Single Parent Holidays: Discounts That Actually Exist
Which UK holiday companies really discount single parent holidays, what each offer says on its own page this October, plus the charities and the paperwork.
By Gemma Hayes 15 October 2026
Only a handful of UK holiday companies run a genuine single parent discount, and it’s a modest one. In October 2026, Jet2holidays offers £60 (~$80) off with a code and First Choice puts £100 (~$135) off a selection of single parent deals. Butlin’s has no code at all: its single parent page points you to cheaper term-time breaks and smaller rooms. The biggest savings come from the charities. Care for the Family subsidises its Take A Break holidays, and the Family Holiday Charity funds breaks for families who are referred to it. Whatever you book abroad, you’ll need written permission from anyone else with parental responsibility.
That’s the short version. Below is what each offer actually says, the terms I could and couldn’t see, and the bits of paperwork that catch single parents out at the airport.
The offers, checked in October 2026
I read each company’s own single parent page on 15 October 2026 and included only what was visible on it that day. Offers change, so treat this as a starting point and check the terms at checkout.
| Company | What’s on offer | What the page does and doesn’t tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Jet2holidays | £60 (~$80) off with code J2HSPF60 | “Can be used alongside our sale discounts”. Under-twos go free. Eligibility and dates aren’t stated on the page. |
| First Choice | £100 (~$135) off a selection of single parent deals | “All these deals have £100* off”. The terms behind the asterisk weren’t shown on the page. |
| Butlin’s | No discount code | Points single parents to term-time breaks, smaller “value rooms” and apartments, and deposits from £5 (~$7) per person. |
| Single Parents on Holiday | Group holidays where every family is a one-parent family | A team member stays at the hotel all week. Prices are listed per trip, not as a discount. |
| Care for the Family (Take A Break) | Charity-subsidised activity holidays | Set prices for one adult with one, two or three-plus children, and lower bursary prices for families on Universal Credit. |
| Family Holiday Charity | Funded holidays | You need a referral from a professional, such as a teacher or support worker. |
Two big names are missing on purpose. TUI’s and easyJet holidays’ single parent pages wouldn’t open for me when I checked, so I couldn’t see their current terms. First Choice says on its own page that it’s part of the TUI group, so look at both before booking either.
Jet2holidays: the code that stacks
Jet2holidays’ single parent page gives a £60 single parent discount with the code J2HSPF60, and says it “can be used alongside our sale discounts”. That’s the useful part. A discount that stacks with a sale is worth more than a bigger one that doesn’t.
The same page says “Little ones under two go free”, and it advertises free child places, with terms that apply. Its packages include flights, 22kg of luggage and hotel transfers. On a single parent trip that matters, because you’re the one carrying everything from the plane to the coach.
What the page doesn’t say is who counts as a single parent for the code, or which dates it covers. Put the code in before you pay and check that the price actually drops. If it doesn’t, ring and ask before you book.
First Choice: £100 off, on the deals it chooses
First Choice’s single parent holidays page is headed “£100 off single parent holidays”. It says “All these deals have £100* off on us”. So this is a list of holidays already reduced, not a code you can use on anything.
The terms behind that asterisk weren’t on the page I read. Before you get attached to a hotel, check what the price was before the £100 came off. Then compare the same hotel and dates with the ordinary search. A discount is only a saving if the starting price was fair.
Butlin’s: no code, but term time does the work
Butlin’s single parent page doesn’t offer a discount. Instead it steers single parents towards:
- Showtime Term-time Breaks and Justin Fletcher Tots Breaks, with a “quieter resort atmosphere, perfect for families with under-fives”.
- Smaller accommodation: “value rooms designed for smaller families” and apartments.
- A deposit from £5 per person, with the rest spread through its Autopay scheme.
- Shorter stays, such as three nights, and dates at “the start or end of the school holidays”, which it says can be cheaper than the middle.
Be honest with yourself about the term-time part. Once your youngest is at school, it stops being an option. Gingerbread’s holiday advice for single parents warns that you “can be fined” for taking a child out of school without permission, and that schools only agree in exceptional circumstances, “like a death or illness in the family”. For school-age children, the cheap Butlin’s weeks are the edges of the holidays, not term time.
Single Parents on Holiday: no discount, but no couples either
Single Parents on Holiday runs group holidays only for one-parent families. It describes itself as running single parent holidays “since 2005”. Someone from its team stays at the hotel all week, and “everyone on our trips travels on their own”. It takes bereaved, separated and divorced parents, solo parents by choice, foster parents, guardians, and grandparents raising children alone.
When I checked, its programme included a February half term ski week in Kitzbühel (13 to 20 February 2027) and summer 2027 trips, including an all-inclusive hotel on Tenerife’s Costa Adeje and a farm holiday in Italy. It also listed a last-minute October half term beach week in Agadir, on request. Prices sit on each trip’s own page, so compare them like any package.
This isn’t the cheapest route. What you’re paying for is not being the only table of two in the restaurant, and another adult to talk to after the kids’ club closes.
The charities: where the real savings are
Care for the Family: Take A Break
Take A Break is a charity-run activity holiday for single parent families. Think canoeing, raft-building and climbing, or gentler coastal weeks with rock pooling and campfires. Food, accommodation and activities are all included. Its published 2026 prices were:
| Family | 6 nights | 6 nights (bursary) | 4 nights | 4 nights (bursary) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 adult, 1 child | £620 (~$830) | £360 (~$480) | £496 (~$665) | £288 (~$385) |
| 1 adult, 2 children | £910 (~$1,220) | £525 (~$700) | £728 (~$975) | £420 (~$565) |
| 1 adult, 3+ children | £1,200 (~$1,610) | £690 (~$925) | £960 (~$1,290) | £552 (~$740) |
The rules worth knowing:
- Bursaries need evidence of Universal Credit and depend on availability.
- Children must be 5 to 15. The boat-based Fellowship Afloat week has a minimum age of 8.
- It isn’t first come, first served. The 2026 applications opened on 12 January and closed two weeks later. Places were then allocated, with priority to families who hadn’t been on one before.
- It’s a Christian charity, and the holidays include an optional “Thought for the Day”. It says they’re open to “people of all faiths and none”.
- Payment is staged. For 2026 that was a £75 (~$100) non-refundable deposit, half the cost by the end of April, and the balance by 31 May.
Applications for 2026 are closed. If you want a 2027 place, keep an eye on that page from the new year.
Family Holiday Charity
The Family Holiday Charity funds breaks for families who can’t afford one. You can’t apply on your own. Gingerbread describes it as being “for families on a low income who haven’t been away together in the last 4 years”, and says you’ll need a referral from “someone like a social or support worker, health visitor or teacher”. If you’ve got a family support worker, a health visitor or a school you trust, that’s who to ask.
Gingerbread’s holiday page also lists other funded and subsidised options, including breaks for children with additional needs and grants for mums who need a solo break. Read it before you pay full price for anything.
How single parents get charged more, and how to avoid it
Most package holidays are priced per person. You’ll see it everywhere, from “Holidays under £300pp” in First Choice’s menus to Jet2’s “£60pp deposit”. In a family of two, every per-person price is paid twice, once for you and once for your child, with no second adult to share the room.
Gingerbread says some companies “may not charge the usual single room supplement or offer free child places or insurance” for single parents. So on any per-person quote:
- Ask whether a single parent supplement applies, and to which room types. A room “for two” with one adult is where it tends to appear.
- Search free child places separately. Jet2’s page says it has “millions of Free Child Places available until October 2027”, including school holidays.
- Price the same week on a self-catering, per-lodge or per-caravan site. A holiday priced per accommodation costs the same whether one adult comes or two. My Center Parcs on a budget guide shows how that works.
The paperwork: permission, passports and benefits
Permission to travel abroad. Gov.uk’s guidance on taking a child abroad says you need the permission of “everyone with parental responsibility for a child or from a court”. It adds that taking a child abroad without permission “is child abduction”. As a mum you automatically have parental responsibility, but you still need the permission of anyone else who has it.
- A letter is usually enough. It should include the other parent’s contact details and details of the trip.
- Different surname? Gov.uk suggests carrying your child’s birth certificate, and a divorce or marriage certificate if your surname differs from theirs.
- Child arrangements order. If yours says your child lives with you, you can take them abroad for up to 28 days without permission, unless a court order says otherwise.
Sort the letter weeks before you go, not the night before. If the other parent won’t agree, the route is the court, and that takes time.
Passports. Gingerbread notes that only one parent with parental responsibility needs to sign a child’s passport application. It also warns that a new passport can take three months to come through, even for a renewal.
Benefits. Gov.uk says you can keep getting Universal Credit for one month abroad, and that you must tell your work coach before you go. They’ll tell you which parts of your claimant commitment still apply while you’re away. If money’s tight before booking, my benefits guide for single parents covers what you may be missing.
Making it affordable on one income
Holiday money rarely appears by accident. A week away needs its own pot, and it’s easier to fill if you can see it growing. In budgeting on one income I go through how I split money into pots. A holiday pot is just one more line, and Butlin’s £5 deposit and Autopay instalments slot into it neatly.
Other things that help:
- Book the shoulder weeks. These are the first or last week of the school holidays, which Butlin’s itself says are often cheaper.
- Go short. Three or four nights somewhere with the entertainment included can be a better holiday than a week you’re stressed about paying for.
- Count the hidden costs. Transfers, luggage, airport food and kids’ club fees. Jet2’s packages include luggage and transfers, which makes comparing easier.
- Ask the charities first, before you book anything at full price.
FAQ
Do single parents get discounts on holidays?
A few companies offer them. In October 2026, Jet2holidays gave £60 off with code J2HSPF60, and First Choice listed single parent deals with £100 off. Butlin’s had no code but promoted cheaper term-time breaks and smaller rooms. Charities like Care for the Family offer subsidised holidays.
What is the Jet2 single parent discount code?
On 15 October 2026 Jet2holidays’ single parent page listed the code J2HSPF60 for £60 off, and said it can be used alongside sale discounts. Codes change, so check the page and make sure the price drops before you pay.
Do I need the other parent’s permission to take my child on holiday?
To go abroad, yes, if they also have parental responsibility. A signed letter with their contact details and the trip details is usually enough. A UK holiday doesn’t need their consent unless a court order says otherwise, but Gingerbread warns you can’t take them during the other parent’s court-ordered contact time without agreement.
Are there free holidays for single parents in the UK?
Some charities fund holidays. The Family Holiday Charity helps low-income families who haven’t been away together recently, but you need a referral from a professional. Care for the Family’s Take A Break isn’t free, but it’s subsidised, with lower bursary prices for families on Universal Credit.
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