A good holiday can give much pleasure and the opportunity to relax and get away from it all. Holidays for disabled groups often require additional planning, compared to holidays involving just one or two disabled travellers.
If you plan to visit local attractions as a group, it may be a good idea to inform them of your visit so that they may offer any necessary advice regarding access for disabled visitors, such as if there are ramps available for wheelchair users and if the majority of the location is on even ground.
Informing the attraction of your visit will also enable them to make any necessary arrangements with regard to assistance etc, should that be the case. Also, if anyone in the group either able bodied or disabled, has visited the location previously they can provide feedback on issues such as step free access and the provision of facilities for the disabled, such as toilets and parking spaces for disabled visitors etc.
Depending on how many disabled travellers are on the holiday, and the types of disability they have, you should ensure that the disabled holiday maker to assistant ratio is adequate to ensure that the disabled travellers enjoy their holiday and are able to receive assistance if need be.
If booking your holiday through a company that caters especially for disabled groups of holiday makers you should ensure that they have both the understanding and experience in accommodating the needs of the disabled traveller. Often a representative from the company will have already visited the destination of your choice, but you can confirm this with the company, to assess its suitability for the disabled holiday maker.
Staff will usually be able to advise on the suitability of your destination choice, with regard to your disability. This can include ensuring that you have a ground floor room or one that is fitted with grab rails or any other facilities that will make your holiday enjoyable.
Before making the final booking it may be a good idea to get confirmation in writing from the company that the facilities you have requested will be available at your holiday accommodation. It is also worth asking about things such as will there be access for disabled holiday makers to, if available, the swimming pool, access to a mobility scooter to help you get around the immediate area or accessible coaches for day trips out from your base, if you wish to venture further afield.
A number of group holidays offer the option of able bodied and disabled holiday makers enjoying a holiday together.
Activity Holidays
There are also activity holiday centres that are able to cater for the disabled holiday maker, either as a group, as an individual or as a family. Activities on offer can include camping, archery, sailing, canoeing, abseiling, hill walking, riding, swimming, hill walking, trap driving and orienteering. These activity holidays are often offered on a fully catered or self catering basis. Some activity holiday centres will also be able to offer indoor activities such as an indoor climbing wall.