Brenda Hall was only 9 the first time she went on a year-long trip around the world with her parents. A couple decade later, it took a full-time job as local reporter for her to settle down in Detroit, Michigan. When home, she now can’t stop blogging about her discoveries around the world.
photo credit: Wally Argus
Holidays are supposed to offer a chance to relax and unwind, but if people aren’t careful, they can end up returning from their trips even more stressed out and tired than they were when they set off. This is especially the case for single parents. Taking kids on vacation alone isn’t always easy, so it’s really important that mums arrange their adventures carefully.
To help ensure that any youngsters are on board with the plans, it can be a good idea to get them involved from an early stage. Including children in the process like this helps to build excitement. Thankfully, there are lots of different holiday options on offer these days, including activity breaks and beach holidays. However, for single mums, a cruise can be an ideal way to travel. Vacations like this tend to be multi-generational and they offer a range of activities for all age groups.
One of the great things about heading off on a seaborne adventure is the fact that single parents don’t have to worry about cleaning, cooking and looking for things to do. All this is arranged for them. This means mums can spend as much quality time as possible with their youngsters. Meanwhile, getting a break from the daily pressure of looking after a family single-handedly can be a big relief.
From a financial point of view, it’s worth noting that special single parent offers are available on certain cruises. For example, it is sometimes possible to get discounts on children sharing cabins with a full-fare-paying adult. For anyone operating on a tight budget, this could come as a welcome relief.
As well as cost, there are other issues for holidaymakers to consider. Of course, destination is hugely important. There are now cruises on offer to all manner of locations around the globe, including Alaska, the Caribbean, Europe and elsewhere. Another point consumers must think about is the size of ship they’ll travel on. As a general rule, smaller vessels offer higher crew-to-passenger ratios and they are often all-inclusive. Also, smaller ships are more intimate and it’s easier to get to know other people on them. On the flipside, they can be more expensive and there is often less for children to do on board.
Before making any bookings, mums should carefully examine the details of the offers they come across. As long as they’re savvy, they can help ensure that both they and their youngsters have a great time – creating positive memories that last for a lifetime.
Seems like a smart idea to me. Cruise ships seem to have planned activities going on non-stop. This would, hopefully, give the single parent some time to truly relax.
I am not a single mother, but I really want to go on a cruise on day! I have a friend who has been on several and she always tells me about how much fun it is, as long as motion sickness isn’t a factor of course.
I havent been on a cruise since high school not a big fan of them just not feeling being stuck on a boat. However I would like to take my wifey on the Alaskan cruise since she is really dying to go. Cruises are one of the cheaper ways to travel.