Frequently asked questions

Answering your questions about supported dementia holidays

We understand you may have a question that is not answered below. If you have any queries or concerns, please contact us.

Due to the limited number of places, we ask that you book one holiday per year.

If you are interested in a second holiday, we can put you on a late cancellation waiting list, please contact us to discuss.

These holidays are for people living with dementia who would like a holiday with someone they know well, and in a small group of people with similar circumstances.

We ask that people living with dementia come with someone who knows them well. It could be your partner or main carer, but it could also be a friend or relative.

We do not provide personal care on our small group holidays, so with the support of your friend, partner or holiday supporter, you should be able to manage day-to-day activities such as getting out of bed, dressing, and washing.

Most of our breaks are suitable for wheelchair users and people with limited mobility (check each holiday description), but on some holidays you will need to manage a large step into the minibus.

If that doesn’t work for you, you may want to consider a tailored holiday.

We ask that people living with dementia come with someone who knows them well. It could be your partner, but it could also be a friend or relative.

We handpick the accommodation to ensure that venues are as dementia friendly as possible. Where possible, we source venues with wet rooms, and/or ensuite bathrooms.

Most of the properties have enclosed gardens, so people can access outside places independently.

We bring door signs to ensure people can easily find their bedrooms and bathrooms.

There are no key coded entrances or exits, or alarmed doors. If this is something that concerns you, please ensure you let us know when you book.

During your stay we will transport you to all your day trips and activities in our Dementia Adventure minibus.

We ask you to make your own way to the holiday meeting point.

As our holidays are all around the UK, it is unfortunately not possible to transport everyone to their holiday destination. The law holds specific requirements as to the length of time our drivers can be on the road. To pick everyone up from their homes around the UK to take them to their holiday destination would make for an extremely long and potentially distressing journey, especially for people with dementia.

If transport is an issue, please contact us. We may be able to offer support to some people depending on where they live, and we can suggest organisations who are specifically trained to transport people with dementia.

We highly recommend Driving Miss Daisy, who will provide you with a high quality, door-to-door transport service. Driving Miss Daisy is an international companion and driving service, renowned for offering a safe, caring and reliable service for people who find it difficult to get out and about. With over 30 service delivery teams across the UK they offer personal assistance from your living room to the starting point of you r holiday. All the drivers are DBS checked, private hire licensed, and first aid trained to ensure they can assist you with the highest level of care. The drivers are also Dementia Friends. For more information and to book their services visit https://drivingmissdaisy.co.uk/.

We strongly recommend that you take out travel insurance for your supported holiday.

Though we don’t recommend specific providers, if you need advice we do suggest taking a look at website MoneyHelper, which contains an excellent free guide on how to get travel insurance when you have a pre-existing medical condition or disability. Please don’t forget to read our Terms and Conditions, which include our cancellation policy.

We want you to have fun on your holiday, but your safety is our top priority.

Many of the people who attend our holidays and training could be classed as clinically vulnerable should they get COVID, or they may be supporting somebody who is classed as such.  We would kindly ask you to consider others and follow the recommendations below to keep the whole group safe:

  • All holidaymakers are asked to have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
  • Please do not attend if you have tested positive for Coronavirus or if you have any symptoms of Coronavirus.

We will make sure:

  • Members of our face-to-face delivery team are fully vaccinated.
  • Hand sanitiser and face masks are available in any vehicles, or holiday accommodation.
  • Rigorous cleaning protocols of holiday properties or training venues are maintained.

Please read our COVID-19 Statement.

Our team is fully vaccinated as per NHS guidelines.

Depending on the location, a typical five-day holiday is currently between £1,000 to £1,350 per person.

The advertised price covers you for your entire holiday, including accommodation; food; transport; activities; around-the-clock support for the length of your trip; and all the organisation in the run-up! Unless there are breakages or damage, we will not bill any additional expenses. 

Our holidays are available to people from all walks of life. As a charity we fundraise to make our holidays more affordable for everyone. This year, we’re responding to the current cost of living crisis by subsidising our 2023 holidays by a minimum of 30%. These subsidised prices are the ones you’ll see when you check the listed price for each destination, and are made possible using the donations we receive from our supporters. 

However, we know that funding your holiday can sometimes be difficult, and we don’t want finance to be a barrier to you getting the break you need. If the price of our holidays is still out of reach we might be able to offer you further financial help, support you with finding additional funding, or both. Find out more here, or contact us if you’re still feeling unsure. We will help to make your holiday possible.

What we offer:

  • Transparent pricing, with no hidden extras
  • Pricing that is subsidised by a minimum of 30%, reflected in our listed prices
  • Additional financial assistance for those who need it
  • Support with seeking further funding for your holiday

Dementia Adventure is a member of the Travel Trust Association, so your holiday payment will be placed in a trust account and protected by the TTA’s Guarantee.

The advertised price covers you for your entire holiday, including accommodation; food; transport; activities; around-the-clock support for the length of your trip; and all the organisation in the run-up! Behind every holiday there is a crew of people hard at work to ensure your trip goes off smoothly and safely, from scouting and booking locations to the nitty-gritty of meal plans and health-and-safety checks.

Dementia Adventure is not a normal holiday provider, so our prices aren’t just about the literal cost of accommodation and food. A huge part of our value lies in the detailed organisation we put into each of our holidays, and the time it takes to understand how we can best support you. This all needs to be taken into account when we look at how much a holiday costs us to run.

By running our holidays on a not-for-profit basis, working with fully-trained volunteers, and using donations and funding from our supporters to cover at least 30% of the holiday cost, we aim to give a break to as many people who need one as possible—regardless of their financial situation.

We know that getting a break is essential for people living with dementia and their families. Our holidays are available to people from all walks of life. We know that funding your holiday can sometimes be difficult. Because we don’t want finance to be a barrier to you getting the break you need, this year we’re subsidising our holidays by a minimum of 30%. These subsidised prices are the ones you’ll see when you check the listed price for each destination, and are made possible using the donations we receive from our supporters. 

However, if the price of our holidays is still out of reach we might be able to offer you further financial help, support you with finding additional funding, or both. Find out more here, or contact us if you’re still feeling unsure. We will help to make your holiday possible.

What we offer:

  • Transparent pricing, with no hidden extras
  • Pricing that is subsidised by a minimum of 30%, reflected in our listed prices
  • Additional financial assistance for those who need it
  • Support with seeking further funding for your holiday

As a charity, we fundraise to subsidise all our holidays by 30% to make our support more accessible.

Prices vary based on accommodation prices and time of year.

If the price of our holidays is out of reach we might be able to offer you further financial help, support you with finding additional funding, or both. Find out more here, or contact us if you’re still feeling unsure. We will help to make your holiday possible.

We will invoice a deposit of £200 per room at the reservation stage. This will be payable within 14 days to confirm your booking.

The balance will be due two months before departure.

Please contact us if you need to discuss a payment plan.

Dementia Adventure is a member of the Travel Trust Association. This means that your payment will be placed in a trust account and protected by the TTA’s Guarantee, ensuring that your money is kept safe and secure in the lead-up to your holiday.

The price you pay includes:

  • Four nights’ full board accommodation
  • All meals, including lunch and dinner on the first day and breakfast and lunch on the last day. Some of these will be in cafés and pubs as part of the planned itinerary, and some at ‘home’ in the accommodation
  • Complementary soft drinks, tea, and coffee
  • All activities and venue entrance charges
  • Transport throughout the holiday
  • Around-the-clock support from the Dementia Adventure team, on location and throughout the holiday
  • Pre- and post-booking support
  • Organisation, remote support, and personal communication in the run-up
  • One free photobook per booking 
  • Travel insurance. We advise you to take out insurance in case of cancellation or curtailment because of illness
  • Personal care. If you are not self-caring, the person who comes with you will need to be able to do this for you
  • Travel from home to meeting point
  • Alcoholic drinks. We will include a minimal amount of beer/wine with the shopping, but you may like to bring some of your favourite tipple with you if you like to have a drink in the evening
  • Additional drinks/snacks you wish to purchase when out and about

The price will vary depending on what you decide to build into your tailored holiday. We tend to include most of the below as standard, but these can be tweaked and customised to suit your needs:

  • Full board accommodation
  • Meals (including eating out)
  • Complementary soft drinks, tea, and coffee
  • All activities and venue entrance charges
  • Transport during the holiday
  • Support from the Dementia Adventure team on location throughout the holiday
  • Pre- and post-booking support.
  • One free photobook per booking
  • Personal care from an external agency – if required
  • Transport to and from the holiday – if required

Travel insurance is not included, nor any additional drinks and snacks you wish to purchase whilst we are out (unless part of the agreed itinerary).

The specific dementia support is varied, as it is individualised to each person on the holiday.

You will be supported by an Adventure Leader on each holiday, with at least one holiday supporter for every person living with dementia. The team is available to you 24 hours a day.

All tickets, accommodation, meals, and activities are organised for you, taking the stress out of the arrangements. Our team will do all the cooking and driving, and they will accompany you on all activities and day trips.

Support might also look like assistance with feeding, or spending time with the person with dementia so their companion can have a break.

We will support you in whatever way you need, so both of you get the most out of the whole holiday.

We are that extra pair of hands, eyes, and ears so you can relax and benefit from the break. We can provide as little or as much support as you require.

For every couple that books onto a holiday there is one or more people designated to them for support at all times—day or night.

Each team member is DBS checked, certificated in first aid training, and fully trained in understanding the key challenges of living with dementia, risk analysis for outdoor activities, communication and dementia, and safeguarding.

We do not provide personal care on our small group holidays, so with the support of your friend, partner, or holiday supporter, you should be able to manage day-to-day activities such as getting out of bed, dressing and washing.

On some holidays it may be possible to arrange support for washing and dressing from an external care provider at an additional cost. Please discuss this with us.

Yes. We ask you about this during the booking process. You will be required to bring all your personal hygiene supplies with you, including a mattress protector. We will help you with changing the bed if needed, and all our accommodation has access to washing machines.

Yes. All accommodation has access to a washing machine.

There will be activities and day trips each day of the holiday and we try to give you an idea of the types of things you may be doing on the web page for each destination.

We will send you the full itinerary two weeks before you travel but if you would like to know more about the activities before we go, please contact us. Though it’s rare, please note that while on holiday your itinerary may be subject to change in order to accommodate unexpected events or weather.

Group holidays – Start on the first day around lunchtime and finish with lunch/brunch on the last day.

Tailored holidays – Are more flexible (subject to staff availability). We will work with you to design a break that works for you.

Group holidays – We meet you either at the accommodation or nearby. We will confirm the exact time and location following the booking. The only exception is the Isle of Wight, where we will meet you at the Portsmouth Ferry Port.

Tailored holidays – We will discuss this with you as part of the plan for your individual holiday.

  • Sturdy walking boots or shoes
  • Warm layers of clothing
  • Wash kit and toiletries
  • Swimwear and towel for the beach
  • Waterproof jacket
  • Sunscreen and sunhat
  • Hat, scarf, and gloves
  • Water bottle
  • Due to the COVID-19 restrictions, some properties are not providing towels. We will let you know if this applies to you on booking.
  • Mattress protector (if required)
  • Personal hygiene supplies (if required)
  • If for any reason you need to cancel your booking, cancellation charges will apply and may be up to 100% of the booking cost, details of which are in our Terms and Conditions.
  • You may make amendments to your booking but there will be a charge for this, as detailed in our Terms and Conditions.
  • You should take out travel insurance that is appropriate to your needs at the time of booking or before.
  • We provide financial security as required by The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for package holidays. Dementia Adventure is a member of the Travel Trust Association. This means that your payment will be placed in a trust account and protected by the TTA’s Guarantee, ensuring that your money is kept safe and secure in the lead-up to your holiday.
  • If you have any complaints about the service we provide please contact us within 28 days of the act or omission giving rise to any such complaint.

If you test positive for COVID, or have symptoms, you must notify us of your need to cancel as early as possible (at the latest, 24 hours before your scheduled departure).

It is the responsibility of guests to purchase suitable travel insurance to cover against the risk of not being able to travel due to illness, or isolation due to COVID-19 or any other illness. We strongly recommend that you take out appropriate travel insurance at the time of booking.

Normal cancellation conditions, as detailed in our terms and conditions will apply in all cases. We will endeavour to resell the holiday places depending on the date of cancellation but this cannot be guaranteed.

We make every endeavour to ensure all of our holidays go ahead. If we have to cancel your holiday, you will have the choice of (i) taking an alternative holiday if available or (ii) withdrawing from the contract and accepting a full refund of all monies paid. Please see our Terms and Conditions for full details.

Yes. Dementia Adventure is a member of the Travel Trust Association. This means that your payment will be placed in a trust account and protected by the TTA’s Guarantee, ensuring that your money is kept safe and secure in the lead-up to your holiday.

Most of our holidays take place in the UK, but we have previously supported people to holiday abroad. Please contact us to chat about where you would like to go.