Christmas can be particularly tough for single parent families emotionally, as well as financially. The idea of taking a break on top of all that Christmas extravagance may seem mad, but it can be a way to keep sane during the long, dark winter months.

The cheapest time to go is usually just before Christmas, when a lot of operators are offering rock bottom prices. Last year I went to Gran Canaria with my 15 year old arriving back in the UK on the 23rd. It was heavenly. We missed a few parties but that was easily compensated for by having daylight for more than a few hours a day, and being able to swim for hours in the open air. That sunny boost made January and February more bearable than usual.

One of the major problems faced by single parent families is money, or lack of it. Single mothers are rarely as well off as married ones plus we, like single fathers, are faced by single room supplements. Here are some of the best websites which offer company and support for lone parents and children, and keep costs down.

Christmas

1. One Parent Family Holidays is a non-profitmaking organisation with decades of experience creating holidays for all age groups, the common factor being that a single parent is involved. Even if you don’t book through them, the information on their website is invaluable – such as the £8 National Express Family 1plus1 coachcard which gives free travel for one child when one adult pays.

2. Mango, for single parent holidays, works on the basis that if single parent families eat together and play together, the parents will be more relaxed and the children will have more fun. Among their offerings is this Christmas break in Devon which has been successfully tried and tested over a number of years.

3. Single Parents Travel Club is run by its members who arrange group holidays throughout the year and throughout the UK and Europe. You must join to find out more.

4. Just me and the Kids searches out good deals, transport links from buses and trains and help with luggage. Here are some of their special offers and the site also lists free, or at least reasonably priced, walks and days out - particularly in the north of England. The prices are good although these are not package holidays so much as lovely places to stay – in other words a single parent would probably need to persuade friends or family to come along for company and support.

5. Small families has a transparent charging system, low costs, family-friendly places, adult company plus a holiday rep with you all the way. The prices are not rock bottom, but they are reasonable for what they are offering and, for Christmas, that includes two trips to Lapland.

6. Single Parent Holidays also sends a rep on all its trips but keeps its prices in line with regular holidays. Next year’s offerings include snow fun in Austria over half term.

7. Gingerbread have discounts through Eurocamp although, as I’ve said before, Eurocamp’s offer to help lone parents to unpack seems pretty redundant. A bottle of champagne would be infinitely more helpful.

8. The Youth Hostel Association has some great locations and does discounts for single parents. It also has special offers including several Christmas breaks such as staying in Oxford (very central, nice building right beside the railway station) for £16.50 per head B&B, which includes a glass of mulled wine.

Summer

If a winter break is out of the question, we single parents can cheer ourselves up by booking far ahead and picking up a summer holiday from some advance cracking deals on offer from other specialist solo-parent sites.

1. Acorn is a camping organisation set up with single families in mind – all sorts of families in fact. And that’s the point. A good holiday is almost guaranteed by communal camping, sailing, zip-wiring, canyoning, fencing, land yachting and almost any other sport you care to name. Even without the sport, I’ve always found single parent holidays far more fun in a group than solo. Looking through Acorn’s resorts I particularly liked the look of Narbonne where the sporting activities are matched by an equal number of exciting cultural possibilities from fortified towns to a Salvador Dali museum.

2. Holiday Endeavour for Lone Parents also has some great discounts for single parent families in camps around the country (but nothing during the winter).

Finally, for anyone who simply cannot afford any kind of family holiday, or for families willing to help give others a family holiday, this is the organisation to contact: The Family Holiday Association. It has been supported by my Times colleague Libby Purves and has helped many people over many years who would otherwise never get a break.

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