Taking Your Child with Complex Medical Needs on Holiday

Platforms to find recommendations from other families

When choosing where to go using parent carer groups or condition specific forums can be a great place to start and find recommendations. Below are a few suggestions of groups where you can find recommendations:

• WellChild Family Tree Parent Carer Community
• Accessible Holidays and Day Trips Facebook Group
• Disabled Access Holidays UK Facebook Group
• Accessible & Adapted Foreign Holidays for Disabled People (UK based) Facebook Group
• Accessible, Adapted or Disabled Foreign Holidays & Travel Info (UK based) Facebook Group
• Accessible Holiday Escapes

Choosing a location with accessible activities around

• In Your Area is a great platform to find places with activities that suit your child’s needs.
• You can also use the ‘accessible holiday’ filter to find accessible accommodation or organisations that can help with booking a holiday.

Organisations that organise condition-specific holidays

• Over the Wall offers free residential camps and experiences for children and young people living with medical health challenges, their siblings, and their families.
• Calvert Lakes offer individuals, families and groups the chance to experience adventure in the stunning Lake District in a safe and supportive way.
• Camp Jojo support families of children with complex needs and disabilities to enjoy a totally accessible camping experience and make new friends who understand their situation.

Choosing a destination with appropriate healthcare access

• The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) website has a link of specialist doctors in each country. Check the country you are considering visiting.

Organisation that can help with finding hire equipment

• World Accessible Holidays is a travel agent that can arrange specialist equipment hire, delivered directly to your hotel and set up in your room ready for your arrival. They work with suppliers around the world and can provide items such as electric profiling beds, mobile hoists, oxygen concentrators, and wheel-in shower chairs, among others.
• See the ‘equipment’ drop down box for organisations which hire out equipment.

Websites for helping you to locate accessible accommodation

• Use WellChild’s In Your Area platform and filter by ‘accessible holidays‘ to find accessible accommodation in the UK.
• The Facebook forums under the ‘Choosing Where To Go’ drop down box above often post accessible accommodations.
• World Accessible Holidays is a travel agency specialising in accessible travel. They have a database of hotels and resorts across the world with facilities tailored to disabled guests. They work directly with hotels in resort to ensure that when a customer needs an accessible room it is guaranteed before booking.

The following places provide equipment hire. You should be aware when hiring that equipment may not necessarily be new models and may have been used multiple times. You should be ready that the equipment may be different to what you have at home.

Red Cross (UK only)

• The British Red Cross offer a wheelchair hire service within the UK for £22 per week.

Mobility Equipment Hire Direct (UK and Abroad)

• Mobility Equipment Hire Direct hire wheelchairs, hoists for disabled people, disability hoists, mobility scooters, shower commodes, shower chairs, walkers, standing electric hoists, profile beds, hospital beds, pressure relief mattresses and many more items.
• Within the UK, they offer a nationwide delivery service of mobility equipment all throughout the UK, such as England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales. If you need to hire mobility equipment for your weekend getaway to the countryside, city or hotel break or a short break to Centre Parcs, Butlins, Hoseasons, London, etc. then here at Mobility Equipment Hire Direct they can organise your mobility equipment hire in the UK.
• Abroad, they offer Mobility Equipment Hire in Spain, Tenerife , Majorca, Lanzarote, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, Fuerteventura, Portugal, Greece, Cyprus, Italy, France, Florida, Malta, USA, Turkey, Caribbean and many more destinations. Click here to see all locations.

Motion4Rent (UK and Abroad)

• Motion4rent hire manual and electric wheelchairs, mobility scooters, crutches, walkers, beds, hoists, and other orthopedic products.
• They deliver equipment to 5,400 cities around the world.

Mobility at Sea (for cruises)

• Mobility at Sea provide a wide range of mobility equipment, from Zimmer frames and tri-walkers and rollators to manual and electric wheelchairs, powerchairs, and scooters.

Lowerhire (Majorca)

• Lowerhire specialises in the rental of Mobility Equipment e.g. Mobility Scooters, Wheelchairs, Powerchairs, Patient hoists, Shower chairs.
• They offer free deliveryof Mobility Scooters, Wheelchairs, and other equipment, direct to your accommodation, from 4 Mobility contres which cover the South (Palma Nova, Santa Ponsa), North and East (Cal Dor) of Majorca (Mallorca).

Overt Medical (France)

• Overt Medical may be able to hire out equipment, such as profiling beds, manual hoists, shower chairs, and mobility equipment.
• You may need to contact them directly.

Apply for a GHIC card

• Click here to apply for a GHIC card
• You can see more information on GHIC cards here.

Travel Insurance

• See MoneySavingExpert’s guidance on travel insurance for pre-existing medical conditions and how to find affordable travel insurance for medical conditions for more useful information on travel insurance.

Check medication rules

You should check rules around what medication you are allowed to bring into the country you are planning on visiting before booking your trip.

• Click here to find the rules for the country you are visiting.

Help with documenting your medication doses and times

• The Medicines for Children app can help you easily keep track of your child’s medications.

Transporting your holiday medical nutrition products and equipment

• Nutrition Homeward medical trunk: Nutricia Homeward can arrange for both your medical nutrition and ancillaries to be delivered to your home address. They will deliver an empty ‘travel trunk’ for you to load with your medical supplies so you can transport them with the rest of your luggage. The travel trunks do not need to be returned to Nutricia Homeward and can be disposed of as normal waste. You would need to liaise with your holiday provider and/or airline to discuss any requirements to transport your medical supplies.

Food nutrition pouches

You can get real blend food pouches, some options are:

• Wilbos Blends
• Food Untethered

UK companies do not allow their equipment to be taken outside the UK, but they can usually advise you on arranging oxygen abroad and which suppliers to choose. Otherwise, here are a few resources to help you find an appropriate oxygen provider:

• The European Lung Foundation has a list of oxygen providers in European countries.
• The British consulate in the country to which you are travelling could help you find an oxygen provider.
• Oxygen Worldwide also arranges delivery of medical oxygen worldwide.

Changing Places

• Click here to check the locations of Changing Places Toilets.

Hiring specialist transport

• Visit the Jumbulance website.
• Private ambulance options.
• Visit the Transmobility website.

Equipment

• Click here to see postural seating options for transport.

Postural support on aircrafts

Seating approved on planes varies by airline. You can see information below on some airlines, however just because these airline acknowledge these products onboard doesn’t mean other airlines will. You should check each airline assistance page or call their assistance helpline. See information about specialist seating for each of the airlines below:

• British Airways
• Ryanair
• Virgin Atlantic

Please note this information only applies for flights operated by each of the specific airlines.

Centres where you can try specialist seats before you fly

There are two centres in the UK for Tryb4ufly (trying seats before you fly).

• RDAC Birmingham
• William Merritt (Leeds)

Please note that even if a seat is suitable for your child, it doesn’t mean that the airline will allow it. You should check with the airline you plan on flying with.

Special assistance at UK airports

Click on each airport to see detailed information with subheadings, including how to request assistance, what support is available, and what to expect on the day. This can be really useful if you or anyone travelling requires a bit of extra help through the airport.

• Heathrow
• Gatwick
• Luton
• Stansted
• Manchester
• Leeds Bradford
• Newcastle
• Birmingham
• East Midlands
• Edinburgh
• Glasgow
• Aberdeen
• Cardiff
• Belfast International
• Belfast City
• Bristol
• Southampton
• Exeter
• Newquay

Please remember that assistance is free but should be booked at least 48 hours before travel.

Further information on batteries

• Visit the CAA guidelines for further information on batteries. Please be aware because this is an international industry, rules vary by airline, may change frequently and are complicated. You should ensure you contact the airline before booking to check their rules.

• Skiggle can help you source replacements quickly. Skiggle’s UK-wide community shares consumables and equipment such as feeding supplies, continence products, suction catheters, and other urgent items. Their Emergency SOS service runs 24/7 and allows you to request help immediately.
• Help! I forgot my Type 1 kit UK Facebook Group is for T1’s in an emergency to get supplies if they have forgotten them when out and about eg, on a holiday or a day trip.

• Time Away source vacant time in self-catering holiday accommodation and gift it to families facing both emotional and financial difficulties following a child’s life changing diagnosis.
• Hannah’s Appeal support children’s Oncology wards. Referrals of children with cancer and life limiting illnesses are reviewed by their team. The family can then enjoy a FREE quality fun break away at one of our luxurious holiday homes. All our homes are based on wonderful fun, family parks. On Hayling Island and the New Forest. The sites have indoor and outdoor pools, restaurants, arcades, club houses with great entertainment teams to entertain the whole family. Most importantly they are within half hour drives from hospital for peace of mind for everyone.
• Donna’s Dream House in Blackpool is a locally based trust, providing free holiday experiences for children and teenagers with life-limiting and life-threatening illnesses along with their families.
• Hallie’s Hideway offer stays at their accessible holiday homes for families with a child with a life threatening, life limiting or terminal illness aged between 0-18 years old.
• The Oliver Curd Trust provides holiday accommodation to families affected by childhood cancer and other life threatening and life-limiting conditions, including those experiencing bereavement.
• Thomas Theyer Foundation support children and young people with special educational needs and those experiencing difficult life circumstances, their families/carers. They also provide the opportunity for breaks for these children and young people, their families/carers.
• REACT Children’s Charity offer mobile homes in Blackpool, Lancashire, South Wales, Great Yarmouth, Berwickshire, Newcastle, Yorkshire, Kent. Families can apply for a week’s holiday.
• The Principle Trust Children’s Charity provide free holidays to underprivileged, disadvantaged and disabled children from across Yorkshire. They offer eight respite homes located in Blackpool, the Lake District and Filey, including fully accessible properties.
• Happy Days Children’s Charity based in Hitchin organises and funds special days such as trips to the seaside, theatres, zoos, museums, outdoor activity centres, sporting events and other educational and cultural activities for children right across the UK living with mental, physical and emotional difficulties.
• Family Fund work with UK partners to provide a range of accessible, fun and scenic breaks in the UK, or overseas.

Other resources for reducing the cost of days out

• Access Card translates your disability or impairment into easy-to-understand symbols. It’s nationally recognised across the UK and even in parts of Europe. It shows simple symbols for your child’s needs (like mobility, +1 carer, queue support etc.) so you don’t have to explain everything every time. In many places the carer also goes free.

Rachel Carluke, Family Information Officer

[email protected]

First published: April 2026

Review due: April 2027