Accessible holidays, support funding and your rights

Start with the holiday you want

Think about where you want to go, who you want to be with and what you enjoy. A holiday may mean a quiet break, visiting family or trying something new. Use pictures, accessible information or familiar examples to compare options. Supporters should help the person express preferences; a provider’s usual group holiday is not automatically everyone’s choice.

Build a break around your interests

A holiday can include favourite hobbies or something new: music, art, wildlife, adapted cycling, swimming or outdoor adventure. You can try a local taster before committing to a longer stay. Ask what you can choose each day and whether there is a quieter alternative. Fun and challenge should be your choice, not a test you must pass or a reason to ignore distress or refusal.

Current Calvert options in England

Calvert Lakes in the Lake District offers adapted residential activity breaks. Its Buddy Breaks are for adults who manage daily life independently and need only occasional prompts; buddies do not provide personal care or medication support. Calvert Kielder in Northumberland offers accessible holidays and a separate adult respite-care service with care planning. Confirm the exact package and whether it can meet your individual needs. These are options to investigate, not a guarantee of suitability, funding or a place.

Outdoor adventure and Outward Bound

The Outward Bound Trust offers adventure learning for young people. Its current Summer Adventures listings cover ages 10–22, with different age bands and difficulty levels. For England, check the location filter and Ullswater in the Lake District. Ask about the particular course, accommodation, equipment, communication and care needs before booking. An inclusion policy does not mean every activity or centre suits every person. For adventure providers generally, personal care and trained health support are separate from outdoor instruction and must be agreed.

Agree individual activity and health arrangements

Share relevant health and communication information securely with the people who need it. If an activity affects an existing condition, discuss the plan with the responsible clinician and instructor. Agree how your usual care plan, emergency arrangements, equipment and medicines will be supported. Check transfers, suitable safety equipment and how to stop or rest. Avoid blanket exclusions based only on a diagnosis, but do not assume an adapted activity removes every risk.

Understand the rights involved

Disabled people should have fair access to services, with reasonable adjustments where the Equality Act applies. Care Act planning must consider wellbeing, including recreation, control and relationships. These rights support individual assessment and fair decisions; they do not create an automatic entitlement to a free holiday or a particular destination. A holiday request should be considered in relation to the person’s needs and agreed outcomes.

Ask for support to be assessed

Raise holiday plans early with adult social care, or ask for a care plan review. Describe the care needed away from home: communication, personal care, meals, medicines, travel, night support and equipment. Explain how the trip relates to assessed needs and outcomes. If NHS funding pays for support, contact the responsible NHS team too. Ask who will coordinate decisions and maintain essential care.

Separate the costs clearly

Make an itemised budget. Separate your travel, accommodation and activities from disability-related support costs such as staff hours, a second worker, equipment hire and supporters’ necessary travel or accommodation. Do not assume every cost is covered or that a general holiday allowance will meet your needs. Ask which costs are agreed, which budget pays, your contribution and the reasons for any refusal.

Agree funding before committing

Direct payments can arrange support agreed in the care plan, subject to the relevant rules and agreement. Ask about flexible use of existing funding or a reviewed budget if needs require it. Obtain written agreement before spending care money on disputed holiday costs, especially overseas. Ask your direct-payment support service about contracts, pay, working time, insurance and staff expenses. Accompanying you is work, not automatically the worker’s annual leave.

A break for an unpaid carer

You may want to travel together with additional support or take separate breaks. A carer’s assessment can explore replacement care and the carer’s wellbeing. Consider who needs rest and what would make that possible; travelling together without replacement support may not provide a break from caring. Local carers services and charitable grants may help, but eligibility, availability and award amounts vary.

Check the actual accommodation

An “accessible” label does not tell you whether a place meets your needs. Ask for photographs, measurements and written confirmation of essential facilities. Check steps, door widths, turning space, bed height, bathroom layout and lift access. If needed, confirm hoist type, suitable sling arrangements, equipment limits and space to use them safely. Check emergency evacuation and what happens if a lift or essential equipment fails.

Plan journeys and days out

Check accessible transport at every stage, including transfers, toilets and rest stops. Find suitable Changing Places toilets and confirm opening times and equipment. Consider quieter times, sensory needs, visual schedules, food requirements and communication aids. Agree how the person can change plans or take a break. Build in enough time for personal care and enjoyable activities rather than filling every hour. Check the last suitable return journey and staff shift arrangements so your chosen activities are not routinely cut short. Agree the staffing hours and backup transport before the trip.

Arrange airport and flight assistance

For flights covered by UK assisted-travel rights, disability assistance is free. Request it when booking or, if possible, at least 48 hours before departure; confirm the arrangements in writing. Explain communication and mobility needs and any wheelchair or equipment details. Airline staff are not expected to provide help with eating, taking medicines or using the toilet. Arrange a suitable companion if that support is needed.

Check health and overseas arrangements

For overseas travel, check current destination advice, medicine rules and suitable travel insurance, including existing conditions and equipment. A GHIC or EHIC is not a substitute for insurance and does not cover every cost. Plan adequate medicine supplies, emergency contacts and any specialist healthcare in advance. Confirm what your support provider and funder will arrange outside the usual area rather than assuming ordinary arrangements transfer automatically.

Check benefits and keep a backup plan

Trips abroad, breaks from caring and stays in residential care can affect benefits differently. Check the rules for each payment and any reporting duty before travelling; do not assume one benefit’s time limit applies to another. Agree replacement support if a worker becomes ill, transport fails or the trip ends early. Keep confirmations and essential care information accessible, with appropriate privacy.

If support or access is refused

Ask for the decision, reasons and alternatives in writing. Explain what need or barrier remains and request a review or reasonable adjustment. Use the council, NHS or travel provider’s complaints route as appropriate, with advocacy or specialist advice if needed. For air travel, complain first to the airline or airport. Do not assume a complaint changes booking terms, secures funding or stops legal deadlines.

Planning a holiday with support

Choose a holiday you enjoy

Check activities and support

Arrange support and funding

Check access before booking

Travel and backup plans

What you can do next

More useful links