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Taking a holiday
Taking a break and having a holiday can do you the world of good. A change of scenery can give you a fresh outlook and help to recharge your batteries; whether it’s a short local break or a longer holiday going further afield.
The following information will hopefully help you to plan a holiday that takes into account your interests and needs.
Things to think about when booking a holiday
When you are arranging a holiday, there can be a number of things to think about to help it to run smoothly, particularly if you haven’t been away for a long time. The following checklist should help you with this.
- Using a travel agent - Make sure that any travel agent you use is a member of The Travel Association (ABTA). ABTA is the organisation which represents UK travel agents and tour operators. It is ABTA’s role to ensure that you benefit from high standards in the travel industry. ABTA members operate to a Code of Conduct and have had their finances checked, to minimise the risk of something going wrong. Travel agents who are members display an ABTA symbol in their windows and on their stationery, so that you can easily recognise whether they are a member. To find out more, contact ABTA using the details given below, or visit their website.
- Hiring a car - If you are planning to hire a car in the UK or abroad, check with the care hire company that you can get insurance cover first. Many companies have restrictions on age and you may find that you can’t get the insurance cover that you want.
- Travel insurance – Remember that you don’t have to buy your insurance from the travel company that you book your holiday with. You can shop around to make sure that you have the type of insurance that fits your needs and covers all of the activities that you intend to do on your holiday. Many companies offer annual travel insurance cover, which might work out cheaper for you, depending on the number of holidays you take each year. If you are travelling in the UK, you may already be covered under your existing home contents insurance, or you may be able to take out additional cover for the loss of personal possessions outside of the home. You can check all of this with your insurance company.
- Organising your own package - Putting your own ‘package holiday’ together is increasingly popular now, especially since more people are using the Internet. A package holiday is a pre-arranged combination of at least two of the following three elements: transport, accommodation, and other tourist services. If you are organising your own package and are making bookings over the Internet, you should ensure that you keep a record of all of the relevant booking reference numbers and confirmations that you receive.
- Travelling in a group - If you are travelling as part of a group, don’t rely on one person to make all of the arrangements in case they fall ill during the planning stages, or are unable to go on the holiday.
- Going away for a long time - If you’re planning a long stay holiday, check with your local social security office whether any benefits you receive will be affected.
See Age UK's Travel tips for more useful information to help plan your holiday.
Meeting your specific needs
If you can’t afford to pay for a holiday
Many older people have not had a holiday for many years and have no possibility of arranging or paying for one.
The National Benevolent Fund for the Aged (NBFA) provides free holidays for around 1,000 older people living on low incomes each year. Each holiday is to a UK seaside resort and includes coach travel, half-board accommodation in a hotel for six nights, entertainment and some excursions. Holidays take place in the late autumn and the early spring. NBFA will organise coach travel from a local pick-up point for you, which also gives you the chance to make new friends with people from the same area as you.
To qualify for a free holiday with NBFA, you need to:
- be aged over 60 years old;
- be living on a low income (this normally means that you receive Pension Credit, Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit);
- have not had a holiday for at least three years; and
- be able to get on and off a coach, manage steps and care for yourself.
You can apply for a free holiday with NBFA yourself; a professional care worker can refer you; or you could apply as part of a group to go together. Breaks are also provided for those who need daily care, with the choice for the carer to go or to take a separate break themselves.
The NBFA also have volunteering opportunities, including vacancies for volunteer couriers to accompany older people on the holidays.
To find out more about NBFA, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Charity Search is a free advice service for older people in financial difficulties who need help from charitable funds. They may be able to give you details of a relevant charity that could help. To find out more, contact Charity Search using the details given below.
If you have a disability
There are several organisations that can provide information and advice about going on holiday to older people, or to people who have mobility problems.
The Calvert Trust aims to enable people with disabilities, together with their families and friends, to achieve their potential through the challenge of outdoor adventure in the countryside. They aim to do this by providing a wide range of adventurous outdoor activities, meaningful challenges and adventures. They have skilled, qualified and caring staff who are able to fulfill the needs of visitors, accommodation appropriate to the needs of the visitors and facilities for families and friends to share the enjoyment and experience. For further information, visit the website.
Chalfont Line offer a range of escorted coach trips in the UK and abroad for slow walkers and wheelchair users. For more information, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Disabled Holiday Information has holiday information for wheelchair users and other people who have accessibility issues. For more information, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Disability North can also provide information on holidays for people with mobility problems or disabilities. To find out more, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Enable Holidays offer a range of overseas package holidays for disabled people, their families and friends. For more information, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Holidays with Help provide holidays for people with disabilities and their carers and also specialist respite care breaks. They can provide trained and experienced helpers, a choice of activities i.e. craft workshops, archery and indoor canoeing. For further information contact them using the details below or visit the website.
Smile Holidays is a specialist provider of all inclusive holidays for adults with learning disabilities. With a variety of destinations in England, Majorca, France and Malta each location has been carefully chosen to offer a choice of excursions, attractions, entertainment and fun. Their complete holiday package philosophy ensures that transport, designated meeting points, accommodation, support and care are planned and provided on a person centered basis. Their aim is to provide holidays which offer people real life opportunities, skill building, choice and social participation with the support of the caring and experienced Smile team. Contact them using the details below or visit the website for further information.
RADAR (Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation) produce an annual guide to accessible holiday accommodation in the UK and Ireland. This includes detailed information on around 1,500 places to stay and also gives information on advice services, voluntary and commercial organisations and transport. To find out more, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Tourism for All UK is a national charity which merged Holiday Care, Tourism for All and IndividuAll. They provide information to older people and people with disabilities on accessible accommodation and other tourism services. They can give advice on specialist tour operators and respite care facilities, and can give holiday suggestions. To find out more, contact Tourism for All UK using the details given below, or visit their website.
Vitalise is a national charity providing short breaks (respite care) and other services for disabled people, visually impaired people, and carers. Contact them using the details below or visit the website for further information.
If you are travelling alone
Single traveller supplements can apply if you take a holiday alone. The majority of hotels price their rooms as doubles or family rooms, and don’t reduce their rates if they are occupied by a single person. Hoteliers justify this by saying that the cost of providing the room is the same regardless of how many people occupy it. The same rule can also apply to self-catering accommodation.
The Single Travellers Action Group gives details of hotels and supplement-free holidays in the UK and abroad. Annual subscription costs £12, which includes three newsletters per year. To find out more, write to them using the details given below.
Travelling abroad
People aged over 50 years old currently represent about 35% of all trips made abroad. Research from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) reveals that nearly 70% of over 50s say that they are more adventurous with their trips now than they were ten years ago. Over a third have visited more than 20 countries and almost a fifth have taken part in adventure activities like bungee jumping or abseiling on recent holidays.
The FCO recommend taking the contact details of the nearest British Consulate (sometimes called UK Embassy) with you, as they could prove invaluable in times of trouble. You can find the details of these for each country on the Foreign & Commonwealth Office website.
Health advice
Ask your GP or Practice Nurse about any immunisations that you may need to have at least three months before travelling, if possible. You can also find out more by visiting the NHS Choices website, or the National Travel Health Network and Centre website.
Health insurance for travel in Europe
If you are travelling in Europe, you will need to apply for a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This is the replacement for the E111, which is no longer valid. The card entitles you to either reduced cost or sometimes free medical treatment in most European countries and is normally valid for three to five years. However, you should still always take out private health insurance, as an EHIC will not necessarily cover all of the costs of your treatment.
You can apply for a EHIC card free of charge by:
- calling telephone number 0845 606 2030;
- picking up an application form from the Post Office; or
- visiting the European Health Insurance Card website.
Health insurance for travel to the rest of the world
The UK also has bilateral agreements with a number of other countries, including many Commonwealth countries and countries in the former Soviet Union. However, when you travel to most of the rest of the world (including the United States of America, Canada, the Middle East, Asia and Africa), you must make sure you have private health insurance. These countries have no healthcare agreements with the UK.
To find out more about access to healthcare abroad, visit the NHS Choices website.
Passports
If you are planning to travel abroad, or in some cases within the UK, you are required to have a valid UK passport. Well in advance of travelling, check that your passport is valid and in good condition. Before you go on holiday make sure that the ‘Next of Kin’ details are filled in and take a photocopy to keep with you on your travels.
For detailed information about UK passports, contact your local passport office using the details below, or visit the Identity & Passport Service website.
The application process is the same if you wish to apply for a passport for the first time, or if you are renewing an existing passport. Application forms are available from Post Offices; by contacting the Passport Adviceline on telephone number 0300 2220000; or by completing an online information request and getting the application form sent to you. You can also fill in an application form online by clicking here.
Passport interviews are a new part of the application process to protect an individual’s identity. They are required by all customers, aged 16 or over, who are applying for a passport for the first time. The interview confirms that the passport application we have checked belongs to the customer and that they are the rightful owner of that identity.
Once you have completed your passport application form you might like to use the Check and Send service, which is offered by Post Offices and WorldChoice travel agencies. Click here to find your nearest Check and Send service.
It will take approximately 3 weeks for your application to be processed, but during busy periods it may take longer. It is important that you apply for your passport at least 6 weeks in advance of your date of travel, to ensure that you receive it on time.
From 3 September 2009, the current cost of a standard 10 year UK adult passport (first or renewal) is £77.50.
If you were born on or before 2 September 1929, your passport will be free of charge.
Travelling abroad with pets
The Pet Travel Scheme (PETS) allows cats, dogs and ferrets to travel with their owners to some countries and to re-enter the UK without having to go into quarantine. For more information, contact your vet or the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA), or visit the Pet Travel Scheme section of the DEFRA website.
Other useful organisations
SAGA Holidays specialise in holidays for people aged 50 years old and over in the UK and abroad. For more information, contact them using the details given below, or visit their website.
Gaps for Grumpies was created to respond to the increasing number of non-traditional ‘gappers’ - people whose children have left home and those who may have just retired or want a break between jobs. Gaps for Grumpies is particularly for those who want the opportunity to give something back, to travel to less traditional destinations or to experience the world's possibilities themselves - or they may just be asking "Why should their children have all the fun?"
They bring together development projects and holiday travel to offer people a unique experience. They aim to assist in community development, whilst at the same time enabling individuals to gain new exciting and challenging experiences through work and holiday travel. Specialising in group projects, they focus all their resources and passion into making your Gap for Grumpies lifechanging for you and your host community.
For further information visit the website or contact them using the details below.
Other useful information
Contact Information
ABTA - The Travel Association
68-71 Newman Street, London, W1T 3AH.
Telephone : 020 7637 2444, Fax : 020 7637 0713.
Email : abta@abta.co.uk
Chalfont Line
4 Providence Road, West Drayton, UB7 8HJ.
Telephone : 01895 459 540, Fax : 01895 459 549.
Email : holidays@chalfont-line.co.uk
Charity Search
25 Portview Road, Avonmouth, Bristol, BS11 9LD.
Telephone : 0117 982 4060, Fax : 0117 982 7070.
Email : judith@charitysearch.org.uk
Disability North
The Dene Centre, Castle Farm Road, Gosforth, Newcastle Upon Tyne, NE3 1PH.
Telephone : 0191 284 0480, Fax : 0191 213 0910, Minicom : 0191 285 7261.
Email : reception@disabilitynorth.org.uk
Disabled Holiday Information
P.O. Box 186, Oswestry, Shropshire.
Telephone : SY10 1AF.
Email : info@disabledholidayinfo.org.uk
Enable Holidays
26 The Green, Kings Norton, Birmingham, B38 8SD.
Telephone : 0871 222 4939, Fax : 0871 222 5753.
Email : info@enableholidays.com
Gaps for Grumpies
1 Pink Lane, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 5DW.
Telephone : 0191 233 2811.
Email : mike@gapsforgrumpies.com
Holidays with Help
4 Pebblecombe, Adelaide Road, Surbiton, Surrey, KT6 4LL.
Telephone : 0208 390 9752, Fax : 0208 390 9752.
Email : holidays.with.help@lineone.net
National Benevolent Fund for the Aged (NBFA)
32 Buckingham Palace Road, London, SW1 0RE.
Telephone : 020 7828 0200, Fax : 020 7828 0400.
Email : info@nbfa.org.uk
RADAR
12 City Forum, 250 City Road, London, EC1V 8AF.
Telephone : 020 7250 3222, Fax : 020 7250 0212, Minicom : 020 7250 4119.
Email : radar@radar.org.uk
SAGA Holidays
The SAGA Building, Enbrook Park, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 3SE.
Telephone : 0800 096 0089.
Email : reservations@saga.co.uk
Single Travellers Action Group (STAG)
Church Lane, Sharnbrook, Bedford, MK44 1HR.
Smile Holidays
Churchills, The Cotswolds, Southwick, Brighton, BN42 4GH.
Telephone : 01273 597995.
Email : enquiries@smilehols.com
Tourism for All UK
c/o Vitalise, Shap Road Industrial Estate, Kendal, Cumbria, LA9 6NZ.
Telephone : 0845 124 9971, Fax : 01539 735 567.
Email : info@tourismforall.org.uk
Vitalise
Telephone : 0845 345 1972.
Email : info@vitalise.org.uk
Article last updated November 29, 2011 2:56 pm
