PHILADELPHIA -- Single-parent travel is a subject close to the
heart of former travel agent Brenda Elwell.
She raised her two children as a single mom. She wrote her
Certified Travel Counselor thesis on single-parent travel. She
produces a Web site (SingleParentTravel.net) and a newsletter
devoted to the subject.
Now, Elwell is about to share more of her knowledge in a book on
the subject, titled "The Single Parent Handbook," due out this
month.
In addition, she plans to launch a tour operation next year that
specializes in single-parent travel.
"The vast majority of the travel industry has no concept of the
needs of the single-parent family," said Elwell, who has 30 years'
experience in the travel business, including 10 as a national
account manager with Carlson Wagonlit Travel.
For example, she said, resort hotels often claim to have a great
program for single parents, with golf and day care for the kids. "I
tell [hoteliers], 'You just sent their kid off to daycare, with no
partner [for the parent] to play golf with.'
"Often the kids have a good time, but the single parent sits
between the swinging singles and the couples."
Much of Elwell's research for her book was gathered during her
days of globetrotting with her children.
"It's a handbook, a road map, from start to finish," Elwell
said.
Though it is intended for a consumer audience, she sees it as a
helpful reference for travel agents, as well.
The Single Parent Handbook features a dozen of Elwell's picks of
ideal destinations for single-parent families.
The area needs to be safe, Elwell said, with easy
transportation.
For example, she likes the Riviera Maya because it is anchored
by Playa del Carmen, "a delightful and safe town" by the beach,
where teens can stroll up and down the pedestrian-only Avenue la
Quinta and where Mayan ruins are a convenient day trip.
An appendix lists contact information for agents throughout
North America who specialize in single-parent travel.
Elwell's tour outfit, Single Parent Tours, "will cater to
single-parent and nontraditional parent families," she said.
She is not sure yet if she will book space with an existing firm
or plan and price the tours herself, but she said she will pay
commissions to agents.
The handbook is available via Elwell's Web site at www.singleparenttravel.net for $12.99. It also can be
ordered by local bookstores via ISBN number 0-9723627-0-3.