18th July 2026 • My Family Our Needs

Key Takeaways

  • Start by identifying your family’s specific requirements for transport, specialist equipment, and medical care.
  • There is a wide range of woodland breaks, holiday parks, and travel agencies offering accessible holidays for children with disabilities.
  • You can apply for financial support and grants from various UK charities to help cover the costs of your family trip.

With the summer months in full swing, thoughts turn to holidays. Planning holidays for children with disabilities takes a bit of extra thought, so here’s My Family, Our Needs’ ideas for your 2026 break. We’re a UK resource for parents and carers of children with additional needs, and we’ve pulled together the most useful options and practical tips we know of.

It is worth knowing that accessible family holidays are still far from easy to find. Sense’s 2026 research found that 57% of parents struggle to find accessible holiday clubs, and only 6% of disabled children in responding local authorities receive any holiday support at all. That context matters, because it means you may need to plan further ahead and ask more questions than other families do.

Planning holidays for children with disabilities and all the family

Questions to ask are:

  • What facilities and/or extra help will you need? Make a checklist of extra equipment or other resources you might need to take with you. WellChild’s guide for parents includes practical advice and checklists for taking children with complex needs on holiday, which is worth reviewing before you start.
  • How will you travel? Do you need adapted transport and a map of accessible places you could stop for toilets or refreshments en-route?
  • If flying to your destination, do you need an airport guide and/or special airline seat for your child? GOV.UK advises contacting your airline and accommodation provider with your exact assistance needs in writing before you travel.
  • Do you and your child have a passport and travel/health insurance if going overseas? Scope’s guidance on travel insurance recommends checking that your policy covers medical costs, repatriation, equipment, and cancellation – and that you declare all pre-existing conditions honestly to avoid a claim being refused.
  • Will you need extra medication? GOV.UK recommends carrying a doctor’s letter for any medication and keeping medicines in your hand luggage rather than checked baggage.
  • Do you need any special equipment at your destination, such as wheelchair accessible accommodation, ramps, toileting and bathing facilities, a hoist, a lift, beach wheelchair or accessible swimming pool? Be specific – ask providers about door widths, roll-in shower availability, and bed height rather than just asking if they are “accessible”.
  • If your child is liable to wander, do you need an indoor ‘safe’ space and an enclosed secure garden?
  • Are there things you can get in advance to help your children, such as ear defenders or social stories for your phone or iPad?
  • Consider ways you may obtain extra help. Perhaps, in return for a free break in your holiday cottage, you could recruit an extra carer you know and trust to lighten the workload. Alternatively, joining up with another family whose child has similar needs to your own could give you both a chance to spend an evening out – and maybe fun for the children too.

Woodland holidays for children with disabilities

1. Center Parcs: One of the most popular venues for families, including those who have a child with a disability, are chalet holidays in parks or forests with catering and other amenities on site. Center Parcs provides secure, virtually traffic-free locations with covered facilities that make them available in all weathers. Center Parcs also offer a range of outdoor facilities, such as cycling, that can help more lively children get rid of surplus energy. The parks have accessible toilets and wheelchair-friendly adaptations throughout.

2. Forest Holidays: Forest Holidays offer luxury log cabins with hot tubs in forest locations for a more peaceful break. There are several centres throughout the UK. Their wheelchair-adapted cabins include ramps, adapted kitchens and bathrooms, extra parking close to the cabin, and more.

Holiday parks and resorts

1. Butlins: The more established holiday parks, such as Butlins, offer accommodation in chalets – many new or upgraded – with free entertainment on site. Butlin’s camps are based in coastal resorts, for example Minehead in Somerset. Their resorts have adapted rooms and apartments, dialysis facilities, and deaf-accessible booking facilities.

2. Haven: Haven holidays is a well-established company with 36 parks around the coast of Great Britain. It offers a range of accommodation – chalets, apartments, tents and caravans – including adapted caravans with ramps and accessible bathing facilities. They welcome registered assistance dogs and have an advisor team to help you choose the right park. One real-world example of what accessible caravans can look like comes from Erika’s story via the Family Holiday Charity: an adapted caravan with a ramp, accessible shower room, and helpful reception staff made a genuine difference for a wheelchair-using child and her family.

3. Autism Friendly Caravans: Located in Fleetwood, just outside Blackpool, Autism Friendly Caravans is a family-run business with five caravans adapted for autistic children and their families. The caravans include toys and activities with different themes across each one.

4. Parkdean Resorts: Parkdean Resorts has wheelchair-friendly caravans available across more than 60 UK locations. They also offer accessible days out.

5. Accessible caravan in Coastfields Holiday Village, Skegness: Located in Ingoldmells Village, Coastfield Caravan Park, this family-owned wheelchair accessible caravan offers step-free access, wide doorways, level access, a double bedroom, and a roll-in shower. There is a beach, shops, entertainment, and more within a short distance, plus a regular bus service to explore the surrounding area.

Help to find holidays for children with disabilities

Opportunities for holidaying with a family member with a chronic condition or disability are increasing year on year. There are a number of charities and organisations now focused on helping you find holidays for children with disabilities that meet your specific needs. It is worth asking any provider for a written access statement before booking – VisitBritain’s accessible travel guide helps you plan your trip by highlighting what quality providers should include, such as accurate accessibility information and trained staff.

1. Rough Guide to Accessible Britain is a free guide with over 200 ideas for worry-free days out. Reviews are written by and for disabled people and cover disabled parking, wheelchair access, and more.

2. Open Britain is described as a one-stop-shop for accessible tourism in the UK, providing a simple way to find accessible destinations and places to stay.

3. Disabled Go provides access guides to more than 120,000 places of interest throughout the UK, including hotels, restaurants, cafes, and museums. Founded by a wheelchair user, all locations are vetted by a large team of trained wheelchair users, which helps ensure the accuracy of access information.

4. Matching Houses is an alternative way to take a break. It is a holiday house exchange where disabled people swap homes with others who have the same access needs, recently extended to include families with a disabled child. The cost is £36 a year to register, with a half-price offer for the first year.

5. Disabled Holidays is the largest accessible holiday specialist in the UK, offering a wide range of holidays from UK self-catering to adventure trips, Disney breaks, and cruises overseas. They accommodate service animals and can help organise holidays for people with terminal illnesses. For holidays abroad, they guarantee accessible accommodation, adapted transfers, and equipment hire.

6. Enable Holidays is another travel company specialising in accessible holidays to destinations around the world.

7. The Calvert Trust has over 40 years’ experience delivering adventure holidays for young people with disabilities, their families, and carers. They have three centres: Kielder Forest in Northumberland, Exmoor in Devon, and the Lake District in Cumbria. To get a sense of what an accessible specialist break can look like in practice, Together for Short Lives share a family’s story of a holiday to Jersey with a child with Rett Syndrome – including profiling beds, ceiling track hoists, hydrotherapy pool access, and adapted beach wheelchairs – which shows how much the right provider can enable.

8. Assisted Travel with TUI is a service where families can talk to a dedicated team to find a holiday that suits their needs. Whether someone in the family has access needs, reduced mobility, or a visible or invisible disability, TUI can help find a suitable option and provide information so you are fully prepared.

9. The Daisy Chain Project by The Kensington Foundation is a respite holiday programme offering self-contained accommodation for children with additional needs and their families. The accommodation is in the south of Blackpool, holidays run Monday to Sunday, and there are no age restrictions.

10. The YHA Breaks Programme is designed for groups of young people or groups of families who need additional support. Trips to YHA hostels often include full-board catering and activities. You can apply directly through their bursary and break programme hub or be referred by a partner organisation.

11. Accessible Holiday Escapes is a specialist directory offering a range of accessible accommodation options throughout the UK. They focus on property-specific accessibility features, so you can find something that suits your family’s specific requirements and budget.

12. Limitless Travel offers fully accessible holidays for people and families with disabilities and mobility issues, including coach trips, cruises, and long-haul destinations. Carers are provided on every trip.

Help to pay for holidays for children with disabilities

Paying for a family holiday is not always easy, especially when there are extra expenses like hiring specialist equipment. Contact’s 2023 “Loneliest Summer” report found that 42% of parents of disabled children could not even find information about holiday options, and only 1 in 10 managed to secure a holiday club place at all. The groups below may be able to help with financial support specifically for holidays for children with disabilities.

1. The Family Fund is an organisation that provides grants for disabled children’s needs, including holiday grants and travel insurance. Contact them to check your eligibility and to apply for help.

2. Turn2Us helps people with limited resources to find grants for holidays and other needs.

3. Sky Badger is a registered charity providing a wide range of information to help families caring for a disabled child. You can find information about holidays and grants to fund them on this site.

4. The Family Holiday Charity provides holiday funding to families in need of a break. To apply, you must be referred through a registered family charity, social services, NHS family support services, schools, or a registered refuge and domestic abuse support agency.

5. Trewan Sands Children’s Trust offers holidays to families with disabled or terminally ill children. The trust works with various holiday companies and charitable organisations to offer families in need the chance of a break. You can be referred through a social worker, charity, or additional needs school.

Making dreams come true

There are also a number of wish-granting charities for children with life-limiting or terminal conditions. These charities may supply holidays if this is the child’s wish. The DfE Short Breaks Innovation Programme closed in March 2025. Amongst these are:

Everyone deserves a break, so we hope you find holidays for children with disabilities that suit your family’s needs from the suggestions above. Do you know of somewhere different? Do you use a company who is really helpful?

Please share your thoughts, experiences and recommendations in the comments below, tweet us @weareMFON, find us on Facebook or email hello@myfamilyourneeds.co.uk.

Happy Holidays!

Frequently Asked Questions

Do we need special travel insurance for a disabled child?

Yes, standard policies often will not cover pre-existing conditions or specialist equipment. When planning holidays for children with disabilities, you should buy insurance as soon as you book. It is important to declare all medical needs so you are fully covered for emergencies, cancellations, or equipment loss. For more advice, check the Scope travel insurance guide.

How do I book airport special assistance for my child?

UK airports and airlines provide free assistance, but you must arrange it in advance. You should contact your airline or travel agent ideally when you book, or at least 48 hours before departure. The UK Civil Aviation Authority outlines how you can get help with security, boarding support, and wheelchair transfers.

Do hidden disabilities qualify for airport assistance?

They absolutely do. Airports like Heathrow and Gatwick offer support for both visible and non-visible disabilities. You can usually request a sunflower lanyard or ask for quieter support routes through the terminal. Just remember to explain your child’s specific needs clearly when booking assistance before the flight.

Are there grants available to help pay for our holiday?

Yes, several charities offer funding to eligible families raising seriously ill or disabled children. Organisations like the Family Fund provide specific family break grants that can sometimes cover extra carers too. You can also explore our short breaks and holidays guide to find more directories and financial support options for your next trip.