Single parents who travel with their children build vacation memories for a lifetime. Travel can be fun and inexpensive single moms and dads.

Enjoy traveling with children by making it a parents' trip, too. Travel plans with a few things for mom or dad  in mind make it a vacation for everyone. When the parent  is a   happy traveler, the whole family  enjoys traveling more. Single parents need to  indulge in a little alone time and relaxation, too.

Traveling with Children
Enjoy Your Vacation!
By SOLO Staff

There are several things single parents can do to enjoy vacations and make them memorable for children, too.

1. Take short day trips together. There are many neat places to go or interesting activities available near any metropolitan city. When you only go for the day, it requires less planning and costs less, too.

2. Travel very light. Mail ahead or buy when you arrive whenever possible. You will be the only person carrying everything unless you have older children.

It takes a little more planning when there is only one adult in the family, but it is possible to have nice family vacations! The kind both parent and children will remember for a lifetime and the kind that will not destroy a single family's budget.

4. You probably have a favorite baby-sitter you use at home. Bring him/her with you. They can share a room with your kids and be immensely useful to a single parent family.

5. If you go to your parents' house or visit a sibling, someone who is very close and totally in love with your children, take a short trip alone. Leave your kids for at least one night while you either take a relaxing or exhilarating side trip.

6. Travel with another single or a relative. Some expenses are shared and each of you take a day as the primary caregiver of the children.

8. While driving to your destination, pack food ahead, then eat in roadside parks or metropolitan parks to save money. Being outdoors lets kids run off some energy while you take a driving break.

9. After you arrive, eat your big meal at lunch each day, then  have sandwiches in the hotel room or outdoors (weather permitting, of course) for dinner. Luncheon prices are always lower.

10. Let your child bring a friend. With careful planning, your child can bring a friend for very little more money. Often the other family will foot the bill for their child anyway. This will give you some relief from the chief entertainer role. It is particularly important when your child has no siblings.

11. Make time for yourself. This is your vacation, too. Make certain you enjoy it by having some time to yourself.

More hints about traveling with children.