Interview with Melissa Mountford Founder of Melon Holidays: A New Way of Holidaying for Solo Parents

March 11, 2018

Are you, or do you know anyone who is a single parent who struggles to holiday on their own with the kids? I’ve recently come across a new travel company, Melon Holidays who offer holidays for single parents in family friendly locations throughout the UK & Europe. They aim to give single-parent families the experience of travelling independently, whilst enabling them to be part of a group of other like-minded single-parent families, meaning that evenings are not spent alone and day time adventures and experiences can be shared. Great idea isn’t it? I managed to track down the brains behind Melon Holidays, Melissa Mountford to find out more about the concept of catering for solo parent holidays.

Melon Holidays aims to help alleviate the concerns that single parents have surrounding the feeling of insecurity whilst abroad, feeling isolated and having no other adults around to chat to or have a drink with on an evening or even just having a bit of support to keep an eye on the kids if you need to pop to the loo!  Because Melon Holidays families are coming together as small groups, a holiday support network is naturally created. On our overseas holidays, families are met at the airport on arrival in destination and transferred to their hotel where they will have a welcome meeting and get to break the ice with the other families. Dinners are spent together so that the families do not feel isolated. All of our overseas holidays also include a sightseeing excursion, so that day-time adventures with other like-minded families can be shared. We are also working on offering a selection of UK hotel and glamping breaks in cities and countryside locations. The group concept flows through the UK breaks as well, for example the huts at our glampsite at Samlesbury Hall are positioned around fire pits so our families can sit and toast marshmallows or BBQ together on an evening.

We don’t offer fully escorted tours, which is one thing that differentiates Melon Holidays from the competition. We do have local rep assistance and 24-hour emergency contacts, but the reason we don’t have holiday coordinators, is because I would love to be able to see our single parents grow in confidence and feel empowered from having ventured abroad on holiday alone with the kids, without the constant support of someone else.

Another pain point that I want to help with is that I want to take the hassle out of researching and booking all the components of a holiday as this is so time-consuming – a luxury that most single parents don’t have!  I only sell destinations that I have been to, and hotels/ glampsites that I have visited and would want to stay in myself, so our customers can be confident in the choice that they are making for their families.

Please check out Melissa’s website at Melon Holidays to find out more about the full range of holiday options she offers for solo parents.

4 Comments

  • Liz

    March 13, 2018 at 6:06 am

    A great idea for single parents who were used to booking holidays as part of a couple.. takes the stress of starting a new single parent journey! Maybe even the start of new friendships.. ?‍♂️ ☀️ ? ? ? ?

    1. Melissa

      March 28, 2018 at 8:27 pm

      Thanks for your comment Liz. We really do hope that our holidays create friendships ?‍?‍??‍?‍??‍?
      Melissa ?

  • Jenny

    March 13, 2018 at 11:47 am

    Is Melissa a single parent?I suspect not or she’d understand how difficult it can be to get the whole group thing going. It’s OK wanting to see your customers “grow in confidence” but single parents are often daunted by stepping outside their comfort zones. It’s not just the arrangements but the getting together with other families. I’ve been on a number of Small Families holidays and to be honest the whole thing would have been very flat without the holiday coordinator to get the group going.

    Many years from m y divorce I’m now in a place where I can happily dive in without assistance and I tend to use travel clubs more for this reason.

    Best of luck Melissa but I think you’re much more confident or optimistic than most of us, unless you’ve been divorced for a long time.

    1. Melissa

      March 28, 2018 at 8:42 pm

      Thanks for your comments Jenny. I understand what you are saying about the group situation and you are right, I am confident when it comes to travelling on my own with the kids.
      A Melon Holidays break will not be for everyone, I expect it will be the more confident families or those feeling ready to step out of their comfort zone that it will attract.
      One of our team will always be on the holidays for the first couple of days to help break the ice, but, for now at least, there will not be a holiday coordinator.
      Melissa ?

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