Moms are shaking up traditional family travel by traveling with their kids on their own terms, independently.
Growing up, most of us didn’t get the chance to see our mothers ziplining through a rainforest canopy in Central America. The typical family vacation rarely involved Mom wading into a stream to bathe elephants with us in Thailand. Nor was it likely that Mom was globetrotting solo with her brood.
Today, all that is changing.
Moms are shaking up traditional family travel by traveling with their kids on their own terms, independently. They’re taking charge. Elevate Destinations is seeing an uptick in this trend: “We’re hearing from more and more moms who request this,” notes Dominique Callimanopulos, Founder and President of Elevate. “They look to travel as a way to connect -- as individuals -- with their kids.”
Brave new travel moms
What kinds of moms are traveling as solo parents? All kinds. Some are married or remarried; some are divorced. Some have always been a superwoman single mom. They’re nurturing kids of all ages, from elementary school-age up to full-fledged adults with kids of their own. Some have a longstanding tradition of mother-child trips, and some are trying it out for the first time. One camp likes to keep the one-on-one dynamic of a mother-child trip, while others bring both (or all!) the siblings along for the ride.
Here’s where the traditional family vacationer interjects, perplexed. Traveling with kids is hard enough with two parents sharing the tasks of the trip. What about backup? It takes two to operate a major trip with the kids. Right?
Not necessarily. With the support of a comprehensive travel service, fewer hands are needed on deck. Moms are freed up to sit back and enjoy. Contrary to traditional family-travel logic, they find solo-parent traveling more relaxing, empowering and special than two-parent trips.
Why go solo with kids in tow?
Reasons for a special mom-only trip with kids are as varied as each family itself. Here are a few of the many perks that these mighty mamas are after:
Scheduling. Getting precious time off from work is already hard enough to match with school calendars. Scheduling two parents and two or more kids for a vacation all at the same time? That will have to wait til July. Of 2027. Narrowing it down to a one-parent trip may be the best way to actually make it happen this decade.
“I have a more flexible travel schedule than my husband at this point, so I like to take advantage of my flexibility to expose my kiddos to as much as I can around the world,” says Dominique. “I don’t let my husband’s work schedule stop us from experiencing as much as we can.”
Quality time. It’s all about quality time together, distraction-free. Kids are glued to their electronics, they’re busy with school, their friends are their universe. Imagine removing the at-home barriers and strains of a parent-child relationship and just bonding as two people at large in the world.
Girl power. A solo-mom trip sends an empowering message to impressionable minds. Kids (both daughters and sons) will remember what they see -- Mom owning a journey, adventuring to new places, trying new things, and acting autonomously rather than as one half of a two-person parental unit.
Global classroom. Travel-loving moms know that the most teachable moments are the highly experiential ones. Kids learn conservation while snorkeling with sea turtles and helping them along their march to sea. They learn global citizenship volunteering abroad. More than just an entertaining family vacation, moms want an educational journey to share with their kids.
Tastes. With two-parent family travel, there’s a lot of agreeing to do. Dad just wants to rent ATVs and go off-roading. Mom would rather try hot air ballooning. The more people on the trip, the more room for disagreement about what’s fun and worthwhile to do.
Where to go
A tailored journey to Nicaragua was perfect for a quartet of Mom and her three school-age kids, enabling them to get in touch with the local community and the amazing volcano lake landscapes.
“It was really important to this family to have a cultural exchange with local kids during this trip,” says Elevate’s Lana Byal, who designed the trip. “I think that’s the piece that will stick with kids the longest.”
For families that are wild about animals, elephant conservation tours abound in Thailand and Kenya, bringing travelers up-close with pachyderms and just basking in the awe of these peaceful creatures. There’s even an “adoption” option at a sanctuary in Nairobi, which brings the special privilege of tucking it in for bed!
For a very doable south-of-the-border experience never to be forgotten, moms with kids can help with sea turtle conservation in Baja, Mexico. Here, families get to mingle with scientific researchers and local fishermen. Highlights are snorkeling with delicate sea turtle populations and helping the researchers with monitoring.
