14 Sep Why Fiji is fab for a solo parent holiday

When you’re considering the big step of taking your first solo trip with your children, there’s a few considerations that will run through your mind (apart from ‘omg am I crazy?!’):

• The degree of difficulty of travelling alone with your kids – and whether you’re up for it.
• Whether the reward of resort life will outweigh the challenge of getting there.
• Choosing a resort that will deliver both family fun and easy kid-free time. After all, mummy deserves a little alone time and a couple of pool-side cocktails.

I can promise you that travelling solo with kids is not as difficult as it may seem when you’re staring down the fear getting your family from your house to a hotel in another country! Your first time at anything is usually scary, since you’re facing the unknown. Success is all about planning – from getting to the airport, checking in, working out what to take on the plane and making sure that as much as possible is organised at the other end – like transfers to the hotel or knowing where to grab a taxi at the airport instead (which is always quite a bit cheaper).

After you’ve achieved your first solo holiday you can consider yourself a super mum traveler and start heading off on more challenging adventures. But you have to take that first big step and jump in and do it.

For solo parents – whether single or traveling without your partner/husband – Fiji has to be the number one destination for a stress-free, relaxed and fun family trip. It really is the perfect choice for that first trip alone with the kids. Here’s why:

It’s close to Australia.

With a flying time of around 3.5 hours from the east coast it’s a quick trip across the Pacific. And the flights are full of families so there’s no need to worry about your kids disrupting business or other travelers, everyone’s in the same boat (or plane). Hotels offer transfers, making the ‘connection to the hotel super simple. For a sample list of what to take on the plane see my previous Asking Mums blog.

There are great hotels close to the airport.

Denarau Island is only 20 minutes in a taxi (or via hotel transfer) and is home to a clutch of gorgeous four star resorts, connected by a beachfront walkway. So if you’re not keen on further travel once you land this is the place for you, especially if you have younger children. Don’t worry about it being close to the airport, you won’t notice. The only downside is it doesn’t have crystal clear beaches, but if you’re happy with lazing by the pool then that’s all you need. We have stayed twice at the Radisson Blu Denarau and it was all that I could ask for. An excellent child’s pool with shade cloth, waterslide and lagoon features so kids can wade in or play in the sand, a fabulous Kids Club with lots of fun outdoor activities and the best evening fire-lighting ceremony we’ve seen, an adult pool and four restaurants. It makes for a simple, enjoyable, stress-free holiday.

It’s totally kid friendly.

Most Fijian resorts are family-friendly and have dedicated Kids Club, kids’ pools and adult only pools. Most hotels are set up to help out with kids so you can also have some alone time and relax. You can pop the kids into Kids Club for the morning or afternoon session and spend a few hours with them, and a few hours without. And there’s heaps of other kids there too so they’re bound to make friends. If your child is too young for Kids Club you can hire a nanny (from $4 upwards per hour depending on where you’re staying) to accompany them.

It’s affordable.

There’s options for all kinds of holidays – from expensive with fancy rooms and your own pool, to family focused resorts that include food and beverage packages. There are usually specials too – like kids eating free or extra nights thrown in. Whatever your budget, you can find a hotel.

The weather is great.

Occasionally you may get a rainy or windy day but sometimes it’s nice to get a break from the sun. The weather is generally fine in Fiji, and we just travelled during the low season – when it’s supposed to be super rainy and had a brilliant time in the sun.

It’s easy and rewarding.

With easy travel, organised transfers, Kids Clubs, beautiful Fijian people, swimming pools, restaurants, beaches, activities, sunshine and cocktails you’re almost guaranteed the reward will massively outweigh the risk of taking off on your own with the kids.

I have to admit I am a bit of a Fiji fanatic because Emmie and I have always had such amazing holidays there. We’ve been to Fiji five times from when Emmie was four months old to five years old – staying at different resorts – and each holiday has been wonderful. Now she is five we’re starting on more adventurous trips but as soon as I need some downtime where everything is easy and we both have a ball, we’ll be back to Fiji.

So what are you waiting for? Give it a shot. And if you need any help or tips please leave your questions in the comments – I’m happy to help.

About the Author

Evie Farrell is a single mother who travels the world with her five year old daughter Emmie. In 2016 they are hitting the road for a year’s travel through South East Asia. Follow them on instagram at mumpacktravel and at MumPackTravel.com.au

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