Single parents can take heart that they're not the only ones feeling left out by how the industry applies its 'family deals' formula. But there are other options.
IF YOU'RE an average Australian family of two adults and two children, things are relatively simple when it comes to booking travel.
However, if you're a single-parent family, a large clan or any other type of family grouping, finding a holiday deal can be a frustrating exercise.
Families who find themselves one adult short or one child too many can see the advertised price of a holiday nearly double when surcharges or extra hotel rooms are added to the quote.
And with policies varying from operator to operator, it can take hours of searching through the fine print and booking conditions to find a deal that fits.
A single mother who asks not to be named says she believes single-parent families are ignored and even discriminated against by the travel industry.
"It's very frustrating to be tempted by all these kids fly/eat/stay free offers and start imagining myself relaxing by the pool as my two sons happily frolic in the pool ... just to find the offer is based on two adults," she says.
"To purchase these offers as a single parent, there is up to a 75 per cent singles' surcharge. Doesn't the tourist market understand that the mum, dad and two-kid model is probably outdated?
"I can't believe I am the only single parent in Australia who wants to travel with my family and receive the same discounts as other families."
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show one-parent families account for one-fifth of Australian families with children aged 0-17.
The vast majority of offers advertised to families are based on two adults and up to two children, with deals such as "kids stay free" and "kids eat free" based on one paying adult per child.
Family travel specialist Leah Squire, from BYOkids, says she gets her "fair share of letters" from single parents complaining about the perceived bias of deals.
However, Squire says people need to understand that a room has to be paid for, regardless of the age of the occupants.
"When they [travel companies] price rooms as twin share, they effectively just break the cost of that room into two," she says. "No one will ever discount the room for single people; unfortunately, I can't see that ever happening.
"They can sell that room to somebody else for the full amount." The managing director of Travel with Kidz, Wendy Buckley, believes the issue is about the way deals are marketed, rather than an actual failure to cater for families that don't fit the two-plus-two mould.
"They're a marketing ploy, those kids-stay-free deals," she says. "You don't actually get anything free. The kids are just using existing bedding ... the room still has to be paid for.
"[Single parents] are truly not being discriminated against."
Buckley says there is now a huge market in blended families, in which there are often more than two children and children of widely varied ages. Larger families often complain about having to pay for a second room, especially if one of the children is an infant, but again it is a matter of practicality rather than bias.
Buckley says fire ratings determine the maximum number of people per room and hotels have no option but to comply. "They're not just being difficult," she says.
Buckley believes advertised packages rarely suit any family, even those who fit the two-plus-two model.
When you take into account a family's travel dates, accommodation preferences, interests and special needs, the package deal often gets thrown out the window.
"Advertising agencies are there to stimulate the market and that's what they do but they market to the masses - the deals are not applicable to the majority of the market," she says.
Buckley and Squire say there are many options that don't fit the two-plus-two mould; it's just a case of knowing where to look.
For example, many hotels will provide a second room at 50 per cent off and some will allow more than one child to dine free with a single adult.
Destinations such as Fiji and Bali tend to have a good choice of apartment-style accommodation that will accommodate larger families and some properties will allow an infant to stay along with the maximum number of children.
"It's not a one-size-fits-all arrangement," Squire says. "People need to ask for pricing and options."
If you don't want to go solo
SINGLE parents who want some adult company on holidays can tap into trips run by BYOkids (byokids.com.au). Director Leah Squire says the company only uses hotels with kids' clubs, so single parents can get a break and participants can do as much or as little with the group as they choose. Some opt to spend most of their time with others, while some just want company at mealtimes. Previous destinations have included Fiji and the Gold Coast. This year is likely to include a ski holiday.
jane@janeefraser.com.au
