time. Acorn Adventure specialises in family adventure holidays in France, Italy, England and Wales and while it doesn't cater specifically for single parents, they are made very welcome.
A wide range of activities from abseiling to climbing to orienteering are included in the price, as is instruction. The price also includes full-board accommodation in fixed tents, which can sleep up to 3. One of Acorn's most popular holidays, 6-nights in the South of France travelling by coach, costs from £449pp (£548pp for a family of 2).
Single Parents on Holiday
Set up specifically to meet the needs of lone parents, this company features selected hotels, some of which are reserved exclusively for single parent families. Destinations include Austria, Croatia, Greece and Spain in the spring and summer. Ski holidays are organised for the February half-term.
A week's half-board in Crete costs £580pp for adults and children from 12 and from £380 for kids up to 11. The price includes hotel transfers, use of a kids' club and other hotel facilities, but not flights. For details please visit Single Parents on Holidays
MANGO
Offering a limited selection of single parent holidays to Cyprus, Jersey, Mallorca, Malta, and Morocco as well as in the UK, MANGO's philosophy is to try to get parents to mix while their children make new friends. Group activities are organised every day, and dining is en-masse in the hotel restaurants. If being part of group isn't your thing you are free to go off on your own, but then this probably isn't the right holiday for you. A week in Malta costs £665pp for adults, £525 for children with a local payment of €40 for adults and €30 for kids. The price includes flights, half-board accommodation, transfers, activities and excursions.
Eurocamp
Hurrah for this camping operator which is one of the few which, instead of penalising single parents, actually gives them discounts of up to £65. Members of Gingerbread, the support group for one parent families, get an extra £100 off.
Eurocamp offers a wide selection of holiday parks and villages across Europe and Florida with age-specific children's clubs and a range of activities. Accommodation is in mobile homes, apartments, chalets or, for a more affordable option, tents. A week on the Costa Brava for one adult and two children in a 2-bedroom mobile home costs from £797, accommodation only.
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