Solo Parents Need Your Help. Here’s How to Serve Them Better

The travel bug bit Theresa Winters in 2016, when she embraced solo vacations after her divorce. Soon, when she began traveling with her two children, now 10 and 12, she quickly discovered the family vacation looked different to her as a single mom.

“I remember when I first started traveling on my own with my kids, [there were] huge learning curves,” says Winters, owner of Faraway Places Travel in Port Huron, Michigan. “My kids do much better [now] when they’re traveling … But it’s definitely a big learning experience every trip that you take.”

The family travel industry gets a lot of attention, and for good reason: Before the pandemic, spending on this segment had soared to $500 billion annually, according to the Family Travel Association. But what about single-parent families, a subset of family travel that’s been described as “ignored” and “untapped,” and one that would be well-served by the expertise of travel advisors? Data from the Statista Research & Analysis found that in 2019, nearly 16 million children were living with single mothers and just over 3 million children were living with single fathers in the United States.

Solo-parent families need different resources and support to create the family vacation of their dreams, and advisors may need to think outside the box to serve them. Here are some tips from travel advisors who not only cater to this market but are solo parents themselves.

Know your customer: building critical understanding of your clients — and their kids

To help solo parents navigate vacation planning, advisors have to start by understanding their lives. According to the Pew Research Center, 81% of solo parents are mothers, they are more strapped for cash than married or cohabiting parents, and many have trepidations about traveling alone with their kids.

“Going from a dual income to a single income could certainly be a roadblock [to vacations for single parents],” says Winters. When budgets are a concern, Winters recommends road trips — a “great opportunity for families,” she says — traveling around the United States by car, or even via Amtrak or Greyhound versus flying.

Dyan McKie, family product manager at Intrepid Travel in Australia, agrees that advisors should be especially sensitive to the reality that solo parents may have fewer resources to work with, and that they may be nervous about being the lone adult on a vacation with their children.

“Listen to any concerns a parent has about traveling and having to play the role of both parents away from home,” McKie advises. “Consider that they may be asking you questions to reassure an ex-partner.”

Winters advises getting to know the family’s “vibe” to help narrow down experiences that will work for parents and kids. Focus on what each family member is looking for in a trip.

“My suggestions on destinations for single parents and their children depends on a family’s interests,” she says. “Some families may desire to be at an all-inclusive property because of the ease. Other single-parent families may prefer to be more active in nature, hiking, canoeing and horseback riding.”

To get to know your customers, trying framing conversations by asking the following questions:

• How old are your children?
• What are your children interested in?
• What kinds of things do they like to do?
• What activity level do they like?
• What do you hope your children will take away from this travel experience?
• Do any children on the trip have special physical or mental health needs?

Asking these questions sooner rather than later can help the trip go more smoothly, especially when traveling with children of different ages and interests, as Winters recently discovered herself on a trip to Florida. While her daughter was happy to sit seaside and soak up the sun, her son needed more activities. “I had to kind of say, ‘You know what, this is a kid who needs my attention. Sitting in a beach chair is not a vacation for him.’”

One way to minimize the risk of a mismatch of personality to an itinerary is to encourage solo parents to involve their kids in planning the trip. “Children nowadays are part of the planning process,” says McKie, whose daughter is 7 years old.

Winters says her kids are involved from the get-go: “They have to go online and find things that they want to do and narrow it down,” Winters notes. “[T]hen they feel like they have a say, that this is their trip.”

Put safety first: educating your clients about destination risks

The most important logistics to consider are those related to safety. As a travel advisor, it’s up to you to provide solo parents, especially women, with in-depth and accurate safety information, particularly for international travel. Cover topics including the safety situation at the destination and whereto go in a medical emergency.

Consider local perceptions of women and single mothers. The Pew Research Center found that nearly one-fourth of American children live in solo-parent households, which far exceeds the rest of the world. In some countries, there is still a stigma associated with single motherhood, writes hospitality and tourism researcher Dr. Yunqui Wei. This could lead to unwanted attention or unsafe situations. Talk this through with your clients before booking international trips.

Before your clients depart, encourage them to enroll in the U.S. State Department’s STEP (Smart Traveler Enrollment Program), a free service that provides safety alerts to travelers from U.S. embassies in their destination countries. Suggest travel insurance plans with coverage for children and add additional value by providing local emergency numbers and information about health care providers at their destinations.

Anticipate logistical snags: solving problems for single parents

As a travel advisor, one of the best services you can offer an already overtaxed single parent is effective logistics planning.

“Single parents are the organizer, leader, protector and go-to person, which can get exhausting,” says McKie. “You have so many different elements to deal with on your own: ‘Will we get sick? What if I can’t find the right train to catch? How can we get to some remote places to really experience the country we are traveling in?’ All with a child — or several — in tow who may be tired or bored.”

To start, consider what types of vacations might automatically relieve a solo parent of sticky on-the-ground logistics. Winters is a fan of all-inclusive resorts with child care amenities for this reason, because everything a family needs and wants is at their fingertips. “It’s a nice, easy way to be confident, to feel comfortable and not get overwhelmed, especially if you’re in a foreign country,” she says.

If that’s financially prohibitive, Winters offers this insider tip for stretching hotel value for money: “With an all-inclusive, they don’t care how many adults are in the room,” she explains. “I could have two adults, two kids [or] one adult, two kids, and it’s the same price.” If it’s possible, suggest that your client bring a nanny or friend along to provide an extra set of hands.

When it comes to travel times, be sure to factor in kids’ ages — disrupted sleep schedules can be extra stressful for a single parent. Families with toddlers, for example, might benefit from direct flights on airlines known to be especially family friendly. McKie also suggests that agents offer to book arrival transfers if clients are arriving late or to an unfamiliar destination.

“We, as single parents, need an additional sense of ease,” explains Winters. “Most times, we’re outnumbered by children, which can easily make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. A travel advisor should focus on the ages of the children so that their particular needs are met.”

It’s also important to remind solo parents what travel documents they’ll need for their specific destinations. Winters advises clients to make several copies of passports, IDs and prescriptions, and keep them in multiple locations, including as photos on their phones.

Make yourself available: being a crucial resource during their trip

Your job doesn’t end when the family boards its flight. Boost your customer relationship game by keeping the lines of communication open during the trip.

Make sure families and older children know how to reach you. WhatsApp is a great, free option for staying in touch and helping your client troubleshoot issues that may arise during the trip.

After the trip is over, staying in touch can help you create long-term customers who may refer you to new solo-parent families. Consider using social media to stay connected: 30% of people use social media to find travel inspiration, according to DMO software company CrowdRiff, but that number climbs to 60% and 68%, respectively, for millennials on Instagram and Facebook. After a successful trip, ask parents and kids (with their parent’s permission) for testimonials for your website and social channels.

“I have created a page that is all about me and my children traveling,” says Winters. “People comment on my photos, which provides me with a natural opportunity to keep that communication going.”

Originally appeared in the summer 2021 issue of The Compass Magazine.