Q: J.D. asks, "I am a single dad thinking of traveling with my children (son 9, daughter 7) to England for spring break. We would see friends in Kent and Oxford (where I was a student), but I'm doubtful about doing this without some age appropriate things to do in London and possibly elsewhere. My kids are bright and mature, but I am still concerned not to take a trip that is over their heads. What can you suggest?"

GLOBALBRENDA ANSWER: "I am so glad you emailed me. Please set aside your concerns. You and your kids are going to enjoy a trip that is fun-filled and fulfilling for everyone but it will require some advance planning. Here are 3 suggestions:

First of all, I STRONGLY recommend you buy a copy of my book, "The Single Parent Travel Handbook." It is written for the sophisticated traveler as well as the beginner. When I first took my kids to Europe at ages 5 and 11, I was already a multi-lingual world traveler, who had lived abroad in Switzerland. Despite all those qualifications I was not fully prepared for my first major trip as a single parent family. Should you decide to buy the book, go right to pages 18-20 which addresses your very concerns and suggests what you should do on a European trip. The book is both entertaining and informative and can be ordered on my Web site or at any bookstore, online or physical. Here is the order page:

Secondly, you need to do some research about fun things for kids and adults to do in England. Start with the British Tourist Authority. Here is their Web site: http://www.visitbritain.com/ Call them with your questions about kids.

*Oxford is a wonderful town that everyone will enjoy.

*London can be overwhelming so you have to pick and choose what to do. Kids of any age will enjoy the Tower of London. This is an excursion of several hours so get an early start that day.

* Ride every conveyance you can - the double decker buses, the tube, the trains. Kids love it! Unless you really need the rental car, I would plan on buying a family rail or bus pass to go outside of London and use the London pass for travel within the city. I talk about this in my book and how to order the passes. By traveling on public transportation, you can spend more personal bonding time with your kids, playing cards, etc and it is a lot less stressful than driving and having to read signs and keep kids amused all at the same time.

Thirdly, Use the 1/3 Formula - Plan to spend 1/3 of your time doing things the kids like, 1/3 doing things you like, and 1/3 doing things you all like. When you plan your itinerary ahead of time, get input from the kids. For example, a fun kid activity might be feeding the ducks in one of the many parks in London. It allows you to have a little "down time" and you get to be part of the local scene. My book talks about other creative things to do with the 1/3 formula.

Lastly get the kids involved. Show them how to read a map of the Underground, which is all color coded. Praise them when they figure out how to get to the next destination. Trust me, if you do this, they will remember what they saw and where they saw it. My son, at age 5, became an accomplished Metro map reader, after 3 days in Paris.
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WRITER'S BIO
Brenda Elwell is the author of The Single Parent Travel Handbook and managing editor of The Single Parent Travel Network, a Web site and free monthly newsletter chock full of Single Parent Travel Specials. A veteran of over thirty years in the travel industry, she has traveled independently to more than 60 countries, half of them with her two kids in tow. Brenda may be reached via e-mail at brenda@singleparenttravel.net.

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