Sometimes when single parents travel, it can be an isolating experience. The children tend to meet other children on the road, but their parents are left babysitting and with no one to talk to.

Newsweek recently profiled some organizations that cater to single parents by offering childcare and even discounts. Through Single Parent Travel, for example, Lisa Gentile, who was interviewed by the magazine, went on an all-inclusive trip with two dozen other single-parent families.

Lisa and (daughter) Claudia spent most days chatting and playing on the beach with other families, then meeting up again at night for dinner, a stroll or a variety show. They befriended a mother-daughter pair from their home state and have stayed in touch ever since. “The best part is the company,” says Gentile. “You’re meeting people you have something in common with, and their reason for being there is the same as yours.”

...A number of companies are taking steps to make single parents feel more welcome. Breezes resorts (breezes.com) in Curaçao and the Dominican Republic waive their single supplement from May through late December for one adult traveling with kids, and some Beaches resorts (beaches.com) offer single parent weeks, with discounts and activities that allow families to socialize with one another. In July, the Offshore Sailing School in Ft. Myers Beach, Fla., is hosting a weeklong class with special rates for single adults with kids (offshore-sailing.com; $2,893 for one parent and one child, July 13–18). For general advice, singleparenttravel.net publishes a monthly newsletter that includes travel specials and destination ideas. Gentile’s main tip is to just go for it. “You deserve a vacation and to have a good time with your child,” she says. “Don’t worry about what anyone else is thinking.”

Sounds good. How do you single moms decompress on the holiday? How do you decompress period?