5 reasons why single parents worry about booking a holiday...(and the solutions!)

The thought of travelling alone with children as a single parent can often feel daunting and many single parents tell us they feel very anxious about booking a holiday by themselves. Especially for the first time.

We’re told that there are 5 main worries that single parents have. 1. Doing the journey alone, 2. Feeling lonely and bored in the evenings 3. Trying to keep everyone happy & entertained 4. The cost of it all and lastly, 5. Finding an operator that they can have confidence in, ideally that other single parents like & trust.

Our holidays are hugely popular with single parent families because we solve all of these problems and make travelling alone with children an enjoyable experience for all.

Let us explain how:

Problem 1. Doing the journey alone

Solution. Our exclusive single parent overseas family holidays include coach & ferry travel. You will share your coach journey with other like-minded single parent families who  will also be with you for the rest of the week. Once you are on the coach, you can read your book and let us worry about getting you there. It’s also an ideal time to start          making friends. Click here to find out more about our overseas holidays.

Problem 2. Feeling lonely and bored in the evenings.

Solution. Our single parent holidays are all designed to encourage a community spirit` and get everyone socialising. By the end of the holiday, you are likely to have made some life-long friends. Evenings are spent dining altogether in your own private marquee or canteen, followed by evening entertainment, organised by our staff. Often, the adults enjoy a glass of wine or two whilst the children go off and play in safe surroundings (often with our staff joining in with games!). Or, everyone joins in on the fun. Either way, there’s plenty going on and neither you or your children will be bored or lonely. Guaranteed.

Problem 3. Trying to keep everyone happy & entertained

Solution. Our activity holidays are packed full of exciting, organised adventurous activities with each day offering some amazing experiences. From kayaking to high ropes, target sports to fire lighting, this is a holiday filled with fun, all organised for you, leaving you to relax and enjoy the fact that everyone is happy! Because there are plenty of other children (and adults) joining in, you don’t always have to. All we ask is that you are close by to the activity (although some parents make friends and take it in turns). So, if you want to sit on the beach and watch your child banana boating, go ahead. Or lie on the grass and watch your child climb/read your book, that’s fine too. But you will probably find you want to join in when you get there and see how exciting it all looks! And for many it’s the first time doing these activities so you’ll feel completely comfortable having a go.

Problem 4. The cost of it all.

Solution. The beauty of our holidays, particularly for single parents managing on one income, is that our holidays include all the activities, accommodation, meals and transport overseas on our coach holidays. This means when you pay your initial £150 deposit (yes, that’s for all of you!), you can have comfort that you know exactly what your holiday is going to cost – in total. All you need to budget extra for is spending money for ice creams/souvenirs and meals whilst travelling. It’s as easy as that. With our deposit system, you only need to pay £150 to secure your holiday and then there’s nothing to pay until 10 weeks prior to departure, giving you lots of time to save up too. With holidays for as little as £188 per person for 3 nights in the Brecon Beacons (in school holidays!!), you’ll find we have lots of very affordable holidays that are amazing value for money. Click here to find out more.

Problem 5. Finding an operator that other single parents like & trust

Solution: We know how important it is to find the right holiday and company. A family holiday can often be the most important and exciting purchase of the year. We recently sent out a message to our single parent customers to find out what they think of our holidays so we could share them with people thinking about booking with us. Here’s what they told us (p.s we are also ABTA bonded, offering you financial security & peace of mind when booking with us):

“I and my children have been on two Acorn adventures holidays now and they are fantastic! As a single parent having my travel plans arranged for me even down to making sure trains connected with the coaches, is reassuring. Knowing the children are going to have a great time and make new friends is the best. I have made lots of lovely friends and would highly recommend these holidays. Acorn adventures Dordogne region and Normandy Hauteville both fab. This company is so helpful and friendly. Xx Trish Baxter. ”

“Hi, myself and my 2 girls have been on 3 Acorn holidays. Normandy being our first. It was great fun, I have made lots of great friends, just as many as my girls! We’ve also done Brecon (this was a mixed family holiday) and last year we went to the Ardèche, wow..such an incredible adventure. My eldest has loved it so much she wants to spend a summer working with you! Just to say to anyone thinking about it, just go for it, you will love it, you will be totally looked after, well fed and most importantly make so many amazing memories and wonderful friends x”  Hayley Groves. 

“So far I’ve been on three Acorn adventures with my now 10 year old daughter and we have loved them all. We’ve been to the Brecon Beacons, Tossa de Mar in Spain, Hauteville in northern France and this year we’re really excited about doing the two-day canoe descent during our Ardèche holiday in southern France in August (I’m 59, must be mad!) Of those only Hauteville was single parent which was great, but I never felt a bit “out of place” on the non-singles holidays either. 
I would highly recommend Acorn; don’t expect five-star luxury, that’s not what it’s about but you will have a fabulous time, the kids won’t want to go home and you’ll make great friends.” Irene Callaghan

About Acorn Family Holidays

Acorn Family Holidays has been operating since 1982 and we have nine adventure centres in the UK & Europe. We’ve been organising family activity holidays for many decades now. But about 15 years ago, we developed our exclusive single parent activity holidays, offering those families who only want to travel with other single parents, the opportunity to do so. We now offer a range of exclusive single parent holidays in France and the Brecon Beacons and you can find the dates here. Whilst we do offer these holidays exclusively, we are often told that of our holidays are very welcoming for single parent families because of the sociable environment that brings everyone together. So feel free to explore all of our holidays and choose the best one for you.

To speak to one of our friendly team members call 01384 398 870 or send us an enquiry.

Let us help you make that holiday happen. Go on, you can do it!