Welcome to the February 2005 edition of SINGLE PARENT TRAVEL e-zines - a continuing series of monthly newsletters created for the community of single adults who travel alone with kids.

To sign up for our newsletter go to http://www.SingleParentTravel.net. Forward this newsletter to a friend!

In this issue:

I. GLOBAL BRENDA'S MESSAGE
II. CAMP COMMON GROUND
(paid advertisement)
III SINGLE PARENT TOURS
IV. FAMILY PADDLING VACATION IN THE ADIRONDACK PARK
V. SINGLE PARENT FAMILY FRIENDLY SPECIALS
VI. MEETING OTHER SINGLE PARENTS
VII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

I. GLOBALBRENDA'S MESSAGE

Dear Readers,

Now is the time to start planning your summer vacation. This newsletter features some great ideas for single parent family trips. Check out Camp Common Ground's summer program in beautiful Vermont (Part II). How about a canoe trip through the Adirondacks with your little ones or your teen-agers? Our feature article this month is by Dave Cilley, a canoe enthusiast, and single parent dad. He offers some fun-filled ideas for families with kids of all ages ranging from simple day trips to longer excursions. (See Part IV). Single Parent Tours is open for reservations for our Beaches Boscobel trip to Jamaica in August. We also have news on a trip to Turks & Caicos as well as a brand new trip in June to a cozy family-oriented dude ranch in Oregon. (See details in Part III - Single Parent Tours).

Planning a trip to the Virgin Islands? Be sure to purchase the newly released sixth edition of "Explore the Virgin Islands," by Harry S. Pariser, which includes both the American and British Virgin Islands. Harry has authored 10 travel guides to Central America and the Caribbean and is one of my favorite destination travel authors. His books are comprehensive and easy to read. To order a copy of "Explore the Virgin Islands," go to www.exploreavirgin.com or call SCB Distributors at 800-729-6423 or pick up a copy at your local bookstore.

Lastly I would like to remind you all to take a few seconds of your time to visit the advertisers on our site. Our advertisers not only generate revenue for Single Parent Travel so that we can upgrade this site and provide more services for you, the reader, but also specifically want to address the needs of single parent families. Your email address will not be captured or spammed by clicking on the ad. Also, take a couple of minutes to view the departments on the left side of the home page. We are always adding new information. Do it now, before you forget! Thanks! http://www.singleparenttravel.net/

Happy Trails!
GlobalBrenda

II. CAMP COMMON GROUND (Paid Advertisement)

Camp Common Ground in Vermont offers week-long intergenerational summer programs for families of all shapes and sizes in a unique community setting. Come experience our inspirational programming and delicious vegetarian meals. Yoga, art, music, dance and more. In the mornings, explore your own creativity and get to know other adults while your kids enjoy our fabulous children's programming. Our afternoons are for multi-age community programs. For more information, visit http://www.cgcvt.org or call 1-800-430-2667

III. SINGLE PARENT TOURS

For information and reservations on all of our trips, call 877-GOGO-SPT. Ask for Janet or Lynda. For photos, information rates, and list of activities, for all our trips, visit http://www.SingleParentTours.com

ROCKING HORSE RANCH RESORT - (Highland, NY) APRIL 1-3, 2005
Bookings and inquiries are continuing to come in for this exciting fun-filled family weekend. We expect the lodge to sell out so please make your reservations as soon as possible.

ROCK SPRINGS GUEST RANCH - (Bend, Oregon) JUNE 18-25, 2005
By popular request, Single Parent Tours is running an early summer family trip. This lovely dude ranch offers a cozy, family-friendly atmosphere, with lots of activities, that is sure to please all our single parent and non-traditional families. Prices and information will be posted to our Web site next week. We will send you a special announcement as soon as we are ready to accept bookings.

BEACHES BOSCOBEL - (Ocho Rios, Jamaica) - AUGUST 21-28, 2005
Come join us for our festive Single Parent Family Week in sunny Jamaica. This trip sells out every year so make your reservations now, while the early booking rates still apply and space is still available.

BEACHES RESORT (Turks & Caicos) - SUMMER 2005 - Date to be announced
In response to my survey, 25 families expressed an interest in going to Beaches Turks & Caicos this summer. We are currently working with Beaches for some available dates for a one-week trip and will announce the dates and prices for this trip within the next 10 days.

ROCKING HORSE RANCH RESORT - (Highland, NY) - NOVEMBER, 2005
Dates and prices for this popular annual weekend will be announced in late spring.

IV. FAMILY PADDLING VACATION IN THE ADIRONDACK PARK
Story by Dave Cilley

Fifty-eight lakes and Ponds dot the St. Regis Area near Saranac Lake, NY. One glimpse at the new Adirondack Paddler's Map and you quickly get the feeling that here one can travel by water more easily than by land.

The Fish Creek Ponds Area, south of Floodwood Road seems to have been made for families with young children. Here the wilds exist on a miniature scale; small streams with a gentle current, smaller lakes and tranquil ponds beckon the younger nature lover. Here three loop trips make it possible to paddle and portage (an overland traverse carrying your canoe) and return to your car without backtracking. Trips are designated by travel time: Rollins Loop is 4-5 hrs, Follensby Clear Loop is 5-6 hrs and the Floodwood Loop is 10 hours.

We found St. Regis Canoe Outfitters, located on Floodwood Pond to be the perfect starting point for our trip. They have been helping families for over 21 years and their staff is very knowledgeable. They recommended a site on Follensby Clear Pond that was perfect for my young son and daughter to wade and play in the shallow water. Since this was our first time, we chose a trip down a beautiful, gentle stream to a pond where we could set up camp, explore the area and be picked up after a one-hour paddle out to civilization.

Read the rest here:
http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/Adirondack.htm

V. SINGLE PARENT FAMILY FRIENDLY SPECIALS

Special #1 -FDR and Pebbles in Jamaica

Franklyn D Resort in Runaway Bay and Pebbles in Falmouth, Jamaica welcome single parents. There is NO single supplement charge for single parents travelling with children until December 15, 2005. Learn about this resort at http://www.fdrfamily.com. Included in their fee is their Nanny service. Each family is assigned its own personal, professionally trained Nanny, who stays with her family for the duration of their vacation. Rates for the all-inclusive package begin at $1,260 per adult, per week for a one or two bedroom suite. Children under 6 are free and children aged 6-15 range from US$30 per night in the summer to US$50 per night in the winter. Reservations can be made through your local travel agent or by calling 1-800-654-1FDR.

Special #2 - BarHead Travel, United Kingdom

BarHead travel offers vacations for single parent families 837 Pounds Sterling. Trips depart from Prestwick and Glasgow and travel to Majorica, Algarve and Costa Del Sol. For specific information see: http://www.barrheadtravel.co.uk/holidays/single-travel/

Special #3 - BACKROADS

On inn trips when a child shares a room with one adult or when two children share a room, a 10% discount applies to children 16 and younger. The third and fourth youths in a room will receive the tiered discounts described above. When one youth is in a separate room, a 10% discount is applied to the trip price, but the full single supplement applies. To book an Inn trip, check out their Web site: http://www.backroads.com

Check out all our single parent travel specials at
http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Specials/

* Don't have a travel agent? Then find one in "The Single Parent Travel Handbook" which has a listing of over 75 travel agents who specialize in single parent travel. Buy the book from any place books are sold or get an autographed copy from GlobalBrenda, the author, at http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Book/

VI. MEETING OTHER SINGLE PARENTS

There is a discussion for African-American single parents on our bulletin boards. Join in here: http://tinyurl.com/6vmh9

Leedah is looking for travel companions to Gambia (West Africa) in December. Read her amusing story about her last trip here: http://tinyurl.com/4tfdo

Please note that this bulletin board service is provided free of charge to our readers. The Single Parent Travel Network does not monitor postings or have any knowledge of the exact nature of the individuals doing the posting. BEFORE communicating with anyone on the bulletin board, please take precautions to protect you and your family. Also, please note that if you post your email address on the bulletin board, there is a likelihood that it will be harvested by spammers. Thank you.

VII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

Carter, a single parent dad from California writes:
"Brenda, You've been hiding from us West Coasters for 6 years (single since 99 and this is the first time I knew your site was running. Okay, the problem: kids (9 & 11) on a year round school, last minute notification from the ex as to her vacation plans (sometimes she gets priority other times I do) baseball, boy scouts, dance, etc. I'm sure you're familiar with the drill. I'm looking for an agent to help with last minute deals on trips (cruises, resort, sports type) - you've got 5 minutes to pack & I'll tell you where we're going when we get there type. Your singles oriented trips sound great, but I'm 47 and no longer looking for Ms. Right, and need the flexibility of the grab and go travel planner that's been there done that."

GlobalBrenda responds:
Dear Carter,
Ce n'est pas vrai! No es verdad! I have not been hiding from West Coasters. I have been a guest several times on LAX and San Francisco radio shows over the last 2 - 3 years. I also ran two California weekends 2 years ago (both got little response so we cancelled them). California, especially the Bay area, is my second biggest market nationwide, next to the NY/NJ area. A huge percentage of my participants in my annual Single Parent Week in Jamaica hails from CA.

Next week Single Parent Tours will be posting a one-week dude ranch trip for June 18th in Oregon. This is an exceptional small resort type ranch, very Family-oriented. It is something you may wish to consider for you and your family. As far as last minute suggestions, why not contact one of travel agencies listed in my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook?" There are about 80 of them across the USA and they all specialize in the needs of single parent families. Lastly, have you signed up for my monthly newsletter? Glad you found us! Welcome aboard.

Kelly from Toronto writes:
"Hello There! I just joined single parent travel, and love to travel so happy to hear about this. Is there a Canadian chapter out of Toronto or thereabouts? Can you find out for me? Thanks Brenda."

GB responds:
Welcome aboard! I will post your question to our readers in the February newsletter. In the meantime check out our bulletin boards and let me know if you uncover any groups in your area so we can post that info to my site. Here is the bulletin board entry page:
http://www.singleparenttravel.net/BBoards/

Toronto is such a beautiful city. I wrote about it in my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook." My kids and I had a great time trying to squeeze in as many attractions as possible.

Anne writes:
"I just read your Hawaii article, and the mention of a Tsunami hitting every 10 years and sucking out the valley... seems a bit thoughtless considering recent events. Some other neat things to do follows your Tsunami statement. I'm sure this must have been written a long time ago and is a recycled piece. Considering over 150,000 people just died, I don't think some other neat things things to do should follow."

GB responds:
Your point is well taken. Thank you for your observation. We will revise that article on our Web site, in light of recent occurrences. (Note to readers: the Web site page has been revised).

Ruby from California writes:
"Brenda - A million thanks for your book (just bought it and loved it!) and providing other single parents with your travel information. I am so encouraged by hearing yours and other single parents' stories!! With gratitude, another No. CA single parent with kids (7 and 4)

Don writes:
"Again, a great newsletter. Looking forward to getting it and passing it on. Here's my question/comment: There's all this talk about summer plans but no one seems to bringing up spring break. Parents don't generally pull their kids out of school for vacation and that means only selective times of the year are available for extended traveling with the children. Any thought about getting the gang (single parent network of families) for somewhere during spring break? It would almost certainly have to be somewhere warm since most of us live in the colder part of the U.S. (major assumption). Spring break for me & my two children (ages 11 & 13) is the last week of March. Please bring the issue up in next newsletter. Feel free to reference my comments and name/phone #...etc."

GB responds:
Dear Don, Thanks for your comments and input. In an attempt to set up a "school break trip" I took a survey of our major markets. The "school break" period in the USA extended over an 8-week period. Simply put, the spread was too thin to get a group up for any given week. However if you can come up with a core group of 5 families, we will work with you to set something up. We may consider doing a spring break trip in the future. This year we have our first spring weekend trip - at Rocking Horse Ranch Resort. If that proves successful we may expand our spring program next year. Note: Readers may respond directly to Don at: donald.pellico@sba.gov>

Michele I inquires about the Beaches Boscobel Jamaica trip:
"Hi. Isn't August hurricane season? And,also a very hot time of year?"

GB responds:
Yes, Michele, those are two of the reasons why we are able to obtain such terrific rates in addition to eliminating the single supplement. Despite those concerns, the trips sell out every year and everyone has a terrific time. Hope to see you there!

Michele J writes:
"a single parent week scheduled at a time when most school age children have returned back to the classroom......go figure.....???

GB responds:
Au contraire! Most school age children do not return to school in mid August in the USA or in Canada. Many do, but not most. As an FYI, please understand, that Beaches picks the dates each year. Late August is an off peak time for them when the hotel does not normally sell out. That is why the rates are lower and the single supplement has been eliminated. In return for those concessions, Single Parent Tours fills rooms that normally would go empty. The Jamaica trips are priced to please, and the departures have sold out every year. Single Parent Tours will continue to look for destinations with June departures for school children that are dismissed early in the summer. We are currently looking at a one-week dude ranch trip in June on the West Coast. If you know of an all-inclusive family resort that you can recommend we will be happy to explore that possibility for "soft week" rates early in the summer. Just send me the web site address or contact information.

Deanna from WA writes:
"I just signed up for this group while trying to research vacation options for my family. Looks like most of the travel opportunities are for East Coast families, and we live in Washington State. The situation I keep encountering is that I am a single parent with 10 yr old triplets - so I get hit with single supplements on top of the cost factors for 4 travelers, making just about any vacation package extremely expensive. Do you have any suggestions for single parent travel that originates on the west coast, or creative ways to work around the single supplement (short of purchasing my travel as though we are 2 adults + 2 children)?

GB responds:
Our annual August trip to Beaches Boscobel Jamaica usually is about 40% east coasters, 40% west coasters and the rest of the participants come from Middle America. The single supplement has been eliminated on that trip and you pay Kids' prices for your kids with only one adult in the room.

Regarding the west coast, 2 yrs ago I ran two weekends in California but only a couple of families signed up for each so we had to cancel. Last year I tried some other properties in CA, but the all-inclusives were frightfully expensive, always full, and disinclined to offer the discounts I was seeking for our single parent families. I am currently working with a property in Oregon for a one-week trip in June.

Shelley A. writes:
"I am planning a trip to NYC in June of 2005 for my son's 10th birthday. This is our first "big" trip together and I am a bit nervous about going to NYC alone with my son. Since we have never been to NYC, I have no idea where to start as far as tours of NYC go. Some people recommend booking tours before we get there, other people have said to book there. Then there are those who say it is cheaper to book hotel and air together, while others say to book them separately. I have been reading some reviews of the hotel in NYC and have been blown away by the negative comments. So, now I entirely confused and don't know where to turn. I would like to stay somewhere close to the major attractions, i.e., Times Square, Macy's but I also want a safe, clean, and reasonably priced hotel. As you can see I am in a big turmoil with no idea of where to turn. Can you recommend anything?"

GB responds:
Dear Shelley,
Take a deep breath and listen to me carefully. You and your son are going to have an absolutely wonderful time in the Big Apple. New York City is now one of the safest cities in the U.S. The statistics speak for themselves. I go there frequently and have been doing so all my life. I worked there for a while. My daughter lived in Manhattan for several years as well. I have copied her on this email so she will respond to you when I am done. You do not need to take a tour to enjoy New York City. Unless you want to take one of those double decker bus tour rides which looks like it might be fun. The first thing you need to do is buy and read a copy of my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook." New York City is one of my featured single parent family destinations. Not only will the book assuage your fears, you will find it to be very informative and quite entertaining. I wrote it for families just like yours.

As far as hotel recommendations, you may wish to call one of the travel agencies listed in my book. They all specialize in single parent travel. Times Square is a great location; so is Greenwich Village. If you read my book, you will see that the best way to get around is to us the buses and subways, so it doesn't really matter where you stay. You will also do a lot of walking, just like the natives do.

As my book recommends, get your son involved in the research. Let him check the Internet and find out what special exhibits are going on at the museums and when you can get free admission. He might even find some discount coupons. Also, as my book explains, once you decide on the attractions you want to see, type up an itinerary. It keeps you grounded and focused so you aren't running around like headless chickens. Involve your son in this part of the decision process. Lorraine Jorden writes:
Would you mind posting this message in your next newsletter? Thanks so much! We are planning a long holiday in France this spring, and wanted to know if any other single parents were thinking the same. We would stay in Paris in April - May 2005. I have two sons, ages 3 and 5, and we all speak French fluently (my sons are French, and I studied in Paris). We have quite a lot of friends there, who can show us around and tell us where to go. I would also like to see one or two other cities, whether in France or anywhere else on the continent. If anyone else is interested, please contact me at: ljorden@optonline.net

Karen writes:
"There is a great website called vrbo.com, which stands for vacation homes rented out by owners. There are homes all over the world which may be cheaper and cozier than hotel rooms. I used this service last summer in Myrtle Beach and stayed in a lovely condo."

Debi writes:
"I would like to get in touch with Peggy, a single mom with an 8 yr old daughter looking to take an inexpensive cruise. She wrote the following: (I just joined and I am looking for a relaxed Caribbean getaway with my 8 yr old daughter that is as inexpensive as possible. Are there any single parent opportunities for the week of Feb 21 and/or April 25th? ) Would you please give her my email address?" (Peggy - Debi's email address is: Tooblueiis@aol.com

Cathy from Australia writes:
"Hi Brenda, congratulations on your group. Do you know of a similar one in Australia? With regard to the legal questions you are being asked, there is an Australian web site www.austlii.edu.au which gives a link to US sites. The Australian site gives access to all laws and cases over x years and can be used by people to look up laws for themselves without paying a ton of money to a lawyer - it's good to use before a lawyer is involved too, as people will then have a clue about what's happening. You can search on cases by entering key words - eg Geneva Convention on Civil Kidnapping (I think) covers taking children from one country to another. Or just type in child kidnapping. I was involved in a case a while back with a friend. It is a very strict law and applies in most cases, although I'm not sure if the US is a signatory.

Sidonie Sawyer, who works for the Miami Herald, writes:
"I have a story coming up in the Travel section, you can see it online as of Monday, www.herald.com, click on travel, it's on the front page, there's even a picture of my youngest daughter in there...."

Lucette writes:
I appreciate your newsletters. I don't have a question but want to say "Thank you" for all your thoughtful replies to the emailers. You are always patient and helpful. Thank you!

GB: Thank you, Lucette!