"I soon found out they were either outrageously expensive, or they seemed only suitable for traditional families, or they were so cheap that I came home more knackered than when I'd left. My first attempt, camping with friends, was fine until I had to pack up the tent. Four hours of wrestling with it in the heat later, I hated camping. Next, the adventure holiday for single-parent families. The abseiling and caving were brilliant, but sleeping in a bunk bed ruined my back."
"We tried a budget all-inclusive in Tenerife, but the hordes of nuclear families were overwhelming, and pool-side conversations with other women fizzled out because I didn't come with a handy husband for their own husbands to talk to. A trip to Mallorca with a friend and her children was brilliant, but the cost was eye-watering. Then, last autumn, a friend asked if we'd house-sit her dogs in Devon while she went to a wedding. For one tranquil weekend, we walked on the beach."
A newly single parent encountered repeated holiday problems: options proved outrageously expensive, geared toward traditional families, or so cheap they caused exhaustion. Camping collapsed into frustration after hours wrestling with a tent. An adventure break offered thrilling activities but uncomfortable sleeping arrangements. An all-inclusive resort felt dominated by nuclear families and awkward social dynamics. A trip with a friend offered joy but high costs. House-sitting emerged as an affordable, tranquil alternative that combined pet care with comfortable homes, nature walks, relaxed evenings, and meaningful downtime, culminating in a successful ten-day sit in Sussex with a friendly labrador.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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