• Living Now
    • Parenting and Co-Parenting
      • Separation and Divorce
    • Love
      • Relationships
      • Date Ideas
    • Lifestyle
      • Single Parent Life
        • single dads
        • single moms
      • Self Care
      • Advice
        • Inspiration
        • Advocacy
          • Local Resources
          • National Resources
          • Non-profit
        • Life’s Answers
        • Daily
        • Time Management for Single Moms
      • Style
        • Beauty
      • Dallas-Fort Worth Family Fun News
      • Restaurants
    • Money
      • Career
      • Budgeting
        • Deals
    • Event Calendar
    • Food and Nutrition
      • Mom’s Fitness
  • Drive
  • Travel
    • Dallas
  • Events
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • LinkedIn
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
Dallas Single {Mom} Parents by Teia Collier

Dallas Single {Mom} Parents by Teia Collier

  • Contact Dallas Single Mom
  • Teia Collier
  • Retreat
  • Shop
    • Store Affiliates
  • Services
You are here: Home / Advice / My family vacation to Maui is booked! Single mom travel is possible, I’ll tell you how

March 17, 2012 ·

My family vacation to Maui is booked! Single mom travel is possible, I’ll tell you how

Advice· Travel· Travel Related

I have been pregnant for what seems like eternity and so I haven’t taken a family vacation since 2010 and this would be prior to having my 2 year old and my little man.  Last year was a lot of trials and tribulations in the form of extenuating legal issues with regards to child custody.  So funds were limited last year on taking a family vacation.  This year with some proactive planning, some increased income due to the popularity of this blog and with a  little bit of eBay selling and master budgeting, I’m able to take a family vacation to Maui, Hawaii.

Why Maui?

I’m so excited to be taking the first mega family vacation to such a wonderful destination with all my children.  If you are not aware, I was born and raised there and moved to Texas in 2000 right after getting my bachelor’s degree from Hawaii Pacific University.  I have been “home” to Maui a few times since then but this time all of my children will be there together as well and get to visit my family rather than my family coming to visit them.

Why would a single mom travel 8 hours by plane with three children under 5 years old?

To be quite honest with you, I like the challenge.  I’m also going to write a story about it.  As a single parent, how often do you hear about your friends taking what seems to be relaxing and romantic vacations far away and your single self is left at home, pondering about how you’re going to get all the kids into the zoo and stay sane.

This is what I do.  I try it first before you do so that you can see for yourself that you can travel to great locations as a single parent.  So first things first I have a few pieces of advice before you plan on traveling.

  1. Plan your budget – Plan out how much you want to spend, increase that amount by 20% and then you have your budget.  I do this because my idea of a vacation is to relax.  If you have to penny pinch it, then you will NOT relax.  Cheap and getting a bargain is good but not if it will leave you stressed.  I always increase my budget by 20% because I want a little bit of insurance and peace of mind.
  2. If you can’t afford it, you can’t afford it – I’ve been to enough timeshare presentations to get my free Dallas Stars tickets to know that if you can’t afford it, than you shouldn’t go on that particular vacation. Oh anyone can tell you memories, education etc BUT you can get all of that at home without taking a vacation.  You might have to wait years, but I say plan first even though you see dropping last minute airfares around you.   Slow and steady wins the race and you’ll enjoy it more.  Or stay at home with a staycation or do a short road trip.  The point of a vacation is to relax and spend time with your kids.
  3. Use a travel agent – When trying to coordinate your family trip, I go with using a travel agent over planning it myself.  It came out cheaper for me and within budget than trying to price it out on so many other sites.  For my vacation I used Hawaii-Aloha.com.  I had a $5,000 budget and they were well below that with the cost of my trip coming out to about $3500.  The extra $1500 is spending money for me and for incidentals.  I have another friend who planned a trip to Hong Kong and he eventually used a travel agent.  Travel agents are knowledgeable and they have access to wholesale deals that we don’t know about.  They do the searching for you so that you don’t have to.  I like the travel agent that I’m using because their sales agents are in the US  and are home based.  I would rather support a US company and speak to someone that can understand my needs.  Also their agents are home based, so like us bloggers they have a life and make a living being able to work from home.  How cool!?!
  4. Practice,Practice,Practice – Research as much as you can and have practice drills with your kids on traveling, buckling their seats, going through security and more.  The easier and less scared they are, the easier it will be for you.  Practice everything from packing their own bag, carrying their bags, labeling etc.
  5. Be flexible and anticipate stress – learn to be flexible.  Flight delays happen, lost baggage happens, bad weather happens so you need to be flexible, patient, and grounded.  People are inevitably going to give you bad looks on the plane because you are traveling 8 hours and they are afraid your kids will cry the whole time.  Anticipate that and let it roll off of your back.  Yes toddlers will cry but you have shrug, smile and do your best to calm them down.  That’s about all you can do but don’t let it bother your vacation once you step off the plane.

I will be writing out more tips as I get closer to my trip.  One of the great things about being a blogger is being able to travel and have sponsors with you along the way.  I’ll be sharing all of that with you as we get closer and closer, so stay tuned. Mahalo!

Also, if you are a travel related company, electronics company, or family friendly business and would like to be one of the sponsors for Dallas Single Mom, please don’t hesitate in contacting me as this is a PR friendly blog.

Disclaimer: The above post may contain affiliate links, sponsored messages, and promotional consideration from sponsors. All opinions presented are 100% my own. For more information, please visit my disclosure page.

Share this:

  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Facebook
  • Email

About Heather Buen

Heather has lived in Dallas-Fort Worth for over 10 years. The quintessential multi-tasker, she splits her time with her children and navigating the city. As a single mom she has a large network of friends, family & supporters – believing in the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” You can find her on Twitter at @letsgoheather

Enter here and win!

Visit other giveaways at Dallas Single Mom {Parents} and enter to win some awesome prizes?

Disclosure

All opinions presented are 100% my own or the author’s own.  See the disclosure page for information. This blog participates in sponsored posts and features posts by guest experts.  We also receive promotional consideration to provide information, experiences and equipment on this site as a part of our business model.  TCB- Dallas Single Mom {Parents} may use affiliate links to direct visitors to the products that we personally use.

Previous Post: « The world is not changed by people who sort of care.
Next Post: Single parents: How to fit a love connection into your crazy-busy life »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. TodolistmoM says

    March 17, 2012 at 11:18 pm

    Wow! Have a great trip! Cant wait to hear the kid travel details.

    • Heather Buen says

      March 18, 2012 at 10:26 am

      Thank you! I think what’s great is with Twitter, I just search for the word Maui and a ton of places and people with ideas for events and activities come up. I never thought to use Twitter for that, but it’s been a good start. I found a grocery delivery service.

Trackbacks

  1. My family vacation to Maui is booked! Single mom travel is possible … | Maui Hawaii Vacation Rentals says:
    March 20, 2012 at 8:29 am

    […] this article: My family vacation to Maui is booked! Single mom travel is possible … This entry was posted in Ideas & Tips and tagged get-closer, income-due, little-bit, […]

Primary Sidebar



Ask Dallas Single Mom – Useful Advice for Everyday Living

Want Good Stuff in the Email? Join Us

Teia Follow

Good Life Advocate. Award-winning Wordsmith. Founder. Optimist. The Daily Adventure, preferably in motion. President @TXAutoWriters. Trustee @MesquiteISDtx.

TeiaBCollier
teiabcollier Teia @teiabcollier ·
4h

This sentiment. ❤️

Rebelle Rally @rebellerally

If you want something you've never had, do something you've never done.

Photo Tim Sutton #rebellerally #offroad #adventuretime

Reply on Twitter 1558098352889372672 Retweet on Twitter 1558098352889372672 Like on Twitter 1558098352889372672 2 Twitter 1558098352889372672
Retweet on Twitter Teia Retweeted
mesquiteisdtx Mesquite ISD @mesquiteisdtx ·
19h

This is your daily reminder that your DIGNITY is a given.
We promise.

#OwnYourWorth
#MesquitePromise
#YouBelongInMesquite

🔗 http://www.mesquitepromise.com
➡️ @letmisd

Reply on Twitter 1557872268503666690 Retweet on Twitter 1557872268503666690 4 Like on Twitter 1557872268503666690 11 Twitter 1557872268503666690
Retweet on Twitter Teia Retweeted
ford Ford Motor Company @ford ·
11 Aug

Over a half century ago, the Ford BRONCO® SUV broke new ground by carrying people off-road and into the wild. Now, rediscover adventure with the 2023 BRONCO® Heritage Edition lineup featuring heritage styling & modern capability 🐴💪

Reply on Twitter 1557750038096478210 Retweet on Twitter 1557750038096478210 96 Like on Twitter 1557750038096478210 730 Twitter 1557750038096478210
Retweet on Twitter Teia Retweeted
marshawright Real Marsha Wright® @marshawright ·
8h

Truth is more of a stranger than fiction. -Mark Twain
#wisdom

Reply on Twitter 1558045983786864640 Retweet on Twitter 1558045983786864640 4 Like on Twitter 1558045983786864640 7 Twitter 1558045983786864640
Load More

Car Conversations with Teia

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

TheSmartWallet.com

Dallas Single Mom Brand Partnerships and Blogger Networks

Media Leaders Influencer Network

See a complete list here!

About Teia

 

Credit: Becky Branch Photography

Teia Blackshear Collier is the mother of three and the Publisher and Lead Storyteller at Dallas Single Mom by Teia Collier Brands. A seasoned social and automotive journalist, she shares her adventures and offers ways for Dallas’ single parents to lead their best lives now through education, encouragement, inspiration and active civic engagement despite life transitions.  With a background in education, civic service, corporate wellness, private lifestyle management, and fundraising, Teia connects parents to the products, services, and resources to enable them to live their best lives now as parents, community members and individuals capable of great good.

Connect with Teia!

 

Dallas Single Mom {Parents) by Teia Collier is the premier Dallas-based automotive and lifestyle guide with accompanying on-demand concierge resource service whose purpose is to inspire, encourage and support single parents choosing to live their best lives now.

 

Teia Collier Brands, Dallas Single Mom, their subsidiaries and contributing staff are participants in a variety of affiliate advertising and marketing program designed to provide a means for us to earn supplementary income.

Footer

Company Information

  • Mission Statement
  • Contact Me
    • Submit Your Events
    • Advertising and Sponsorships
  • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Social Media Policy
    • Disclosure
    • Giveaway Terms & Conditions
  • *******
  • FAQ
  • Blog Networks I work With

Follow the Journey on Instagram

Copyright © 2022 · beloved theme by Restored 316