Everything you need to know about booking a single-parent package holiday

Planning a holiday as a single parent can be a mix of fun and a bit of stress. Trying to juggle everything from schedules to packing for both you and your kids can be a lot.

Package holidays take the hassle out of booking flights, hotels, and transfers separately. However, as a solo parent, you might face the dreaded ‘single supplement’ – an extra charge for using a double room on your own.

Luckily, things are changing. Many travel companies recognise the need for more single-parent-friendly options. Let's dive into the best deals and tips for your perfect getaway with the kids.

Single-parent discounts

TUI

TUI offers £100 off per booking on solo traveller holidays with one adult and one or more children departing before 31 October 2024.

For bookings departing from 1 November, this goes up £150 per booking.

To get your unique code, just search for the break that suits you – either for one adult, or a single adult and one child or more. The deal applies to children aged up to 16 years old.

Jet2holidays

Jet2holidays offers £60 off bookings for one adult and one or more children with the code J2HSPF60. This code can be used with most other automatic discounts such as the £60 off MyJet2 bookings but not ones where you have to manually type in a code. It can also be used in conjunction with the kids' free places.

easyJet holidays

easyJet holidays offers £100 off a one-adult family break, with the discount code ONEADULT. However, this deal cannot be combined with any other discount codes, meaning if you use it on the wrong booking, it could end up costing you money.

Depending on the dates when you book and when you plan on travelling you might be better off waiting for other promo codes to appear. For example, earlier in 2024, you could use code HOLIDAY, for up to £250 off beach breaks or the code CITYSALE for up to £150 per city break booking.

Understanding free child places

To qualify for a free child place, travel companies will insist that two fully paying adults must be on the same booking.

However, if you are a single parent with two or more children, you can work this to your advantage.

You and one child can pay the full adult price to be classed as two fully paying adults, allowing another child to stay for free.

The rules on this work exactly the same for the big three tour operators, Jet2holidays, easyJet holidays and TUI.

When making a booking, if it's for one adult and two children, one of the children will automatically be considered an adult. As a result, you'll be charged the adult fare for one child. However, with two adults on the booking (the original adult and the first child), the second child can now travel completely free.

Unfortunately, there is no workaround or discount for a single parent travelling with one child.

Other tips and tricks for hassle-free travel with kids

• Connect with other families: Strike up conversations at the pool or playground – you might find fellow single parents travelling solo.
• Seek out those kids' clubs: Look for resorts with kids' clubs and supervised activities. This gives you a well-deserved break while your youngsters have fun.
• Safety first: Share your travel itinerary with a trusted friend or family member and teach your children important information such as your phone number and hotel name.
• Compare deals from dozens of companies: TravelSupermarket compares holidays from around 25 different travel firms, all registered with ATOL, so that you know you’ve found the best deal possible.