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Simplify your travel plans to cater for your little one . . . and your sanity, writes Louise Rae.
I consider myself a well-versed, experienced and relaxed traveller but until recently, the thought of taking my little 6-year-old mini me on a plane overseas gave me all sorts of anxiety.
But after years of avoiding overseas travel, I finally thought "enough is enough", and all of a sudden we were only one more sleep away from Fiji.
Yes, I know what you are thinking, Fiji is hardly a faraway land but I will tell you, for my first time as a single parent travelling with my child, it was a great start. I figure if we can get a few Pacific Island and Australia trips under our belt, it won't be long before we're eating pastries and sipping milk (her) and Champagne (me) in Paris before we know it.
I am well aware there are many capable single parents out there who travel the world easily with their children in tow, but for me it was quite the achievement. If you're like me and still haven't had the guts to take your little one on a plane, here are my tips for solo-parent travel.
The countdown
"How many sleeps mumma?" This went on for more than three months. Every. Single. Day. Until there was only "one more sleep" to go.
TIP: Make a travel calendar that your little one can mark off every day. It will make it more fun for them, and save you your sanity.
Packing
Ten mermaid Barbies, eight My Little Ponies, one Peppa Pig flipper swimming board, six bedtime books, and three colouring-in books plus felt-tips and colouring-in pencils. . . and this was only in her carry-on luggage (eye roll).
TIP: More of a note to self really... Negotiate with your crying, determined 6-year-old that only two favourite toys or activities are enough to take away on holiday and that her "friends" that don't make the cut will keep the house safe while we are gone. Because, surprise surprise, the all-important toy bag didn't get opened once. The swimming pools, the icecream station and resort playgrounds were enough to keep the little lady plenty occupied! Although, an essential item not to be left behind is a good pair of children's headphones (must be pink in our case) and a fully charged iPad — essential for the "just about to crack" and tired dinner-time moments. PAW Patrol saved many situations like this. Judge if you will.
Arriving
There was a lot of waiting around between planes, taxis, boat transfers, more taxis
and the hotel. Fine if you're on your own with a glass of wine and a good book, but can be quite taxing when you've got someone small to entertain.
TIP: Make it easy, pay the extra so your schedule runs smoothly. Organise your transfers so there's not too much waiting around for boats, shuttles or taxis. Or, when visiting Fiji, don't choose to stay at outer islands. The main island can be just as fun and is so much easier to get to.
Hard vs easy
To save a little bit of money, we had 5 nights in a family-friendly resort on one of Fiji's outer islands. It was lovely, sure, but as mentioned above, it was about four hours of waiting around and extra travel to get there from Nadi. Once there, it was extremely open with not much sun cover, and a good 15-minute walking distance from rooms to the pools, restaurants and playgrounds. This doesn't sound like much, but it quickly became a feet-dragging, "too hot to walk, please carry me everywhere" situation. When it's just you, carrying a sweaty, hot 6-year-old, and your towels, water bottles and snacks — plus keeping the peace — gets a little much after a day.
When I booked, I decided as a treat we would stay at a Denarau luxury resort for two nights before we flew home. I instantly noticed a huge difference in both myself and my daughter when we arrived. We both instantly relaxed, and suddenly nothing was hard.
Everything was located within 5 minutes' walking distance, most places were air conditioned, there were lots of options in terms of dining, playgrounds, pools and hang-out spaces.
Everything was much more manageable and so much more enjoyable.
TIP: Stay at one resort, rather than moving around between different places. I would not hesitate to do this next time, and I will absolutely pay the extra to have the luxuries that makes travelling as a single parent so much easier.
Kids' club
I had put all my hopes and sunbathing dreams into this mysterious but magical place I had been told about called The Kids Club. . .
TIP: Do not do this, as it can have crushing reverse effects.
She lasted for all of 10 minutes and from then on would only go if I went and stayed there with her. . . which defeats the purpose of alone time. The main thing to remember is to have fun, make it easy, pay a little extra for comfortable surroundings and don't beat yourself up if every part of your holiday doesn't go to plan.
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