Photo by Heather Poole , under CC license.

Taking the leap and booking a holiday as a single parent can seem like a daunting task, especially if you’ve never done it before and aren’t sure about where to go, what to do, what to pack and how to get there. There’s nothing more gratifying than sharing a new adventure with your child and with a little planning and research you may find travelling as a single parent a lot easier than you anticipated.

Let’s get the fun bit out of the way first – deciding where to go. This is something to get excited about with your kids and decide as a family as they’ll love feeling like they have a say in where you go. Gather the kids up and scour the internet for your dream location together. Bear in mind that kids tend not to take finances into consideration here and you may need to rein them in a little bit. There are a lot of holiday suppliers offering cheap holidays to a number of fascinating and family friendly locations throughout the world though, so don’t feel that having a budget will stop you having fun!

Be very clear about what kind of holiday you and the kids would most enjoy beforehand as this will dictate your destination to some degree. If you’re interested in socializing and meeting other families you’ll want to visit a location geared specifically towards families that have a lot of organized activities and excursions, such as holidays to Tenerife or budget holidays to Ibiza, which are, believe it or not, both amazing family holiday locations. If you’re looking to go a little off the grid you might want to find a more relaxed location and do your own thing – either way it helps to be organized and have a clear idea in your mind about how you want your holiday to play out.

Being organized is vital on a single parent holiday as all the responsibility falls on your shoulders alone – it’s a good idea to put together a list to remind you of everything that will need to be done before you set out. You could put a list together to remind you of what each child will need packed for them, or even just all the things that need done about the house before you leave. Whatever you make lists for, they’re sure to be useful.

If your kids are a little bit older you can give them responsibilities to take a little bit of weight off of you. Kids love having something to do, such as making sure all the lights in the house are switched off before you leave, locate the fire exits when you arrive at the hotel or read maps for you when you’re on the road. If you have responsible teenagers, task them with looking after the younger kids or taking care of the plane tickets or travel documents.

By being prepared and taking the time to ensure you have all your ducks in a row, you’re guaranteed to have a fun, relaxing holiday that you and your kids will remember for years to come.