Welcome to the February 2004 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. THE DEFINITION OF SUPERIOR TRAVEL SERVICE. (Our Sponsor)
III. SINGLE PARENT TOURS IV. PRAGUE ­ CZECH IT OUT!
V. MEETING SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES
VI. UNCOVERED ­ SINGLE PARENT TRAVEL SPECIALS
VII. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS AT WORK AND PLAY
VIII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP-REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

I. GLOBAL BRENDA'S MESSAGE

Dear Readers,

We are happy to report that Events & Adventures, a singles group in Denver, Colorado, is sponsoring our weekend getaway to Estes Park, Colorado. Approximately half of their organization members are single parents. (To see what they have to offer, check out their Web site http://www.FunInDenver.com ) The details for the March 19-21 weekend to Estes Park can be found below; the price is phenomenal and everything is included! One adult and one child costs $487. Book Now by calling 877-GO-GO-SPT. http://www.SingleParentTours.com/Tours/Estes.htm

We are delighted to announce our second annual trip to Beaches Boscobel in Ocho Rios, Jamaica. This year we were able to move up the departure date to the third week of August (August 15 ­ 22), rather than the fourth week. That should enable many more families to attend before school opens. Once again, we were able to negotiate the elimination of the single supplement! The price for one adult and one child is $1,995.00. All our other prices are listed below. Call 877-GOGO-SPT for quotes on airfare from your hometown.

Last year 42 single parent families attended our Single Parent Week at Beaches Boscobel. Many have already called to book again. We expect the week to sell out as it did last year. Book now! Call Renee or Janet at 877-GO-GO-SPT. For trip details visit: http://www.SingleParentTours.com/Tours/Beaches.htm

My January weekend in Prague with my best friend was a total delight as was the price. "Czech" out my write-up below.

Happy Travels! GlobalBrenda

II. THE DEFINITION OF SUPERIOR TRAVEL SERVICE.. (Paid Advertisement)

Carlson Wagon-lit Travel (kärl´-sen va-gon-le´ trav´-el) n., 1: A full-service travel agency dedicated to top quality, value, and personalized customer service. 2: A group of travel experts offering the hottest deals in cruise and vacation packages. 3: A worldwide business travel leader backed by a network of 4,100 locations in 125 countries. 4: A local travel agency with more than 25 years serving the Annapolis community. 5: A proud partner of Single Parent Tours!

877-288-3138 or 410-757-5520 www.carlsontravel.com/annapolis carlsontravel@jvegroup.net

III.SINGLE PARENT TOURS

GET OFF THE FENCE! This week, we are sending our booking list to the hotel for our Estes Park, Colorado trip on March 19-21, 2004. This is one of our best-priced weekends. One adult and one child is only $487, plus tax & service.

ESTES PARK is located just outside Rocky Mountain National Park and March is the BEST time to view wildlife. In fact, you can see a photo of elk in the front yard of the hotel where our group will be staying: http://www.SingleParentTours.com/tours/Estes.htm . Bring your camera!

The weekend includes two nights accommodations at the Inn at Estes Park, which has one of the largest indoor pools in Estes; all meals; snowshoeing; a haunted tour of the Stanley Hotel, which was the inspiration for the movie, "The Shining"; and a pizza party at the local hometown bowling alley. (The bowling alley has a nice sized bar for the adults.) All this and the company of many other single parent families for the price of $487 for one adult and one child, plus tax and gratuities.

To see more details and pricing, click on our Web site, http://www.SingleParentTours.com or call Renee or Janet at 877-GOGO-SPT. We hope to see you there!

ANNOUNCING BEACHES BOSCOBEL, JAMAICA - AUGUST 15-22, 2004 We were able to move the trip to the third week of August and still have the single supplement waived. As usual, the price includes room, meals, transfers and all activities. We will have special activities just for single parents! We hope to have as many as 100 families join us this year, so book now before the rooms are sold out! One adult & one child - $1,995, plus tax One adult & two children - $2,441.25, plus tax More prices listed at http://www.SingleParentTours.com/tours/Beaches.htm For quotes on airfare from your hometown and to book, call 877-GO-GO- SPT.

We decided to drop the Washington DC weekend this year. After two months of negotiating with travel suppliers we were unable to secure the rates we wanted to make the weekend affordable.

Upcoming trips:

May 21-23 - We are currently in final negotiations for a weekend at a lovely country inn in northern Vermont. I personally inspected this property two weeks ago and was very impressed. It is ideal for families. We will announce this weekend trip within two weeks via email and the Web site.

July - As of last night, we just got great rates for a week's trip to Hawaii! Within the next month, we will announce this vacation package. Stay tuned to the newsletter

August ­ We are currently negotiating with western suppliers for a one-week family adventure trip to scenic Southern Utah in early August. We will announce this trip by the end of February. This trip will have great appeal for single parent dads and as well as any single parent (man or woman) who loves the outdoors and wants to share it with their child or children.

Fall of 2004 ­ We are considering a weekend in Salem Massachusetts in September or October as well as a return to the Rocking Horse Ranch Resort in November. Stay tuned!

Happy Travels! GlobalBrenda

IV. PRAGUE

Sometimes a bargain is just too good to pass up! How does $399 sound for airfare from the East Coast to Prague, hotel 3 nights, 3 full breakfasts, local taxes, 3-day city transit pass and a 3 day museum pass? Yep, too good to resist. As soon as I saw this little gem, I emailed my best friend and within 24 hours we were exchanging preferred travel dates. We left the U.S. on Friday night, January 9th (my birthday) and returned home on the following Tuesday afternoon.

This piece continues at

http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Prague.htm

V. MEETING OTHER SINGLE PARENT FAMILIES

SingleDadBoston writes: Disney 2 ­ 26 through 2 ­ 30: I have (2) children who are 8 and 11 (girl/boy respectively).Any single moms who would like to combine forces and have some fun are encouraged to write! enterprising11@yahoo.com Please, only write direct to my email. a See his posting at: http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm1.showMessage?topicID=48.topic

TB1228 writes: Last minute getaway with a 3 yr. old "Ok I need your help. I live in NJ and this week I have off from Thursday - Monday and I wanted to go somewhere last minute with my 3-year-old daughter. Any suggestions? It would have to be driveable. Reply to TB1228 at: http://pub15.ezboard.com/fsingleparenttravelfrm10.showMessage?topicID=17.topic

VI. UNCOVERED ­ SINGLE PARENT TRAVEL SPECIALS

Single Parent Travel Special #1 - Single Parent Tours goes to Beaches Boscobel Aug. 15- 22, 2004

http://www.SingleParentTours.com/tours/Beaches.htm .

To see more details and pricing, click on our Web site, http://www.SingleParentTours.com or call Renee or Janet at 877-GOGO-SPT. We hope to see you there!

Single Parent Special #2 ­ Riu Tequila in Playa Car Mexico June 22 -26

Donna McGee, a travel agent listed on page 293 of "The Single Parent Travel Handbook", is organizing a group of single parents to stay at the Riu Tequila in Playa Car, Mexico. Playa Car is just south of the town Playa del Carmen in Mexico. Rates start at $331 for four nights accommodations, meals, hotel activities and transfers for one adult and one or two children under the age of 12. Donna can also price airfares depending on your departure city. Call her to book toll free at 877-886-2424 or e-mail her at: dmmcgee@ptd.net

Single Parent Travel Special #3 ­ Auberge Gladstone Guest House, Plymouth, MA

The Historic Auberge Gladstone Bed & Breakfast in Plymouth, MA charges no single supplement for their Oz suite. The Oz suite is two adjoining rooms: one for the parent and one for one or two children. The room has TV with cable, a private entrance and an adjoining outdoor deck with Jacuzzi. The house has lots of books and videos including such favorites as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Wizard of Oz and there is a playpen on-site. Breakfast is served in the room. Rates range from $90 to $120 per night for one adult and one or two children. To book call 866-722-1890. For details see: http://www.aubergegladstone.com

VII. STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS AT WORK AND PLAY

(Written by Brenda Elwell and reprinted from the February 2004 newsletter of Beagle Bay Publishing Company)

One of the most challenging things about family life today is finding time to do the things you want to do as a family or as a couple. I am not talking about the scheduled activities such as attending the kids' soccer games or the visit to grandmother on Sunday afternoon. I am referring to an enriching family experience that you make happen every week.

Story continued at http://www.SingleParentTravel.net/Writing/Strategies.htm

VIII. SUBSCRIBERS SPEAK UP - REQUESTS, INQUIRIES, COMMENTS

Wow! This month we received more than our usual share of questions about travel documentation.

K.S. has sole legal custody of her daughter and is about to leave for Mexico. She read our documentation section and writes: "I have contacted the Mexican Embassy in Washington, and the Mexican Consulate in Chicago and they forwarded to me specific information that states that as long as I have my court papers showing I have sole custody of my child, a letter from the non-custodial parent is not necessary. I am going to also carry the printed copy of their response with me."

F.C. writes: "My husband has 100% physical & 50% sole custody of my step-son. We are planning a 2-week family vacation to Guatemala and have already purchased the tickets. Now we have asked his mother to sign the consent letter and she is refusing. We have one month until our trip and don't know what rights he has to bypass this letter. We were told by the airlines that it is required. What can we do?????"

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: This is not an uncommon problem. I am not an attorney so I cannot advise you on state laws. I suggest you do two things:

1) Read the section on documentation on my Web site; http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/Documentation/index.htm

2) If the suggestions on my Web site do not provide a solution for you, then I suggest you contact an attorney. I hope it works out. Guatemala is one of my favorite countries. It is such a neat place for a vacation, especially a family vacation. Good luck!

R.L. asks, "my step-son's biological father has not been involved in his life since his mother was pregnant with him. He is not acknowledged as my stepson's father and does not have any guardianship, custody or visitation rights in regards to him. His biological father has not had any contact with my stepson or his mother for over three years and my stepson is now four years old and before that the contact was very sporadic. In a case like this what documentation is required when traveling to Mexico? We are all Canadian citizens.

GLOBAL BRENDA ANSWER: I am not sure of the Mexican entry laws pertaining to Canadian citizens but to get you started, take a look through the Documentation section of my Web site.

L.G. writes in with a suggestion for great things to do in Toronto: "One of my favorite books is called "Toronto Fun Places: The family-tested guide to over 300 outings in and around the Greater Toronto Area". I keep it in the glove compartment to help figure out my game plan in a pinch." See http://www.torontofunplaces.com

L.G. also has a question and some great suggestions."I'm brave (silly) to plan a trip to Disney (Fla) with my 3 children, who will be 3, 5 and 7 when we depart in April. Can anyone recommend strategies to ensure their safety and my peace of mind....Here are some ideas I'll implement:

- same coloured t-shirts;
- a stroller;
- my cell phone number in their pocket (and I'll carry my cell phone).

After 4 days on land we'll be doing the Disney Cruise. Thanks for any tips you can lend.

GLOBALBRENDA'S ANSWER: I have a bunch of tips listed at: http://www.singleparenttravel.net/Writing/Disney.htm But anyone else is welcome to write in with their own tips, which we will publish on our next newsletter.

L. writes in with a suggestion: there is a place in Montana where you can actually go on a real dinosaur dig. Check out their Web site: http://www.paleoworld.org

D.G. asks: Hi Brenda, I am an older single parent who travels, my children are grown, do I belong with this club?

GLOBAL BRENDA ANSWER: Do you belong? You bet. Here's why:

1) The families who travel with Single Parent Tours are a mixed bag - they range in age from younger to older and the kids range in age from very little to grown up. Some single parents even came alone without the kids. That happened at our Jamaica trip. At the Rocking Horse Ranch Resort we had parents bring kids who were grown up. On both occasions everyone had a good time.

2) Although the name of my book and my tour company say "Single Parent Travel" it really is open to all families and all "non-traditional" travelers. We plan each trip so that there are activities where parents interact with kids and also where adults can get together separately. I am an older adult with grown kids and I hosted the Jamaica trip (with my daughter as my assistant) and the Rocking Horse weekend I hosted by myself. I had a ball both times and they were both working trips for me!

3) Thirdly,..WE NEED MEN!!! The tours usually have mostly women who welcome the company of a single parent dad, whether or not he is older or younger, traveling with kids or without. These are not trips where every minute is planned as a group activity; rather it is part group activities, part free time. Most meals are spent together as a group because that is what our travelers want.

S.N. gives us a tip: "I found another good destination in Texas for a mother/son or father/son weekend. Rough Creek Lodge is about 90 minutes southwest of Dallas near the Fossil Rim Wildlife Refuge and Dinosaur Valley (real dinosaur footprints). It is a beautiful resort with hunting (we did not do), archery, rifle shooting, shotgun shooting, heated pool, hot tub, fitness center, spa facilities and gourmet dining. It was perfect for my 11-year-old son and me! Guides took us to do the archery and shooting and were very kind and educational. We also met 50-60 hunting dogs and played with the puppies. The rooms were beautiful - all with one full wall of windows. The view is - well - it is Texas - if you like wilderness, it is great. (I would have liked a few trees!) The restaurant was rated the best in Dallas in 2003 and, like I said, is 90 miles away! Easily the best food I have ever eaten! The service was incredible. I didn't think it was too pricey - they have specials - and you will eat more than usual - so I recommend one with meals included. We would have enjoyed more families being there and would definitely go back with friends."
Rough Creek Lodge http://www.roughcreek.com/
Fossil Rim Wildlife Center http://www.texasoutside.com/glenrose/fossilrim.htm
Dinosaur Valley State Park http://www.texasoutside.com/glenrose/dinosaurvalleysp.htm