Single parent, will travel: Obstacle #4 – Entertaining your child for a week straight

This is the second post in a series on booking an international trip for you and your kid(s). The first post outlined nine major obstacles single parents have. Today we jump ahead to obstacle #4: the fear of entertaining / being alone with your child for one week straight.

I've had the travel bug since elementary school but after having a child of my own, the vacations became less frequent. After I got separated from my husband, long vacations turned into rare weekend getaways with friends. The travel bug bit me and my daughter around the same time, and I couldn’t put off booking a vacation any longer. I found a great deal for a one-week trip to Mexico at an all-inclusive resort and booked it. I forwarded the trip details to four other people but I guess it was meant to be a mother/daughter vacation. That’s when the reality hit me that I would be the sole entertainer and guardian. Initially, the idea was a little scary.  

Tips that will turn your trip from a challenge into a cherished getaway:

1.    Book the trip through your kid’s eyes – what activities and features would captivate them?

Feed a calf at the on-site petting zoo of Cherokee Park Ranch, Colorado

2.    Find a hotel or resort that is great for families and has several fun things to do on-site (i.e. organized activities for children, entertainment that is age-appropriate, kid-friendly restaurants, etc). Trip Advisor is an excellent tool – narrow down the reviews by searching for the ones that have the words ‘kids, children or teens’ in them. Awesome kids pool? Score! Check out the photos for a better idea for how kid-friendly it is. Unless you have the time to dedicate to planning out an entire week of activities, pick a resort that has plenty of organized activities. There's less work to do - after all, this is your vacation too!

3.    Pick a location that has plenty of activities close by in case one of you gets bored at the hotel.

4.    Choose a resort with a great kids club so that you have the option of taking an hour or two to yourself here & there (not for several hours every single day! You’re here to make memories together, remember?). You may feel neglectful but consider this: you are the sole entertainer and guardian - which has the potential to be exhausting. This also depends on your child and how independent they are, and the minimum amount of downtime you require. Taking an hour for yourself will allow you to recharge. I don’t suggest handing over your kid to a stranger without doing your homework - Make sure it’s a reputable child-minding service by googling the service and sitter’s name for reviews, ask a lot of questions, visually inspect the place, and always go with your gut instinct.

Cooking Class! Photo Credit: Atlantis Paradise Island Bahamas

5.    Bring a few new activities to keep your child occupied during potentially challenging times (i.e. on a long plane ride). I found a few travel games at Walmart that were less than $5 each.

6.    If there isn’t a kids club, consider booking your child into a kid-only activity a couple times during the week to give yourself a quick break. Maybe the museum or art gallery has a special tour for teens-only. Building in adult-only time not only gives you a chance to recharge but your kids may be thankful to have some time without you. Shocking, right? Each parent/child relationship is different – if you’re both perfectly happy spending every moment of every day together for one week, that’s amazing – count your blessings!

Camp Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia

7.    If you’re worried about what you’ll talk about for a whole week, think ahead about conversations you could have, or fun facts you could share. If it’s their first time at an airport there are tons of cool things you could discuss or point out to them. When you’re waiting for take-off, impress them with some neat facts about the plane they’re on. Long transfer to the hotel? Engage your kid by taking turns pointing out all the different kinds of vegetation, architecture, methods of transportation, types of vehicles, clothing… the list goes on and on.

White-nosed Coati’s in Mexico provided plenty of conversation

8.    Let your kid help create the plan for each day. You’ll experience a lot less disagreement! Whenever possible, give your kid choices (“Would you rather eat lunch at the buffet, or the pool-side café?”).

9.    If your kid makes a new friend, try to meet their family. The extra sets of eyes watching out for your child will be handy if you need to run back to the hotel room (or get a Mai Tai).

Other considerations:

If you aren’t used to having your child all by yourself for one consecutive week, 24/7, or your child desperately clings to your ex, you may want to start with a four-day trip to see how that goes. As you already know, being the sole caregiver AND entertainer is tiring so don’t expect smooth sailing the whole time. On the other hand, there are no chores to do, and all the meals are prepared for you. These bonuses outshine everything!

Still need reassurance or have other advice? Leave a comment.