Welcome to the January 2003 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. In this issue

I. GLOBAL BRENDA'S MESSAGE
II. REAL TRAVEL ADVENTURES INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
III. GUIDE TO SINGLE PARENT TRAVEL
IV. MEETING SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
V. UNCOVERED - SINGLE PARENT SPECIALS
VI. REQUEST FOR PRESS CONTACTS
VII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

I. GLOBAL BRENDA'S MESSAGE

Happy New Year!! Regardless of what you celebrated, I hope your holiday season was warm and wonderful. We just returned from a much needed vacation to West Texas. Yaaaa Hooooo! It was scenic, fun, and fattening, in spite of our many hikes. (Couldn't resist all those great Texas steaks and BBQ ribs). Look for my write-up on this remarkable area of the USA in next month's newsletter. I will be discussing Guadalupe and Big Bend National Parks as well as the beautiful city of San Antonio.

Due to our vacation, this month's newsletter is a bit light on single parent specials. Next month we will add a new service by providing a calendar with a year's worth of specials.

Thanks to all of you who answered the Hudson Valley Parent magazine's request for single parents to interview. We have forwarded all the volunteers to the journalist. What a flourishing community we have!

My book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook," is now available for sale over the phone through the Book Clearing House. BCH accepts credit cards and has a staff that answers the phone 24 hours per day, so call anytime. The toll free number is 800-431-1579. BCH sells the book for $17.95 plus shipping and handling.

Until Feb. 15, you can still buy the book at a discount of $5.00 direct from the author through SingleParentTravel.net. Click here ... http://www.singleparenttravel.net/book/index.htm

(Please note that the discount will only be available until February 15th when the book's price will increase to $17.95, the full retail price, so buy your copy soon.)

Happy Travels!

GlobalBrenda

II. REAL TRAVEL ADVENTURES INTERNATIONAL NEWSLETTER
(paid advertisement)

Real Travel Adventures International is a free, on-line magazine with fascinating articles and great photos covering all kinds of travel for all ages, in the USA and worldwide. You'll find true stories that will keep you laughing, inform, warn, stimulate your interest and increase your knowledge about places you'd like to visit. You can also find your true travel tales and best trip photos in print if you send them to the magazine. Subscribe to mail@RealTravelAdventures.com Click here to visit: http://www.RealTravelAdventures.com .

III. GUIDE TO SINGLE PARENT TRAVEL

Since we were on vacation, we delved into our archives from two years back to bring you our guide to single parent travel from the very first newsletter we ever published.

The most common mistake made by travel agencies, tour operators, and resort hotels is to assume that the travel needs and desires of single parents are exactly the same, or similar to, the needs of double parent families traveling together with their kids. Single parents often seek different agendas and must be twice as organized, twice as patient, and twice as creative to have a successful and fun trip with their kids.

ORGANIZATION

There are three key elements in preparing for your trip: (If your vacation plans consist of a fully escorted tour or spending a week on the beach and merely moving between the sand and the surf, you can skip points 1 and 2).

# 1 - DO YOUR RESEARCH

Whether you are planning a hiking trip to the American West, a driving tour of the historical sites and theme parks in the East or a trip to Walt Disney World, you and your kids need to do some research to determine where and how you want to spend your time. Make it a family project. It helps if your kids choose their research assignments from a list you provide. Buy a tour book on the Web or at your local bookstore and have your kids research some information on the Web. Unless you work for a dot-com, your kids can probably do the research faster than you. Once you have gathered up enough information, have a family meeting to make your vacation decisions. How long will you stay in one area? What trails will you definitely hike? What theme park rides are a must? Explore rainy day activities in case of inclement weather. My kids' pediatrician, who is a global adventure traveler like us, once told me when you travel with kids, spend 1/3 of your time doing activities that they like, 1/3 doing what you like, and 1/3 of your time doing things you all like. I held to that formula whenever possible and found it worked quite well.

Years ago, when my kids were little, our "itinerary" included a visit to the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, which was a treat to myself. I stuck the kids in a comfortable corner of the museum with some snacks and games, (this is a safe thing to do in Holland), checked on them periodically, and, after a contented hour by myself, I scooped them up and led them to the three most famous paintings in the museum. After their brief "educational tour" we all went off for some ice cream and an exciting ride along the Amsterdam canals. Everybody was happy.

Please continue this at http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/Guide.htm

IV. MEETING SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES

Last month we held a roll-call, asking people to introduce themselves and their families. Boy did we get a response! Families from Saskatchewan, Ottawa, Raleigh, DFW, NY State and other locations introduced themselves. Maybe you can find your ideal companion by clicking on the link below. http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm13

Darni asks, "I know that single parents with young children have special needs, but I am newly single traveling with a 17 and 20 year old. I really want a warm weather vacation destination that will be fun for all. I an thinking of a cruise, but don't want to feel strange at dinner dining without a partner. Any suggestions from personal experience? Thanks to all! "

Reply to her at http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm10.showMessage? topicID=1.topic

There are a number of trips being planned to Florida, Mexico and other places in Feb./Mar. Join the discussions at http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm1

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

V. UNCOVERED - SINGLE PARENT SPECIALS

Once again, we have found specials that don't discriminate against the single parent family. You may contact your travel agent to book the special below.

SP Special #1 - Amtrak Trains

Amtrak offers an 'everyday' special that benefits single adults traveling with children. Up to two kids ages 2-15 ride half price when accompanied by an adult. (Up to one child under the age of two can ride free per one adult.) Purchase tickets on-line at http://www.amtrak.com or on the phone at 800-USA-RAIL.

VI. REQUEST FOR PRESS CONTACTS

We are just starting a major public relations push to announce the publishing of "The Single Parent Travel Handbook". If you have any names and phone numbers/emails of journalists or producers at newspapers (your local paper is great), magazines, television shows, radio shows, single parent clubs or any media outlet that cater to men, women, parents or people who travel, we would appreciate it! Please send your leads to Monique@SingleParentTravel.net. Thank you.

VII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

Q: "I wanted to get some additional information on Playa Rivera in Mexico. I think I read about it in one of your newsletters? Can you let me know please? I like what you had to say about it being eclectic and accepting of single parents." - B.T.

GLOBALBRENDA'S ANSWER: "Sure, we have a brief write up on the Web site, see http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/mayariviera.htm We also have a much longer piece in "The Single Parent Travel Handbook". A year ago Splash resorts offered discounts for single parents. Call them to see if they have renewed that special offer. Their contact information and the details of the special can be found in our single parent specials archives. http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Specials/index.htm

Q: "Hi Brenda, I'm a 59 yr old male who likes to take his 11 yr old daughter on adventuresome travels for a week or two during the summer. Some of the trips have included staying overnight in treehouses of Cave Junction, OR, 2 weeks traveling thru Alaska, a travel look through NYC (pre-9-11), Philadelphia and coal mines of Scranton, PA. I'm looking for good trip for this upcoming summer. I like what you had to say about Niagara Falls and the surrounding area. Though my daughter isn't too adventuresome, she's a pretty good sport. Do you know of any travel companies that put together single parent vacations around sailing in the Caribbean (or elsewhere in a warm climate)? " - S.S.

GLOBALBRENDA'S ANSWER: "I get the strong impression you like water so let's talk water-based vacations. There are three destinations I strongly recommend for single parent families, or any families for that matter. Listed in order of adventure and expense they are:
1) The Rivera Maya, Mexico
2) Costa Rica
3) The Galapagos, Ecuador

Some of these destinations are mentioned briefly here: http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/Destinations.htm All are featured destinations in "The Single Parent Travel Handbook." If you liked what I had to say about Niagara Falls, you will absolutely love what I say about the above destinations. Anyway all of the above destinations are suitable for your daughter's age and all would be an incredible experience for the two of you.

There are currently no tour operators specializing in single parent trips to the Caribbean. Commencing in summer of 2003 I will launch SingleParentTours which will feature trips to exciting destinations for single parent and non-traditional families. We are currently working on the program and will include at least one Caribbean destination. I am not aware of any specials in sailing for single parent families but we will keep that in mind. Reader feedback is very important to us and we thank you for letting us know your preferences." If you have any suggestions for sailing based vacations for single parents then please email us and we will include your suggestions in our next newsletter.

Q: "I am a single mom of a son who is 3 years old, I am currently trying to find a travel agent who deals with these types of bookings, I would like to go on holiday abroad with other single parent families as I believe its very off putting at times to be in resorts with loads of families around you. I live in the West Midlands Area." - C.W.

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "We currently don't have any listings for travel agents in the UK. We have put a note on our to do list to find some, though. In the past, we have had a number of listings of UK tour operators who have had travel specials that single parents can use. See our archive section at http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Specials/index.htm

Q: "Someone said the kids love sandals or sandpiper (I live in Boston), in Bermuda, is it? there's some trapeze the kids love and after a few days the kids put on a circus..ever hear of anything like this is it single parent friendly? thx for your help " - M.R. (noncustodial)

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "There are a number of Sandals Resorts throughout the Caribbean. I am not sure if the one to which you are referring is in Bermuda. I recommend you check with your local travel agent. Our single parent special archive lists a few all-inclusive Caribbean resorts that offered specials for single parents. Click on the link below and contact those mentioned, they may have the same or a different special running." http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Specials/index.htm