The on-line booksellers are financially advantageous for our international readers, as the shipping costs are cheaper when buying it from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.ca then buying from us directly. Our international readers can also order books through their local bookstore, just give them the ISBN number (0- 9723627-0-3). Ordering directly with your local bookstore eliminates shipping costs, but could be more beneficial than the discounts offered by online booksellers. Decisions, decisions....

If you prefer to buy the book via the phone with a credit card, you can call 800-431-1579, 24 hours a day, every day.

The first stop on the U.S. and Canadian book tour is Annapolis, MD. I will be speaking at Carlson-Wagon Lit in Arnold, MD on April 5 at 11:00 a.m. and signing books at Barnes & Noble Annapolis, MD on April 6 at 3:00 p.m. Show up and you can enter to win a free trip for a single parent family of three (1 adult/2 children) to the Beaches resort of your choice. For more detail see http://www.singleparenttravel.net/book/events.htm

V. WALT DISNEY WORLD (FL), PARIS & WASHINGTON DC

This month, we received quite a bit of questions about Disney. I decided to compile my responses in one easy to read Web page: http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Disney.htm

We also received questions on Paris and DC. My answers are too long to list on the newsletter. Follow the links below.

PARIS: http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Parisemail.htm

DC: http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/WashDCemail.htm

VI. MEETING SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES

Blanknme asks, "I am a single dad. My son is 10 and I want to take him on a vacation for his graduation in June. Does anyone have any nice places to go for fathers and sons or just single parents? Prefer w\a sitting service." Reply to him http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm10.showMessage? topicID=1.topic

Chamilla provided some great recommendations..."My 11 year old daughter and I traveled to Playa Del Carmen this past summer. It was the best vacation I have had in a long time, and my daughter enjoyed herself as well. Mexico is a great place for single parents and their children. The Mexican people showered my daughter with so much attention that she wanted to spend more time with the women who cleaned our room than me!" Continue to read what she wrote at http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm1.showMessage? topicID=1.topic

MDSBeach writes, "I'm the mom of 2 teens, daughter 13(almost 14) and son 15. As a military retiree, we've been up and down the coasts and are beach campers. This summer, we've decided to start expending our horizons. In April, we're going to Cancun to see the ruins. Then on to Key West - my heart's desire. And interested in corresponding with other single parents about taking kids to Central American (Belize), on cruises, and the islands. We want to get to the Mediterranean / Italy within the next couple of years. Does anyone have any information on lodgings and other info, concerning any of these locations? Thanks. Nancy" Reply to her at http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm13.showMessage? topicID=3.topic

The boards can be found at http://www.singleparenttravel.net/BBoards/index.htm

VII. UNCOVERED - SINGLE PARENT SPECIALS

SP Special #1 - BEACHES RESORTS LAUNCHES A SINGLE PARENT FRIENDLY PROGRAM

The last month we have spoken or emailed Beaches resorts nearly everyday to work on their new single parent friendly programs. We are thrilled to announce that they have created a spectacular program for single parents. First, Beaches has waived the single supplement for three and a half months! (May, August 24- 31, September and October) Second, starting Feb. 1, every Beaches property will host a Tuesday Night "Single Parents Welcome Reception," allowing single parent families to meet one another. Every Thursday night, every Beaches resort will offer a "Single Parent Social Cocktail" and "Kid's Movie Night" simultaneously. Each property will also have a variety of interactive games, contests and tournaments, giving single parents a chance to spend quality time with their kids.

AND from August 24 to August 31, I will be escorting a group of single parents to the newest Beaches property, Beaches, Boscobel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica for a special week of single parent festivities. You can book this special program through our new tour operator, Single Parent Tours. Within the next four weeks, I will announce prices and more details.

To book a vacation to one of the Beaches resorts year round, call them at 800-BEACHES book on their Web site at http://www.Beaches.com or call your travel agent. The travel agents listed in "The Single Parent Travel Handbook" are aware of this special.

In the future, we hope to provide more great announcements like this from other travel providers. We want to thank our readership for filling out our survey last year. Those results have been instrumental in convincing travel suppliers that single parents are alive, well, spend money on travel and have special needs. We thank you.

SP Special #2 - CRUISE WITH PARENTS WITHOUT PARTNERS

Parents Without Partners is sponsoring another cruise. This time from September 7 to September 14. The rates begin at $560. Unfortunately there is a single supplement, but since Parents Without Partners is sponsoring it, there are bound to be lots of single parents. You can book a trip through Helen Lutz at Carlson Wagon-Lit/Doneson Crown Travel agency by calling 800-772-5811/248-353-5811. http://www.parentswithoutpartners.org/Cruise2003.jpg

SP Special #3 - SNOWBIRD SKI RESORT, SALT LAKE CITY

This one is from one of our readers. S.M. writes: "Snowbird Ski Resort in Salt Lake City offers 2 free lift children tickets for each paying adult. We recently went we stayed at the Marriott City Center ($79.00 per night w/ free bkfst buffet) the hotel has an ice skate rink outside and within about a three block radius two malls and Temple Square and Univ of Utah. We took the SLC Public Transportation bus to the slopes. It was great fun."

SNOWBIRD http://www.SnowBird.com

MARRIOTT http://www.Marriott.com

SP Specials #4 - AMTRAK SPECIALS

Another reader wrote in, "Amtrak update for other parents: Amtrak is running a special - buy a ticket between 1/7/03 and 2/15/03 for travel between 1/10/03 and 8/28/03 and a companion (adult or child) rides free! We are using this special to take the Southern Crescent Train to spend a week in New Orleans in May. We'll let you know how it went! :-)" http://www.Amtrak.com

VIII. TOOTING THE HORN - GLOBAL BRENDA IN THE NEWS

We have just started our big press push for "The Single Parent Travel Handbook". So many great things have happened as a result.

I will be speaking on the Thursday, February 27th radio show with Brian Greenberg,cpa about single parent travel. If you are in Southern NJ/Philadelphia, you can listen in at 5:30pm on station 1360am. See http://www.wnjc1360.com

We received a very flattering review in "The Library Journal". (See http://www.GlobalBrenda.com/pressroom/reviews.htm)

Christopher Elliott also featured the book as this month's Ticked.com bestseller list list: http://www.ticked.com/inside/books.htm

VII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

Q: "I was wondering if you had any ideas about where I could take my 11 year old son this summer...I'm a single parent and don't drive! A double whammy. I live in NYC and have traveled to Niagara Falls, Washington DC, VA (Williamsburg, etc), PA (Amish, etc.), FL (Disney of course), CA and we've also done the dude ranch thing. Granted we get around even though I don't drive; I tend to stay in the middle of the tourist sort of place. I'm considering an all-inclusive sort of resort but my son likes a learning/visiting sort of trip with a trip to the pool in the evenings. Any ideas? I'm considering London too but he goes to Ireland every August so he kind of likes to stay in the states for vacations with me -- not a bad life, eh? In addition, we're planning a trip to Japan in 2005 so I may be emailing you again in the future. :)"- M.C.

GLOBALBRENDA'S ANSWER: "Consider the Maya Riviera. It is a place just south of Cancun and offers a beach as well as interesting things to do: culturally or otherwise. While a car helps a bit, you can get around without one (as we did the last time we were there.) You could get a little hotel a few blocks off the beach for not that much money. Playa has nightlife as well, albeit a very low keyed one. If you would like to see the attractions outside of town, then you can hire a taxi for a reasonable price, go on a tour, or if you are feeling adventurous take the public transportation. (There is a bus depot in downtown Playa.) http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/mayariviera.htm

SHAMELESS PLUG: Also consider coming on one of the tours we host this summer. Exact details should be out in the next few weeks, but we are looking at Arizona, Playa Del Carmen, an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean and possibly a cruise. You won't need a car for any of these and the best part is you will be in the company of fellow single parents."

Q: "Hi, on a recent trip to Mexico, I encountered a number of unnecessary problems. Because I am a single parent, and there is no father in the picture, it was impossible for me to have signatures from him. The easiest thing for me was to call the airline I was using, to find out what type of documentation they required. I also called 4 times. Took down the names of those I spoke with, wrote down the times and days I called. I wanted to get as many of the same answers from as many different employees as possible. I only needed my driver's license, birth certificate, and my daughter's birth certificate, since there is only one signature on her birth certificate (If the father isn't there to sign, you can put any name you want on it, when its typed up, the space for "father" will be blank.) I also had a notarized document from Liberty Travel that I did not need, according to the reservation clerk, and the customs agent on the way back into the states. The only problem I had was that they all thought I looked to young to be traveling alone, and was even asked by the ticket agent where my parents were, until I showed her my drivers license!"

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "Glad you did your homework with the documentation needed! We write about the documentation single parents need to travel with their minor children outside the country here: http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Documentation/index.htm

Q: "I have been trying to come up with a place where I can take my 2 year old and both of us just have fun... But- everywhere I decide, I cannot afford to pay for the double occupancy deal..."-I.L.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "You have come to the right place. I have an article about how to avoid the single supplement here. http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/SingleSupplement.htm

You can also check out our single parent specials, many of which have a reduced or eliminated single supplement. http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Specials/index.htm

Q: "I would like to know of travel destinations and trips that are fun to do with an eight year old. We've been to Alaska, Boston, Chicago, Disneyworld, Niagara Falls and San Francisco. I'm trying to decide what our next destination should be. Any suggestions?" - D.Y.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "Thank you for writing. What an adventurous Mom you are! I have many suggestions to offer but it would take volumes of pages to tell you about them. I discussed 12 exceptional Single- Parent-Friendly destinations in my book. Three of them you have already been to - San Fran, Alaska, Niagara Falls - so we are vibrating on the same tuning fork.

The others are Arizona, the national parks of Southern Utah, Oregon Coast, Riviera Maya, Costa Rica, Hawaii, Egypt, and the Galapagos Islands, and also a general discussion on Europe and our national parks. All of these destinations would be great for an 8-yr-old. Some are also available on my Web site at http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Destinations.htm

Q: "Do you know anything about Riu Bachata, or Sun Village in Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic?" - P.H.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "I am not personally familiar with those resorts in the Dominican Republic. I recommend you contact a local travel agent and inquire about them. Apple Vacations has a Web site that discusses and shows photos of resorts that are part of their package programs (www.applevacations.com) but you must book reservations through a travel agent."

Q: "I live in NJ and wanted to see if you had any suggestions that would be in driving distance." -B.D

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "In my book, an entire section of the Destinations Chapter is devoted to destinations up and down the US east coast, from Upstate NY to northern VA, including shore resorts, inland towns, as well as big cities. The content is too lengthy to post on my Web site. Eventually we will post a blurb on DC and on NYC but that could take months as we are currently focused on setting up the Single Parent Tour programs for this summer. And besides, the information is already in the book."

Q: "I just ran into your web page and loved it. I have a 7 year old and a 1 year old and will be solo at Disney for most of the time while my husband is at meetings. We're leaving on Friday and I'm starting to stress out about packing. What to bring? " - L.G.

Q:" I was reading your article on single parent travel and I am respectfully requesting a sample itinerary & packing list." - N.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "At this time, I don't have any sample itineraries up on the Web site, but you can see our packing lists and recommendations here" http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Pack/index.htm

Q: "I live in the Washington, DC area and would like to network with other single parents in my area. How can I get some resources? Thank you." - L..

Q: "I wish there was some kind of regional organization.... events for single parents in New England or in the Boston area for example. Know of anything like this?" - B.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "Yes, there are LOTS of single parent organizations. Our favorite, of course, is Parents Without Partners, which often hosts local single parent events. To find a local chapter, go to http://www.parentswithoutpartners.org, and click on 'find a chapter' on the left hand side."

"Also, I will be doing book signings in the DC/Annapolis areas in April and there will be like minded single parents at these events. Click on the link below for the most recent info on my book tour. http://www.singleparenttravel.net/book/events.htm

B. writes "Just wanted to let you know that per your newsletter (suggestion) I am taking my two children during February break to Playa de Carmen. It feels like a big trip taking to kids out of the country myself but all the subsequent info I've been reading supports your commentary that it's the place to go. (not too touristy or commercial...lots of Europeans etc...)"

Q: "I am a true single parent (father of my child unknown) with a 15 yr. daughter traveling soon to London with her Girl Scout troop.

I cannot find ANY documents for one parent authorization to travel without parent/s that does not require either paternal consent or death certificate. I can t believe that I am the only person with this situation and that provisions have not been made for true one parent situations. Where can I search to find the materials that I need, please." - E.K.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "You are one of many single parents in this situation, but two parent authorization to enter a foreign country is often required because of the increase in child abduction. I would warn you that this puts you in a sticky situation. First, read our section on documentation. http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/Documentation/index.htm

In your specific situation, I would suggest that you call up the UK consulate and find out what documentation they require for your daughter to travel abroad. The UK is much more lax, than say, Mexico. Since the documentation is needed to ENTER the UK and (not to leave the US.) the UK consulate is the organization that matters. Then after getting the appropriate info from the UK consulate, to avoid hiccups, I would contact her girl scout troupe and the airline and tour group to make sure that THEY understand the documentation that the UK requests is fine.

I would highly recommend you obtaining some sort of legal proof that you do not know who the biological father of your daughter is, OR, obtain a court document stating that you have sole custody. Try to get something concrete is all I am saying."