Being adventurous with your children
Being adventurous with your children
The summer holidays are not that far away and you may be wondering how you’re going to fill the time with your little ones … and even big ones!
Tonbridge resident Nuran Honakhande would encourage you to go on an adventure! She writes the blog Grow Adventurously which is all about travelling as a solo parent with kids. She is married and has two children aged 14 and 11 but she has been solo travelling for years.
Q: Tell us about your blog please Nuran
A: My blog, Grow Adventurously, is about inspiring mums to embark on solo adventures with their children. I share adventure and travel tips and thoughtfully crafted itineraries. I want mums to experience these adventures, make wonderful memories and grow adventurously with their children.
My children and I have been to Wales and Scotland and in 2023, the Italian Dolomites. Activities we’ve done including hiking, camping and climbing and on my website there are helpful checklists for all of that. In Italy we did our first multi-day hike, going from hut to hut and there’s advice on that too.
I want to show mums that you can do it! And it’s a wonderful way to share experiences with your children.
Q: What prompted you to start the blog?
A: I had questions from lots of friends and other people asking how I did it. How did I approach long-distance driving? How do I manage without my husband there? So, I give advice on all of this.
I enjoy it so much! I would love other mums to experience it too. It’s such special bonding time with children.
Q: What’s been your favourite solo parenting trip?
A: It has to be our trip to the Italian Dolomites. It was a five-day hut to hut hike. We had been to remote places in Scotland and Wales but this was a new type of adventure.
I researched the route well in advance. There were 25 potential hikes and I chose one that was 60km of hiking over five days with an elevation of 3000m.
Hut to hut hikes are great as you have less to pack – the huts provide breakfast and dinner and can supply you with a packed lunch too. In the huts you meet people from all over the world, delicious food is cooked for you and you can choose from a private bedroom or a dorm.
The hiking is wonderful – solitude, views, time with the children and we saw some new animals: chamois and ibex.
It was challenging but exciting, despite the items we forgot to bring – phone charger, walking poles and gloves (it was pretty chilly in the morning!)
Q: What do you think are the biggest challenges to solo parenting travels and how do you recommend overcoming them?
A: OK. Here are three challenges that people tell me put them off.
- Driving – not everyone enjoys driving on motorways or drives on motorways at all. You could have extra lessons but really it’s mind over matter. Practice on short journeys locally to build up confidence.
- Solo-parenting – some mums are daunted by parenting on their own. Meltdowns and tantrums need emotional support and then there’s kids arguing. It can be tricky to manage that when you’re driving. It can be dangerous. My tips would be
- Snacks – pack their favourite snacks and some surprise snacks that they’re not expecting. Do be careful with your choice of snacks regarding choking, though.
- Listen to audio books, they keep us entertained. Whatever you think will engage them and distract them.
- Music – radio is good as there’s chat and music.
- I buy each child a new magazine for the journey.
- If you have young children, they may well fall asleep. Make the most of that.
- Encourage them to just look out of the window and take in the sights! New scenery, buildings – it can be mesmerising!
Anywhere else, if there’s a tantrum or meltdown, just handle it as you would at home.
- The third challenge is that people think solo parenting adventures have to be a huge trip involving climbing, hiking and the like but it can be just going to a new park on your own or visiting far-away family.
The important factor is that you do it on your own; you’re not waiting for a spouse or a friend to help you out. Just try it and whether you like it or not, it’s an experience!
Q: What are your top three tips for solo travelling with children?
A: Decide that you’re going to do it and be excited! You don’t have to have everything planned out. I go on 5-7 week long trips and I have a list of what we want to see, the big milestones of the trip but I only plan them the day before. I really try to just go with the flow.
And then with regard to driving long distances, just think about the day one drive, the first journey. And then go on from there. There may be ‘bumps in the road’ that crop up – children who can only sit still in the car for two hours or car troubles or you might just need a day of rest and a shorter drive one day. Don’t be too rigid around your plans. Sometimes things happen on these ‘off-plan’ days which are just as memorable, if not more!
Thank you Nuran! I really admire you. Nuran told me that she doesn’t have a trip planned this summer due to other commitments but that she has some fun trips planned for the future including another one for north Wales.
