Mom Traveling Alone with Kid: A Stress-Free 4-Day, 3-Night Superb Yesanpo Guide from Tianjin

After final exams, before the summer break started, I was eager to take my kid for a relaxing trip while it was still less crowded. Honestly, traveling solo with a child brings quite a bit of mental pressure, not only considering what the child will enjoy, but more importantly, safety and feasibility. Sorry for the lengthy preamble, but I mainly want to give some detailed advice to moms considering traveling alone with their kids.

First, choosing the destination. After presenting options like seaside wading, bamboo forest train, mountain drifting, and mountain hiking, my kid chose seaside wading and mountain drifting. For seaside wading, besides Tianjin Dongjiang Port, we could also choose the Shandong coast. Due to the pandemic, I opted for self-driving. Driving alone with my kid from Tianjin to the Shandong coast would take at least 5 hours, which was a bit long. So we finally agreed to maximize fun and minimize travel time, choosing mountain drifting at Yesanpo.

Second, safety is the key point for a mom traveling alone with her kid.

Accommodation: Although Yesanpo has many farmstay options with great value, we chose the more fully equipped Arcadia Hotel. Because with more hotel staff, I believe that even if something unexpected happened, there would be more people to help (just my pre-trip overthinking!).

Transportation: Self-driving meant less contact with public crowds, reducing virus transmission and the chance of meeting strangers.

Dining: Eating at the hotel ensured relatively clean and hygienic food. Also, the dining area was spacious, so my kid was almost free-range, and I didn't have to worry too much.

Thus, the Yesanpo trip was formed!

Travel mode: Self-driving. Destination: Yesanpo Liujiahe Water Park. Accommodation: Arcadia Hotel.

It took 3 hours to drive from Tianjin to Yesanpo Arcadia Hotel. Since I had my kid, we left at 10 a.m. after a brunch at home. We hardly stopped on the way. We arrived at the Arcadia Hotel around 1 p.m. and checked in at 2 p.m. We stayed in Building 6. Although it was on the first floor, it didn't feel damp, and the glass door to the balcony had good sound insulation; once closed, we could hardly hear outside noise. The hotel pool was U-shaped, semi-surrounding Building 6, and our room was right in front of the pool, which was quite interesting to look at.

My kid couldn't wait to change into a swimsuit and go swimming. The pool, the hotel's thatched huts, and the surrounding mountains made a very pleasant view. Many umbrellas and rattan chairs were placed by the pool, allowing parents to sit in the shade, drink cold beverages, and watch their kids play in the water—very relaxing.

After getting out of the pool, I bathed my kid, and we went straight to the hotel's small zoo and farm to play. Although small, combined with the surrounding mountain scenery, it still gave a sense of being in the mountains with scenery, scenery in the mountains.

On the first day, we arrived at the hotel and wanted to rest early, so we had dinner at the hotel buffet. The variety was quite rich. For a star-rated hotel, the taste was pretty good. The only drawback was that the buffet was not available every day; in the following days, we had to order from the menu (but that's a later story).

The hotel has a small fitness room with a few machines, a ping-pong table, and a corner for kids—really just a corner. It’s not very friendly for older kids, as there’s not much to do.

Hotel buffet breakfast is from 7 to 10 a.m. We went to the restaurant at 9 a.m., when there weren't many people, and the food was restocked in time, so we could eat off-peak. Plus, finishing breakfast at 10 a.m. saved us a lunch break, leaving more time for fun, haha.

The attraction we visited was Liujiahe Water Park, a 16-minute drive from Arcadia.

Actually, there are many rafting spots in Yesanpo, but after weighing options, this one was more suitable for older kids. We bought a big package ticket (different packages include different items), which included: Colorful Cable Bridge (actually you have to cross it to enter; they just separate it as a scenic spot), a 300m elevator (very necessary; climbing on foot would take at least 30 minutes, and the stairs are hard on the legs), Mountain Drifting (a must-do, very thrilling), Skywalk (also a must-do), Water Boats (I think that's the name—I forgot. It was great value; you can ride all kinds of boats on the water. If you bring kids, it's highly recommended because they'll definitely want to row a boat, and buying a single boat ticket is expensive), and Guerrilla Trail (locals will say it's not interesting, but I highly recommend it. The mountain scenery is no less impressive than Yesanpo's main mountains, but the hiking distance is shorter, making it very suitable for kids. Of course, Yesanpo's mountains are bigger with more scenery; if you really love hiking, you can decide for yourself.) Since we were taking it easy, we used the big package ticket over two days. For items not used on the first day, we could go to the ticket office, explain the situation, and have them revalidated for the next day. That's why I felt it was still very worthwhile.

Enough talk, let's get to the main event!

I strongly recommend buying the elevator ticket. I went at the end of June. Climbing up would have left me dehydrated and oxygen-deprived. With a kid, it's really unnecessary!

The overall feeling of the drifting is thrilling. Be sure to bring a raincoat (they sell them at the bottom). Of course, if you don't mind getting wet, that's fine too. Two people per small boat; be sure to put your kid in front for balance. Hold onto the handles on both sides of the boat for safety, so forgive me for not taking photos. My kid and I are light, so we slid down slowly. At first, we leisurely enjoyed the scenery on both sides and chatted. Until... until... the four boats behind us caught up, and then we sped up. They pushed us through sharp turns, down slopes, through spirals, all the way to the finish!

In the afternoon, we returned to the hotel to rest, avoiding the time from 2 to 3 p.m. when the sun is strongest. Then we drove back to try the motorboat and pedal boat.

In the evening, we found a random farmstay by the roadside and ordered some local specialties: fried Sichuan pepper sprouts, grilled rainbow trout. Maybe we chose poorly; the taste was not as good as the hotel's, so it was disappointing. I won't recommend it. You can explore on your own!

Back at the hotel, my kid was still energetic. We ran laps around the hotel and then went to the fitness room to burn off energy. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow!

On the second day, same as before, we had brunch at 9 a.m. We found the accommodation very comfortable, so we decided to extend our stay for another day. It's worth noting that after breakfast, because it was a weekday with fewer guests, the hotel was repairing the corridor. Since there was some smell, we asked to change rooms. The lobby manager was very accommodating, showing us different room types in Building 9 and arranging the change, with a very friendly attitude. During this process, we didn't mention extending our stay; that is, we were originally scheduled to check out by 2 p.m., and he could have refused to change rooms on that ground or said no rooms were available. Although changing rooms was a bit of trouble, the staff's problem-solving attitude made the whole process very pleasant. This is why I recommend Arcadia.

At 2 p.m., we had afternoon tea at the hotel (just simple desserts, lemon water, fruit) and then went back to Liujiahe to row boats and walk the Guerrilla Trail.

The so-called Guerrilla Trail is probably the path guerrillas took to hide in the mountains. Along the uphill path, various themed scenes are set up, which are quite educational for kids.

After returning to the hotel and showering, we were too lazy to go out. We had dinner by ordering from the hotel restaurant (since there were few guests, there was no buffet dinner).

Again, we had brunch at 9 a.m. We checked the shallow beaches along the way, and before getting on the highway, we let the kid play in the water before reluctantly going home.

Summary:

1. For a trip with just a mom and kid, don't schedule too much. Although the kid has enough stamina, the mom simply can't keep up. So choosing a hotel with many supporting facilities is essential. The kid can play on their own without needing mom's company.

2. If you're not very particular about food, try to eat at the hotel whenever possible. The taste and safety are relatively more guaranteed.

3. Since both the trip and return journey are driven by the mom alone, adequate sleep and physical strength are crucial. During the day, find ways to drain the kid's energy so they go to bed early—that's the key arrangement for the day. Try to include some hiking and open spaces for running to drain energy.

4. If possible, give the kid a travel companion, so the mom saves a lot of energy running alongside.

Travelogue contents: 1. Destination 2. Trip Log 3. Summary

Tourist Information: Hotel index, Guide index, Ticket index, Website navigation, Travel index, Cruise index, Corporate travel index, Join cooperation, Distribution alliance, Friendship links, Corporate gift card procurement, Insurance agent, Agent cooperation, Hotel joining, Destination and scenic area partnership, More cooperation, About Ctrip, About Ctrip, Ctrip hotspots, Contact us, Talents recruitment, User agreement, Privacy policy, Business license, Security center, Ctrip content center, Intellectual property, Trip.com Group algorithm disclosure