Welcome to the October 2002 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. OUR SPONSOR: INTERNATIONAL GUIDE ACADEMY & INTERNATIONAL TOUR MANAGER ACADEMY
III. FALL DAY TRIPS-OUR 2nd INSTALLMENT
IV. LAST CHANCE FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!!
V. LOOKING FOR OTHER SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES TO TRAVEL WITH
VI. UNCOVERED - SINGLE PARENT SPECIALS
VII. TOOTING THE HORN - GLOBALBRENDA IN THE NEWS
VIII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

I. GLOBAL BRENDA'S MESSAGE

This newsletter continues to attract many readers from around the world. We would like to hear from readers residing outside the USA to learn how this newsletter can meet your needs as a traveling single parent. In particular, in the last month, we received a number of requests for more Canadian content. A few newsletters back, I wrote about Glacier National Park (http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Glacier.htm), which straddles the state of Montana and the province of Alberta. In addition, we have mentioned a number of single parent specials in Canada, including the Sleepy Hollow B&B (below.) I welcome tips and ideas from our Canadian readership about single parent travel suggestions specific to Canada. Please write me at: Brenda@SingleParentTravel.net.

I have just posted the colorful cover for my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook" on my Web site. Check it out! The link is: http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/book/cover.htm. We are very excited that Kay Brewer of Parents Without Partners gave the book a glowing review. (FYI, this week PWP hosted a cruise. Right now the participants are sailing around the Caribbean! Any future PWP cruises will be announced in our Specials Section of the newsletter).

With that thought in mind, I wanted to remind you all that you have five more days to purchase my book at the early bird discount price of $11.67. Once in stores, the book will retail for $17.95. It makes a great Christmas present for yourself as well as all your family-oriented friends. See details below in the newsletter or on our Web site: http://www.singleparenttravel.net/book/index.htm.

Happy Travels!

Brenda Elwell

II. OUR SPONSOR:International Guide Academy & International Tour Manager Academy
(Paid advertisement)

BE PAID TO TRAVEL

Since 1973, the International Guide Academy/International Tour Manager Academy has been training, certifying and placing its graduates throughout the world. This is the training you need to be successful and paid to travel the world. Work assignments can be part-time, seasonal or full time so it appeals to single parents looking to balance their personal life with career. $2500 to $3000 income is reasonable for each 12-14 day tour as a Tour Manager. To obtain a catalogue, call 303-530-3420. To discuss the certification program, call the company President, Frank Slater at 303-780-0131. Visit their Web site at: http://www.igaonline.com.

Founder's Note: Becoming a tour guide is one way for single parents to travel inexpensively. I worked for a tour operator when I was newly divorced and my children were little. The job enabled me to take my children to a World?s Fair and on a wonderful trip to Europe, something I could not have afforded at regular price. Frank Slater, the owner and president of the International Guide Academy and International Tour Manager Academy, is fully committed to making his establishment top notch. If you are interested, don't hesitate to call him. Please tell him Single Parent Travel sent you.

Previous sponsors: http://www.singleparenttravel.net/ads/Sponsors.htm

III. LAST CHANCE FOR EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT!!

Until October 15, we will be offering "The Single Parent Travel Handbook" at a pre-publishing discount of 35% of the cover price, or $11.67. The book will retail for $17.95. Why the discount? Two reasons:
* You are purchasing the book directly from us. (No middleman distributor).
* Book pre-purchases enable us to gauge how quickly our first edition will sell.

That information is valuable so we encourage the pre-sales by offering a substantial discount. This price is for FIVE MORE DAYS; we urge you to buy your copy quickly. "The Single Parent Travel Handbook" is currently being printed and will be in your hands by November. Why not order some extra copies as Christmas gifts for family and friends? The book is a comprehensive start-to-finish guidebook to travel for non-traditional families that is both informative and entertaining. It appeals to both the novice as well as the savvy traveler.

HOW TO PURCHASE THE BOOK ---> http://www.singleparenttravel.net/book/index.htm

WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT ---> http://www.singleparenttravel.net/book/aboutbook.htm

IV. DAY TRIPS-PART II

As promised in our previous newsletter, we are pleased to suggest four more day trips for fall family fun:

#1 Paintball

Paintball is the world's fastest growing outdoor participation sport and autumn is a great time to play it. Paintball is a combination of childhood "hide and seek" and "tag," but more sophisticated and challenging. Men and women are on equal footing as it is more a game of brains than brawn. To find your local paintball center, do a Web search with the word "paintball" and your home state or hometown. To learn more about the sport, visit this informative Web site: http://www.paintballdepot.com/

#2 Visit a Local Business

Why not get a small group of family-oriented friends together and visit a local business on a weekend? Businesses are often open on a Saturday morning. Call the local manager and arrange for a tour while they are open or just after they close. Examples are a local regional airport, a shipyard or a manufacturing or processing plant. For little kids it could be as simple as a trip to your local Home Depot. Think of all the things you could learn with a private tour!

#3 Animal Parks

The fall is a wonderful time to visit zoos and animal parks. The hot summer is over and the animals are more active and spend more time outdoors. Here are four suggestions:
* Out of Africa - Located in Fountain Hills, Arizona, just outside of Phoenix, this "big cat" park is unique in the world. Check out this Web site for more information: http://www.desertusa.com/mag00/oct/stories/out.html
* Hawk Mountain Sanctuary - Located in Kempton, Pa, outside of Philadelphia, this is the world's first and currently the leading research center for hawks, eagles and falcons. Visit the Web site at: www.hawkmountain.org.
* Six Flags Great Adventure - Located in Jackson, NJ, this amusement park offers one of the best animal viewing parks in the nation. Visit: http://www.sixflags.com/parks/wildsafari/home.asp
* San Diego Wild Animal Park - Located in sunny California, this fabulous animal park has an excellent Web site: http://www.sandiegozoo.org

#4 Haunted Halloween Hayrides and Houses

It is that time of year again! Toasted marshmallows, funny costumes, lots of laughs and screams too. My daughter loves doing this every year. We found a few Web sites that can help you find a hayride or haunted house near you. http://HauntedHouse.com Listings in US & Canada
http://ScreamSeekers.com Listings in the US

V. LOOKING FOR OTHER SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES TO TRAVEL WITH

Many have you have complained about the ads on the bulletin boards. We have used some of the funds from our advertising to get rid of them.

A number of people have been posting some really excellent messages on the boards. Here are some examples...

" I'm a single mom with 2 teens (13 & 14) and would love to get away this Xmas. One problem - one hates the beach and one loves it. All I can think of is either a cruise or ? I am a beach person and would enjoy hitting the sand for a couple of days. Let me know what you've found out. " - Miranda
Reply to Miranda or view the other posts at http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm1.showMessage?topicID=4.topic

"Just stopped by to see what this forum has to offer. I am a single dad with a 9 yr old girl and 12 yr old boy. We take about 4 trips a year and would love to meet new people - especially other people who we can relate to. Would love to here from any of the single mom's who would like to join us in our travels." - Steve
Reply to Steve or view the other posts at http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm1.showMessage?topicID=1.topic

VI. 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 any of the specials below.

SP Special #1 -Club Med

Club Med has two promotions for the 2002-2003 season that meet our specials criteria.

For the Kids Stay Free Program, one child stays free for every paying adult. The applicable ages for their Punta Cana and Sandpiper-Florida properties are 2 to 12 and for their Club Med Ixtapa, 2 to 5. (All children under 2 stay free at Club Med.) The applicable dates for 2002 are November 2 to December 20. For 2003 they are January 4 to April 11, April 26 to June 20, and September 6 to October 31. Thanksgiving and Presidents week are excluded.

For Club Med's Family Escape Program, the rates are based per person, but there has to be a minimum of one paying child (2-18 years old). The offer is available for departures leaving from New York and Los Angeles. The prices range from $790-$990 per person for seven days including air. In this case, you don't select where you stay; instead ClubMed calls you one week before departure to tell you whether the destination is Punta Cana or Ixtapa. The applicable dates are November 2 - December 20, 2002 (ex. Thanksgiving week), January 4-April 11, 2003 (excluding Presidents week), and April 26 - October 31, 2003. Contact your travel agent or http://www.clubmed.com.

SP Special #2 - Sleepy Hollow B&B, Mt. Rigaud, Quebec province

Lynn Webb and her husband run a B&B near Highway 40 about 40 minutes from Montreal and 75 minutes from Ottawa. Lynn wrote me two long emails with descriptions on the enormous amount of family activities available near the B&B. The B&B is extremely close to cross country ski trails, alpine ski slopes (Rigaud is called the kindergarten of skiing in Quebec), hiking trails, bird watching, cycling, horseback riding, antique markets, beaches, etc. For more information contact the B&B directly at (450) 451-1037 or peruse their Web site, http://www.cachetboise.com.

Sleepy Hollow B&B's rates range from C$60 to C$90 (US$40 -US$60). Extra adults sharing the room cost C$10 and extra children aged 4 to 14 cost C$5. Those rates are based on double occupancy, but Lynn and her husband offer a 10% discount if you mention the Single Parent Travel Network when making your reservations. They also reduce the rates for longer stays.

SP Special # 3 - Best Western Harbor Plaza, Oak Harbor, Whidbey Island, WA

The Best Western Harbor Plaza offers free stays to children under 17 years old with at least one parent staying in the same room. Their room rates are $89.00 + tax including continental breakfast, but they have lots of specials and discounts (AAA for example), so it is best to inquire for specific dates. The hotel is just 9 miles from Deception Pass State Park, which attracts visitors from all over the world. Deception Pass State Park offers some great parent and children activities: Touring Fort Casey, bicycling, beach combing, bowling, taking in a movie or even taking a picnic lunch to the park. To make reservations call 800-927-5478 or 360-679-4567 or contact your local travel agent. The BW Harbor Plaza's Web site is http://www.bestwestern.com/harborplaza

SP Special #4 - Fine Hotels

At all 13 Fine Hotels kids stay free with only one paying adult. Fine hotels are located in the following places: Augusta, ME; Boston-Brookline, MA; Boston Logan Airport, MA; Boxborough, MA; Harrisburg, PA; Lancaster, PA; Mansfield, MA; Newton, MA; Sturbridge, MA; Williamsburg, VA; Worcester, MA; and Orlando, FL. We should point out that some of the hotels are located right next to popular theme parks: DisneyWorld, Sturbridge Village and Williamsburg. Please see http://www.fine-hotels.com for specific locations, names of the hotels and contact information or contact your local travel agent.

VII. TOOTING THE HORN - GLOBALBRENDA IN THE NEWS

Correction.
Last month, we mentioned that Parenting Magazine interviewed us. Our apologies, it was PARENTS magazine. You can see the article about the documentation needed to leave the country with a minor on page 245 in the September 2002 edition (bright red cover). To find out more information about this topic, read the Documentation section on our Web site http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Documentation/index.htm We made it into MSNC.com's encyclopedia of travel. The author gave us a wonderful review. The article also lists some other very good sources for family travel advice. http://www.msnbc.com/news/792483.asp

VIII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

K.B. writes "Hi Brenda, I have a teenage boy with special needs - his disability is developmental rather than physical as he is very hyperactive and has a low average IQ. I would love the opportunity to be with similar parents or hear from similar parents, as my son is exhausting to handle on a 24-hour basis. He is very curious, a really good traveler but needs constant activity: biking, swimming, playing ball, frisbee with no down time."

I certainly empathize with K.B. since both my kids have dyslexia. Both were hyperactive little kids. Now they are hyperactive big kids. In addition my son has ADD. (Attention Deficit Disorder). When my kids were little, I took them on a single parent family vacation to Europe for several weeks. I typed up a detailed itinerary chock full of lots of physical activities with no down time. Friends and family thought I was nuts but I knew that was what I had to do for them. We did not take time for naps; rather we stopped in a cafe mid-afternoon for a cold drink. During that time my son would chase the pigeons. He was almost always in motion. On occasion we would play a card game such as UNO, so as to give our feet a rest. We visited a lot of hands-on museums, especially transportation museums. Some of my early newsletters on itineraries, archived on my Web site, discuss this.

If there are any single parents out there with a similar situation, please e-mail me, Brenda, at Brenda@SingleParentTravel.net, I would like to compile all your tips and advice in a future column.