Booked for the break, and only the break
The carer works the dates you are away. There is no ongoing arrangement to set up, and nothing carries on once you are home.
Respite holidays
A respite holiday with a carer of your own
Choose the holiday, and a self-employed carer from near home comes too and does the caring, so your relative gets a change of scene and the family carer gets a rest. One booking for the dates you are away, agreed before you go. You choose the carer and meet them first.
Take a carer with you
Tell us the dates, where you are going and what the carer would do, and we will set your account up as you go.
Prefer to talk it through? Call 0203 369 3624
A break for both of you
Booked for the trip, and nothing after.
Why it is simple
A carer for the break, not an ongoing arrangement
A respite holiday is one trip, so the arrangement is one trip too. You book one carer for the dates you are away, and that is all there is to manage.
Your holiday, your dates
A cottage, a hotel or a caravan you choose, rather than the dates and place a provider has free.
The family carer is off duty
The carer takes over the hands-on care, so the person who usually does it can rest, sleep and enjoy the week.
On the trip
What the carer does, so the family can rest
The journey there and back
Luggage, the car or the train, toilet stops, and the waiting about that tires your relative out.
Mornings and evenings
Getting up, washed and dressed, and getting settled at night, in rooms that are not their own.
Medicines and personal care
The help your relative has at home, at the usual times and done the way they like it.
Days out
Pushing the wheelchair, finding the step-free way in, and spotting when it is time for a sit down.
Evenings off for you
Someone to sit with your relative while you go for a walk, a meal or an early night.
A proper rest
Agree the carer's hours and breaks before you go, so everyone knows who is on duty and when.
How it works
Four steps to a week off
Tell us about the break
The dates, where you are going, what the carer would do and where your relative lives. It takes about two minutes.
Hear from carers near home
Create your free account and the trip goes to carers near your relative. Read their profiles, rates and reviews, and message the ones you like.
Meet before you go
A video call or a short visit, so your relative is not going away with a stranger. You choose the carer.
Agree the plan, then rest
Hours on duty, breaks, who pays for the carer's travel, room and meals. Write it down, then hand over.
Who it suits
When a carer of your own is the better respite
A husband or wife who cares all year
You both go away, and for once you are on holiday too.
Someone who does best with one face
One carer for the whole trip, met before you leave, rather than a rota of staff at a centre.
A parent of a disabled adult
A break somewhere you choose, with help that fits your son or daughter.
Families who want to pick the place
The cottage you have been to for years, on the dates the family can all make.
Side by side
Care-included breaks and a carer of your own, compared
Each route suits a different person: who gives the care, what happens at night, where you can go, and how the price is made up.
A break with care included
At a respite centre or a hotel with its own care team
A group holiday with carers
A trip run by a specialist company or charity
A carer of your own
On a holiday you choose, with a carer you have met
The care
Who gives the care
A break with care included
The provider's own staff, who look after several guests at once
A group holiday with carers
Carers or volunteer helpers who travel with the group
A carer of your own
One self-employed carer, chosen by you and working only with your relative
Help at night
A break with care included
Some promise care around the clock and some do not, so ask each one
A group holiday with carers
Ask the organiser what cover there is after the evening
A carer of your own
Only what you agree with the carer before you go. A live-in carer has a room of their own and needs their sleep
Equipment such as hoists and profiling beds
A break with care included
Ask what is on site. Places built for disabled guests may have it ready in the room
A group holiday with carers
Depends on the hotels and transport the organiser uses
A carer of your own
You find a place that has it, or hire it near where you stay
The holiday
Where you go
A break with care included
The centre or hotel itself, and the trips it runs
A group holiday with carers
The organiser's itinerary, on their dates
A carer of your own
Anywhere you choose, on your own dates
Can the family carer come too
A break with care included
Some welcome a partner or carer as a guest, so ask before you book
A group holiday with carers
Ask the organiser, as some take a partner or friend as a paying guest
A carer of your own
Yes, and the carer takes over the hands-on care so you can rest
The cost
How it is priced
A break with care included
One price from the provider for the room, meals and care, set by them
A group holiday with carers
One price per person from the organiser, set by them
A carer of your own
The carer's rate: £15 to £20 an hour for company, £18 to £25 with personal care, or from £1,050 a week to live in, our fee included
What you pay on top
A break with care included
Travel there, and any trips or extras the provider lists
A group holiday with carers
Whatever the organiser lists as not included
A carer of your own
Your own holiday, and the carer's travel, room and meals, agreed with the carer before you book
Who it tends to suit
A good fit when
A break with care included
Your relative needs hoisting or care from more than one person, and you want everything in one place
A group holiday with carers
Your relative enjoys company and a planned trip, and can manage a full day out with others
A carer of your own
Your relative does best with one familiar face, or you want to choose the place and the dates
The biggest difference is who gives the care. At a respite centre or on a group trip, the staff look after several guests. With a carer of your own, one person looks after your relative, and you meet them before you go. For somebody living with dementia, or anybody who finds new faces hard, that can matter more than the destination. A centre built for disabled guests may have hoists and enough staff for care that needs two people at once, so if your relative needs two people for every transfer, a centre may suit better. Holidays for disabled adults in the UK explains how to check that a place is as accessible as it says.
Breaks with care included
Organisations that run holidays with care included
These are the organisations we found still offering them in October 2026. Prices, dates and the care they can manage are for each one to confirm.
Revitalise used to run accessible holiday centres with care on site. Its website says it closed its centres in 2024, and it now gives grants towards breaks that disabled people and carers arrange for themselves.
- Calvert Kielder, in Kielder Water and Forest Park in Northumberland, runs respite breaks for adults with 24-hour care, an en-suite room, meals and activities. Its page gives the current price for a 7-night stay.
- Holidays with Help is a charity that runs respite care breaks for people with disabilities and their carers, with trained helpers. It says it cannot provide 24-hour nursing care.
- Limitless Travel sells accessible coach holidays, cruises and holidays abroad, and says it brings qualified carers on every trip.
- The Disaway Trust is a charity that organises group holidays for physically disabled people, with volunteer helpers.
- Dementia Adventure is a charity that runs supported holidays for people living with dementia.
If a provider gives personal care, it should be registered with the Care Quality Commission in England, and you can read its latest inspection report before you pay a deposit. Ask who is on duty at night, how medicines are handled, what equipment is in the room, and what the price includes, in writing.
Help with the cost
Where help with paying for a respite holiday can come from
There is no single fund for a respite holiday, but several sources can help, and they can be combined.
The council is the place to start. Councils only pay for respite for people they have assessed as needing it, after a needs assessment and a carer's assessment. If the family carer needs a break, the council may fund respite, as care while you are away or help towards a break, and it may means-test what it pays. If your relative already receives direct payments, ask whether they can pay for care during a holiday, and get the answer in writing.
Attendance Allowance is paid to people over State Pension age who need help with personal care or supervision, at £77 or £115 a week in 2026/27. It is not means-tested, and your relative can spend it as they choose, including on a carer or a break.
Several charities give grants towards a break, including Revitalise, for disabled people and carers aged 18 or over, and the 3H Foundation, towards accommodation for disabled people and their carers on a low income. Carers Trust's local carer centres may know of grants near you, and Turn2us has a free grant search. Each charity sets its own rules, so read their pages before applying.
How carers are checked
The checks behind every carer on PrimeCarers
PrimeCarers is an introductory service. It is not a care agency, does not employ carers and does not provide care. Every carer is self-employed and agrees the details of the trip directly with your family.
Before a carer's profile appears on the site, four checks have been completed: their identity, their right to work in the UK, an enhanced DBS check (PVG in Scotland, Access NI in Northern Ireland) issued within the last 2 years, and an online interview.
We do not check qualifications, training or references. The reviews and references on a profile have not been verified by us, so ask the carer about the experience that matters for your relative, and meet them before you go. What we check, and what we don’t.
- Identity
- Checked before the profile goes live
- Right to work
- Checked before the profile goes live
- Enhanced DBS, PVG or Access NI
- Issued within the last 2 years
- Online interview
- Before they can take a booking
Holiday guides
Planning the trip
Where to go, how to travel and what to plan for, one question to each guide.
Bringing a carer with you
- Can you take a carer on holiday with you?Who can come, what changes about the cost, and how to plan the trip.
- Taking a live-in carer on holidayRest, a room of their own and the extra costs to agree for a longer trip.
- A travel companion for an older personPaying a companion carer to travel with a parent who would otherwise go alone.
Where to go
- Holidays in the UK for an older person with limited mobilityUK regions that suit an older relative, and coach holidays.
- Holidays for disabled adults in the UKHow to check a destination properly, and specialist holiday providers.
- Accessible seaside towns in the UKStep-free seafronts, Blue Badge parking and beach wheelchairs.
- Accessible holidays in CornwallWhere to stay and places to visit with step-free access.
- Accessible holidays in DevonWhere to stay and places to visit with step-free access.
- Accessible holidays in the Lake DistrictWhere to stay and places to visit with step-free access.
- Accessible holidays in NorfolkWhere to stay and places to visit with step-free access.
- Accessible holidays on the Yorkshire coastWhere to stay and places to visit with step-free access.
- Accessible holidays in North WalesWhere to stay and places to visit with step-free access.
Holidays when your relative has dementia
- Should someone with dementia go on holiday?What tends to work at each stage, and the signs to look for.
- Dementia-friendly holidaysWhat makes accommodation and a routine work, and providers who specialise.
- Should someone with dementia go on a cruise?What to weigh up before you book a cruise.
- Flying with dementiaAirport assistance, the journey and what to tell the airline.
Getting there and the paperwork
- Flying with a wheelchairBooking assistance at a UK airport and taking mobility equipment.
- Cruises for older and disabled passengersAccessible cabins, help on board and bringing a carer.
- Travel insurance with a medical conditionDeclaring conditions, and insuring the carer as well.
- Using a Blue Badge abroadWhere a UK badge is recognised and what to carry.
Questions families ask
Respite holidays, answered
A break away from home in which somebody else provides the care, so that the person who needs care has a change of scene and the family member who looks after them can rest. It can be a stay at a respite centre or a hotel with its own care staff, a group holiday with carers, or a holiday you choose yourselves with a carer of your own.
Yes. A self-employed carer from near home can travel with your relative and help through the days you agree. It is booked for the trip only. Tell us about the break at the top of this page and carers near your relative can get in touch. The carer's travel, room and meals are agreed with them in writing before you book.
There is no set holiday price. You agree the rate with the carer, and it is on their profile with our fee included: carers on PrimeCarers charge £15 to £20 an hour for company, £18 to £25 with personal care, or from £1,050 a week to live in. A bank holiday is 1.5 times the normal rate and Christmas Day 2 times. Travel is only charged if it is agreed in advance in writing.
A few. Revitalise closed its centres in 2024 and now gives grants instead. Calvert Kielder in Northumberland runs respite breaks with 24-hour care, and Holidays with Help runs respite care breaks with trained helpers. Travel companies and charities such as Limitless Travel and the Disaway Trust run group holidays with carers or volunteer helpers. Check with each one what care they can manage.
Councils only pay for respite for people they have assessed as needing it, after a needs assessment and a carer's assessment. If the assessments show the family carer needs a break, the council may fund respite, and it may means-test what it pays towards. Ask early, and get the answer in writing.
With a carer on PrimeCarers, a visit you cancel is payable in full unless the reason is unplanned hospitalisation, illness, or another reason the carer agrees to. PrimeCarers charges nothing itself to cancel. For a care-included break, the provider's own cancellation terms apply, so read them before paying a deposit and check your travel insurance.
Then a carer can cover at home while the family carer goes away. Holiday cover while you are away explains how that works, and holidays for unpaid carers covers breaks and grants for the family carer.
Think about whether a new place will unsettle them, and whether one familiar carer would help more than a group setting. Should someone with dementia go on holiday? helps you decide, and Dementia Adventure runs supported holidays for people living with dementia.
Book the break you both need
Tell us the dates and where you are going, and hear from carers near home who could come too. Free to ask, and no obligation.