Sonja Prokopec took her son on their first “solo” journey collectively when he was six years outdated.
They went to Rome, and it was so memorable that Prokopec mentioned she’s now planning their second journey this summer time.
“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 baby and one father or mother has perks that household journeys do not typically 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, principally due to Covid-19, she mentioned. However which will quickly change.
“I will definitely do more,” she mentioned.
A rising pattern
The luxurious journey firm Scott Dunn named “parent-child bonding holidays” one among 2023’s prime journey traits.
Mom-and-daughter journeys particularly are on the rise, although father-and-child journeys are additionally rising in popularity, in accordance with the corporate.
“Parent-child duos often pick destinations and include experiences based on their mutual interests,” mentioned Scott Dunn’s Normal Supervisor Mike Harlow.
Scott Dunn’s Mike Harlow recommends Norway (proven right here) for mountain climbing and biking, Finland to see the Northern Lights and Africa, which has been fashionable with mother and father touring with youngsters. For extra budget-friendly choices, he really useful Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand or Sri Lanka.
Nadezhda1906 | Istock | Getty Photographs
Harlow mentioned his firm just lately helped a father-son duo ebook 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 ebook my very own mother-daughter journey with my oldest baby. (To fulfill cries of injustice from her youthful siblings, I promised everybody a “solo” journey at their tenth birthday, too.)
To determine 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 primary lodge, and one evening within the lodge’s “Jungle Bubble” — a spherical tent with a king-sized mattress and loo that overlooks a part of the lodge’s 168-acre space the place its elephants can roam.
By day, we walked with the elephants by 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 experience them, a observe that’s neither allowed by the lodge nor condoned by animal rights supporters.
Within the evenings, we swam within the lodge’s pool and held a “spa night” in our room, with facial masks from dwelling and bathtub salts and lotions from the lodge. At evening, we sat outdoors and appeared on the stars.
Company at Anantara’s Golden Triangle Elephant Camp & Resort can put together “power balls” manufactured from bananas, rice bran, sunflower seeds, sticky rice, tamarind and salt to feed to the elephants.
Supply: Monica Pitrelli
One morning, I urged we ebook a cooking class. However my daughter was adamant about making an attempt Muay Thai boxing as a substitute. Resisting the urge to inform her she would not prefer it (learn: I would not prefer it), I booked a session. She beloved 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 might.
Anantara’s Golden Triangle Elephant Resort & Camp at present has 20 elephants, together with a mom and child pair. The lodge 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 in the future, I immediately remembered that we wanted to position lunch orders for my daughter’s subsequent college time period.
“Mom,” she mentioned, wanting up from her ebook. “We can do that when we get home.”
As a bonus, my husband reported having an exquisite time at dwelling with my different youngsters — having fun with their very own particular moments as a trio, with out the problems that may include a household of 5.
Reminiscences that final ‘eternally’
California native Madeline Austin additionally grew up with 5 individuals in her household. She mentioned she vividly remembers the journeys she took as a toddler 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 photograph 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 typically, 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 arms 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 in the future.
“It’s such a special time to connect one-on-one with your child in a way that you can’t replicate at home.”