For a lot of single parents, holidays can be a daunting prospect. According to research, a single parent travelling with a child will pay on average 28% more for the same holiday as two adults with one child (source: Sky News). With almost three million Brits in single parent families, there are more holiday providers catching on and offering better deals for single parent holidays.
We’ve rounded up the most popular holiday companies offering single parent holidays for 2018 / 2019. Whether you’re looking for holidays abroad, cheap breaks or specialist holidays, we’ve got it covered.
Also take a look at our articles on Low Deposit Holidays and Kids Go Free Holidays.
Specialist Holiday Providers of Single Parent Holidays
What are the benefits of using a specialist holiday provider of single parent holidays?
- Holidaying with other single parents
- Children have other children to socialise with
- Carefully selected accommodation
- Holiday hosts/ tour leaders to organise activities and trips
- Organised or all-inclusive holidays
- Reductions for children travelling with one parent
Single With Kids
Largest provider of breaks for single parents holidays in the UK.
Holidays include Camping and Glamping Breaks in the UK (starting from as little as £40 for up to 4 people), Lodge Beaks, Overseas Holidays. Destinations include UK, Montenegro, Greece, Croatia, Spain and Bulgaria.
Single Parents On Holiday
They have a fantastic choice of single parent with kids breaks and solo holidays to
choose from. Luxury beach holidays abroad, book early to avoid disappointment. Deposit of £100 per person to secure booking and balance to pay 10 weeks prior to departure.
Destinations include – The Canary Islands, Austria, Croatia, Greece and Italy.
Visit Single Parents On Holiday
Acorn Adventure Family Holidays
Exclusive single parent family holidays in the UK and abroad. Fun active holidays, where everything is pre-planned and organised, providing plenty of company for you and your children.
Great value, fully inclusive & organised holidays from £109 per person. Only £150 deposit required, with nothing else to pay until 10 weeks prior to departure. Destinations include France, Italy, Spain and Wales.
Visit Acorn Adventure Family Holidays
Sovereign Luxury Travel
Sovereign offers a range of carefully selected family hotels with reductions for children travelling with one parent. Destinations include – Antigua,Bali, Barbados, Croatia, Cyprus, Dominican Republic,Dubai, Greece, Hong Kong, Italy, Jamaica, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Morocco, Oman, Portugal, Seychelles, Singapore, Spain, Sri Lanka, St Lucia, Thailand, Turkey.
Mango Holidays
Recommended by Mumsnet, Mango Holidays are for single parent families who want to do something a bit different such as activities (walking, biking, rafting, skiing, etc.) have some great adventures or explore exciting places. All holidays are escorted by a group leader. Destinations include Vietnam, Peru, Morocco, Italy, Croatia and India.
Virgin Holidays
Virgin Holidays have put together a selection of all-inclusive holidays to the Caribbean with pricing that’s tailored to single parent families. Telephone number to book 0344 557 8830
The firm is offering a child rate for the second person if they are under 12 so for example, if a single parent was to travel with one child for a seven-night holiday during the May 2018 school holidays, they could be saving an average of £398.
Large Tour Operators
A lot of the big tour operators do actually offer single parent holidays, but they don’t publicise these very well. Thomas Cook and First Choice do offer single rooms, in which small children can share, but it’s not always that simple finding these. You can search and refine on their websites by ticking the ‘family holidays’ box and then it’s a case of searching for those single rooms or alternatively twin rooms. This may end up making your single parent holiday cheaper than you expected!
Or sometimes it’s easier to call the tour operator direct and find out what discounts they have available for single parent holidays abroad. Below we have listed all of the telephone numbers you need to call them direct.
Thomas Cook
We typed ‘single parent holiday’ into the search tool on the website and were directed to a selection of holidays. We found a limited number of twin rooms for sole use at no supplement.
Telephone: 01733 224 808
Visit Thomas Cook Single Parent Holidays
TUI
We searched holidays for 1 adult and 2 children and although their website offer for ‘Free Child Places’ is based on 2 adults, when you search the holidays there are, in fact, some that offer the ‘Free Child Place’ based on 1 adult and 2 children sharing.
Telephone: 0203 451 2688
Visit TUI Single Parent Holidays
First Choice
We searched holidays for 1 adult and 2 children and although their website offer for ‘Free Child Places’ is based on 2 adults, when you search the holidays there are, in fact, some that offer the ‘Free Child Place’ based on 1 adult and 2 children sharing.
Example holiday (price correct at publication): Includes free child place! Bulgaria FRI 10 AUG 2018, 7 NIGHTS, 1 ADULT, 2 CHILDREN
London Gatwick Flights, All Inclusive, Twin Room with Balcony or Terrace, Coach transfers, Inc £261 Total Discount, Pay £50pp low deposit, £ 703 pp, Total price £1405
Telephone: 0203 451 2720
Visit First Choice Single Parent Holidays
Teletext Holidays
Telephone: 0203 001 0608
Visit Teletext Holidays Single Parent Holidays
Holiday Gems
Visit Holiday Gems Single Parent Holidays
Telephone: 0161 641 5166
Can booking direct mean better value?
Booking direct with airlines, hotels or campsites can mean better deals for single parent families than holiday operator packages. You can search all of the rooms available to you in hotels, rather than being penalised with a single adult supplement. Head over to our guide on cheap hotels or package holidays for the low down on booking a bargain.
Camping and Holiday Parks
With their relative safety, wide range of activities for kids of all ages and plenty of other children to keep the little ones busy, camping and holiday parks are a popular option for single parent families.
Eurocamp
Eurocamp have shortlisted parks that they think are perfect for single parent families. Single parent families holidaying for a minimum of 7 nights can save £75 on holidays between 6th July and 2nd September 2018, and £50 on all other dates. A short break discount of £25 is available on holidays of 3-6 nights. Destinations include- France, Holland, Spain.
Visit Eurocamp single parent holidays
Haven
Affordable breaks for single mums and dads. Destinations include 36 holiday parks dotted around the Great British coastline.
Visit Haven single parent holidays
Center Parcs
Centre Parcs is a popular choice on Mumsnet for single parent holidays. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing break or something more active, Center Parcs has something for everyone.
Canvas
Often has good deals available for the tail end of August, because it arranges its prices around the Scottish school holidays.
Campmates
Great value camping holidays for single parent families. Low deposits & pay monthly options.
Visit Campmates Single Parent Holidays
Deals
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Our top TIPS for making the most of Single Parent Holidays
1. Get the kids involved
Everyone gets excited about booking a holiday! Why not ask the kids where they would like to go. Have a look at brochures together and make it a fun process.
2. Opt for a holiday which you will all enjoy
Would you prefer an active holiday to keep the older kids entertained or would you prefer a pool and a kids club for younger kids to give you some breathing space?
3. Save money
Explore different options before booking your holiday. Think about booking direct with hotels and airlines or make that call to your tour operator to make sure you’re getting the best deal you can for your family.
4. Plenty of other kids
Go somewhere where there’s lots of kids, so your little ones can socialise with other kids their age. Which means if you want a little break, you can have one as they’re being kept entertained.
5. Limit the time you’re away
If you’re not sure how you’ll cope, play it safe by booking one week.
6. Rely on the kindness of strangers
Whether it’s from the cabin crew on the plane or from staff at your hotel, if you need a little help, don’t be afraid to ask. Look out for other single parents and strike up conversation. You may end up making new friends and people to do things with while your away.
7. Remember to relax
Remember, this is your holiday too! You need time to de-stress and relax as much as the kids need to have fun. If you fancy some “me” don’t feel guilty. Make the most of that kids club.
Common Questions asked by single parents wanting to take the kids on holiday
Q: Do I need permission from my child’s other parent to get a passport for my child?
A: To get a UK passport, only one parent with parental responsibility needs to sign the document. This means that you do not need permission from your children’s other parent to get a passport. It is important to remember that if your child’s other parent has parental responsibility then their consent will be needed for your child to travel abroad.
Q: My child has a different surname to me. Do I need extra documents to prove that I am their parent if I want to take them abroad?
A: Some countries or travel companies may require you to bring documents such as birth certificates with you, if you and your child have different surnames. You should check with your tour operator if you are going on a package holiday, or contact your airline. Alternatively you can contact the embassy of the country you are travelling to for advice. You can access embassies through the gov.uk website. For more information see the UK government advice ‘Get permission to take a child abroad’.
Q: I need to get my child a visa. Do I need to get my ex-partner to sign the visa to get permission to take my child abroad?
A: This will probably depend on whether or not your child’s other parent is on your child’s birth certificate. However, either way you will need to contact the embassy of the country you are travelling to in order to find out what their requirements are for a child entering that country. They should be able to tell you who needs to give consent for the visa to be issued, as this will fall undertheir laws, not English laws. You can access embassies on the gov.uk website.
