One major effect of divorce is the decline in spending power.
Holidays in foreign lands may have become rarer as the purse strings are tightened which means that a day at London Zoo may feel like an evening at the Opera when you have to consider transport, lunch and entrance tickets.
But that doesn’t mean that an outing is out of the question and simply impossible. There are actually plenty of things you can do in and around London that will cost you next to nothing or the price of a bus ticket.
Of course you will need lunch which you can always take from home along with some water – much cheaper than stopping on the way to buy sandwiches and fruit.
Well, here we go – almost free staycation ideas for single parents: most of them are about London as that’s where I live and know but I’m sure most major cities have similar opportunities.
- House sit for a friend: This can be fun even if it’s in your neighbourhood. You know the old saying – a change is as good as a holiday. I’ve tried it and loved it. The positives were I knew where everything was in terms of shops and restaurants yet I really didn’t because they weren’t my usual hangouts but places I had driven past several times. While in the house, discovering where the plates, spoons etc were made it feel like I was holidaying in some apartment somewhere else in the world. I have to say that the fact that my friend’s apartment is simply gorgeous helped plenty!
- Discover a new neighbourhood: If you live in a city as huge and spread out as London is, then I can bet you, no matter how long you’ve lived in here, there are areas that you have not been to. Pick a borough or area, narrow it down to a particular neighbourhood and plan your journey from start to finish. Go by bus if you can as this allows you to see much more as you travel.
- Discover a new park or outdoor area: There are 8 Royal Parks in London and ample more outdoor areas including
Source – http://www.timeout.com/london/things-to-do/free-family-events-at-westminster-abbey commons, heaths and forests. Pick one, heck, pick two, pack a lunch, walking shoes and go explore or just take your picnic rug and go sit and enjoy the view, people and various free events that are being held there.
- London Free events: One of the most fab things about living in a major city is the availability of great free summer events for children – indoor and outdoor. These include venues such as SouthBank, Westminster Abbey, Hackney City Farm and other London Farms.
- Take a nice long walk along the closest river or body of water to you and enjoy a home prepared picnic while watching the ripples on the water and listening to others around you or just to the birds and nature.
- Explore a cultural community or festival in and around your area – Visit China Town, The London Irish Centre and on the 24th and 25th August attend the Notting Hill Carnival followed by the London Mela on the 31st of the same month.
So enjoying a staycation in your city doesn’t have to be long and boring or cost an arm and a leg.
Whatever you choose to do – enjoy to the fullest!
Soila is the founder of The Divorce Magazine and creator of the online course – Helping Children Cope with Divorce
She is known for taking away the pain of trauma and loss in children, adolescents and their families and is the author of “When Love is Broken. A read-together book for children and parents going through divorce and separation.
Soila holds an MSc in Psychoanalytic Developmental Psychology from UCL (University College London), is an accredited Positive Parenting Program (Triple P) practitioner and a trained Family Mediator.
Soila is Graduate Member of the British Psychological Society.
You can contact her on 07850 85 60 66 or via email soila@thedivorcemagazine.co.uk
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