Accessible Travel: These Websites Cater To Travelling With Disabilities
With accessible travel increasingly becoming a priority around the world, there are several travel booking sites in the UK and beyond, that are making an effort to make travel more inclusive.
From planning holidays to accessible beaches to luxe hotels around the globe that have facilities for disabled travellers, we’ve shortlisted a few travel booking sites that are great for booking and planning holidays for travellers with disabilities and have plenty of helpful resources (and fab tours) to book this year, or to plan ahead. From wheelchair-friendly beach guides to companies that cater to travellers with autism, these websites are designed keeping in mind the needs of travellers with disabilities.
Handson Travel
A deaf-owned and led tour operator that was launched in 2002, Handson Travel has seventy local deaf guides and plans trips to over 60 countries. Focussing on great travel experiences for the deaf and hard of hearing, the company organises small group tours that go beyond the ordinary – from snorkelling in Australia to luxury camping in Morocco, the company organises some once-in-a-lifetime adventures that are curated and personalised to the needs of the group.
website: handson.travel
Limitless Travel
Founded in 2014, Limitless Travel was started by Angus Drummond, who was told that his illness would prevent him from walking – inspiring Drummond to create a safe space for travellers of any ability and age to travel safely and without limitations. Since then, Limitless Travel has taken thousands of people across the globe, from tracking wildlife in Kenya to swimming with dolphins in Curacao. Whether you use a wheelchair or you have an invisible disability like autism, the team is happy to accommodate travellers with different needs.
website: www.limitlesstravel.org
Wheel The World
Wheel The World focusses on travel experiences for travellers with disabilities, by providing accessible travel experiences from hotels to experiences. Whether you’re looking for day trips from London or a hotel that caters to a specific disability, the team can help guide you to the right places. The website also has a host of helpful information including accessible travel tips, wheelchair-friendly holiday destinations and other helpful material for anyone nervous about travelling with a disability. There’s a team of customer support operators who will happily curate your trip for you and help you plan the perfect holiday.
website: wheeltheworld.com
Disabled Travel
Catering exclusively to European destinations, Disabled Travel is a great resource if you’re looking for cruises, hotels and tours across Europe. From the beaches of the Azores islands to the museums of Copenhagen, Disabled Travel curates holidays across the most incredible European destinations, with tours suitable for slow-walkers and wheelchair users. The team even has an app to find accessible loos wherever you’re travelling.
The team has a reliable network of accessible service providers, travel agents, guides, transport, and taxi companies in wheelchair-accessible destinations across the world.
The team has a reliable network of accessible service providers, travel agents, guides, transport, and taxi companies in wheelchair-accessible destinations across the world.
website: disabledaccessibletravel.com
Enable Holidays
Specialists in holidays for disabled travellers, Enable Holidays provides tailor-made tours of India, Vietnam, Argentina, Cape Town and more, with guaranteed accessible and adapted rooms catering to different needs. Agents are available to help all throughout the holiday booking journey from when you’re scouting destination to when you’re actually on holiday – so if you’re stuck in an emergency, the team is available to help. From luxury villas and hotels across Portugal, Florida, Turkey and Austria to adventure-packed holidays wildlife safaris and adventure holidays in South Africa and India, the team is happy to curate the perfect holiday for you, based on your needs.
website: www.enableholidays.com
Travel Eyes International
With the aim of bringing vision-impaired and fully-sighted people together, Travel Eyes International organises holidays across the world. The tours are fabulous, and cater to a variety of interests, whether you’re looking for a countryside getaway, an adventure-packed holiday or a cultural immersion.
Groups are organised in such a way that sighted and vision-impaired travellers are paired together.
From exploring the Lake District and Yorkshire Dales to travelling across India’s golden triangle (New Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur) that takes you across palaces, temples and forts, Travel Eyes has some great tours to choose from. Groups are organised in such a way that sighted and vision-impaired travellers are paired together, with people swapping partners every day to make sure everyone in the group gets to know each other.
website: www.traveleyes-international.com
TUI
You can visit TUI’s stores across the UK or go online and chat with the assisted travel team, to make sure a holiday’s right for you. The website has a whole section dedicated to accessible travel, that caters to reduced mobility, access needs and non-visible and visible disabilities. You can also book airport assistance and accessible transfers, and there’s even a list of beaches that offer independent sea access for people with mobility issues, as well as a list of cruises that offer support to disabled travellers.