Sonja Prokopec took her son on their first “solo” journey collectively when he was six years previous.
They went to Rome, and it was so memorable that Prokopec mentioned she’s now planning their second journey this summer season.
“I really enjoy one-on-one time which we have when travelling alone,” she mentioned. “There are no distractions, no arguments among the siblings, time spent together is of high quality… My son still talks about our time in Rome and can’t wait for [our] London trip this June.”
Prokopec and her husband have three youngsters — her son who’s now 10, plus two youthful daughters. They journey collectively, however time away with only one little one and one father or mother has perks that household journeys do not usually present, she mentioned.
“Travelling with only one child allows you to focus on the needs of only that child,” she mentioned. “Also, as I am not stretched from managing different demands, I feel like I am a better parent — more patient, more playful and more in the moment.”
Plus, “my son loves all the attention and loves that we get to explore together, just the two of us,” she mentioned.
Prokopec’s husband — who “always insisted on doing things together, including travelling” — is now a proponent too, she mentioned.
“My husband has also taken my son alone to Turkey and really loved it … even he sees the value in it,” she instructed CNBC Journey.
Serbian Sonja Prokopec and her son, Laith, on their journey to Rome.
Supply: Sonja Prokopec
Prokopec hasn’t taken solo journeys together with her two youngest youngsters, largely due to Covid-19, she mentioned. However that will quickly change.
“I will definitely do more,” she mentioned.
A rising development
The posh journey firm Scott Dunn named “parent-child bonding holidays” one among 2023’s prime journey developments.
Mom-and-daughter journeys specifically are on the rise, although father-and-child journeys are additionally rising in popularity, based on the corporate.
“Parent-child duos often pick destinations and include experiences based on their mutual interests,” mentioned Scott Dunn’s Basic Supervisor Mike Harlow.
Scott Dunn’s Mike Harlow recommends Norway (proven right here) for climbing and biking, Finland to see the Northern Lights and Africa, which has been common with mother and father touring with youngsters. For extra budget-friendly choices, he beneficial Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand or Sri Lanka.
Nadezhda1906 | Istock | Getty Photographs
Harlow mentioned his firm not too long ago helped a father-son duo guide a visit to Cambodia that targeted on the nation’s historical past and nationwide parks.
“We also had a mother-daughter duo who headed to South Korea for a trip themed around K- dramas and K-pop, while another mother-son duo travelled to India to do the classic Golden Triangle together,” he mentioned.
Elephants and ‘jungle bubbles’
Final yr, I made a decision to guide my very own mother-daughter journey with my oldest little one. (To fulfill cries of injustice from her youthful siblings, I promised everybody a “solo” journey at their tenth birthday, too.)
To resolve the place to go, I requested my daughter a collection of straightforward questions: seashore or mountains, chilly or heat climate, animals or journey sports activities?
Primarily based on her solutions, I introduced her with just a few concepts. She selected the Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort, outdoors of Chiang Rai, Thailand. We booked a number of nights in the principle resort, and one night time within the resort’s “Jungle Bubble” — a spherical tent with a king-sized mattress and loo that overlooks a part of the resort’s 168-acre space the place its elephants can roam.
By day, we walked with the elephants via the fields and watched them bathe in a river alongside the Myanmar border. We ready meals for the elephants and fed them, however we didn’t journey them, a follow that’s neither allowed by the resort nor condoned by animal rights supporters.
Within the evenings, we swam within the resort’s pool and held a “spa night” in our room, with facial masks from house and bathtub salts and lotions from the resort. At night time, we sat outdoors and appeared on the stars.
Friends at Anantara’s Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort can put together “power balls” made from bananas, rice bran, sunflower seeds, sticky rice, tamarind and salt to feed to the elephants.
Supply: Monica Pitrelli
One morning, I urged we guide a cooking class. However my daughter was adamant about attempting Muay Thai boxing as an alternative. Resisting the urge to inform her she would not prefer it (learn: I would not prefer it), I booked a session. She liked each minute.
As for me, I cherished having a lot time with my daughter, with out having to are inclined to others’ wants. I discovered myself telling her tales from the previous — my very own and my husband’s — just because, with out competing voices round, I may.
Anantara’s Golden Triangle Elephant Resort & Camp at the moment has 20 elephants, together with a mom and child pair. The resort mentioned they don’t purchase the elephants, and driving them is forbidden.
Supply: Monica Pitrelli
The time additionally afforded many teachable moments — classes that had lengthy wanted to be taught. Whereas resting in our room at some point, I all of a sudden remembered that we would have liked to position lunch orders for my daughter’s subsequent faculty time period.
“Mom,” she mentioned, wanting up from her guide. “We can do that when we get home.”
As a bonus, my husband reported having an exquisite time at house with my different youngsters — having fun with their very own particular moments as a trio, with out the issues that may include a household of 5.
Reminiscences that final ‘eternally’
California native Madeline Austin additionally grew up with 5 folks in her household. She mentioned she vividly remembers the journeys she took as a baby together with her mom and grandmother.
The journeys “centered around something they knew I was interested in. For example, I did a report on Yellowstone National Park in elementary school and became obsessed with the geysers, so they took me on a long weekend trip to visit and see them in real life,” she mentioned.
A current picture of Madeline Austin and her mom earlier than they went to the Hollywood Bowl, a dwell music venue in Los Angeles, California.
Supply: Madeline Austin
Austin mentioned her household did not journey usually, so it felt “incredibly special” to take journeys together with her mother.
“She was invested in my interests, and the undivided attention I received from her that weekend — especially as the forgotten middle child — was truly special and something I’ll remember forever,” she mentioned.
She recalled holding palms together with her mother and watching a geyser erupt. “I also remember leaving the park tired from walking, getting dinner together and being able to order soda — which we didn’t usually have at home!”
Austin, 27, is not a father or mother but, however she mentioned she would proceed the custom together with her personal youngsters at some point.
“It’s such a special time to connect one-on-one with your child in a way that you can’t replicate at home.”
