My son is 14, and I also happen to be a single mom, and we travel quite extensively. But that wasn't always the case, and our trips have changed a lot over the years.
When he was really little, due to both his age and financial limitations, we tended to take shorter/weekend trips that were within a couple hours driving distance from where we lived (Nashville, Chattanooga, Gulf Shores), and we would visit places like the beach, aquariums, zoos, etc.
Our first real "vacation" away from home that also happened to include a plane ride was actually to New Braunfels. We have family friends with a house right on the river. My son was almost 18 months, and to be honest, I was a nervous wreck the whole time, trying to keep an eye on him. Our other plane trips were to Houston to visit family.
Once he reached 3-6 (and his dad and I had separated), I started taking him on trips by myself. Our first four trips were to Gulf Shores and Disney World. Both of these places were destinations I had traveled to frequently with my family when I was growing up, so I felt totally comfortable taking him. These trips were definitely easier because he was potty trained (I refused to go to Disney before that happened). Air travel was limited to flights <2 hours in length.
There is something really special about taking a 4-5 year old to Disney for the first time. I have very fond memories of my childhood visits, and the memory of my son seeing the Magic Kingdom for the first time still makes me a little misty-eyed.
When we first moved to TX, we focused mostly on TX trips - visiting friends and family in Austin, New Braunfels, San Antonio, etc, although, we did do the third trip to Disney after moving here.
Once we were finally settled here and I had some financial stability, we started taking two trips a year. Since 2013, we've done the following:
- three Disney cruises (two out of Galveston) - as an only child my son LOVES these
- a trip to the Grand Canyon
- one trip to Florida to visit Universal/Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Kennedy Space Center
- a trip to NYC
- a trip to Disneyland
- two international trips, one to Germany and another to Italy (both with Adventures by Disney, although, we did spend a few days in Rome on our own)
- two trips to Hawaii, with a stop in San Diego on the second trip
- a guided hiking/camping tour to Havasu Falls in Arizona
This summer we are going to Jasper, Banff, and Lake Louise.
The older he's gotten, the more adventurous/outdoorsy our vacations have become. We do a lot of hiking, zip-lining, snorkeling, etc. I let him help choose what activities we do.
My son was 10 1/2 on our first international trip, which was a great age to have that "first". I wouldn't have wanted to take him any younger.
The guided tours are a luxury, but since it's just the two of us, I can afford to splurge a little (and travel is what I work/save for).
We have a long list of places we still want to go - Alaska, Yellowstone, France/Normandy, Japan, and Australia, just to name a few. Sadly, as he approaches high school, our travel time is becoming more limited, and I realize I'm quickly running out of time with him.
We are also not big gift-givers. My son has everything he needs, and I don't want to clutter our house up with junk. His birthday is also just 5 days before Christmas, and he is with his dad for Christmas Day every other year. So, instead of giving a lot of gifts, we travel. My son knows that the trips we take are his gifts.
We have made some amazing memories over the years, and my plan is to make even more. We have custom picture albums from several of our trips, and had professional family photos made on the beach in Maui.
Travel is so much fun with him, especially now that he is older. I enjoy planning them, and look forward to them all throughout the year.