The short answer
- Yes, for many people, and the stage decides the kind of tripA full holiday can suit somebody in the early stages. Later on, a day trip or a night close to home usually does more good than a week away.
- A change of scene can lift someone's moodTime outdoors is good for the wellbeing of people with dementia, and a settled daily routine helps a trip feel calm rather than unsettling.
- Somebody needs to be watching the whole timeNot just for the outings you have planned. That is usually what decides whether a trip goes well, whichever stage your relative is at.
- A carer who already knows them can often come tooFor their normal rate, £15 to £20 an hour for company, plus their own travel and a room.
Figures are what carers on PrimeCarers charge, with our fee included, and government rates for 2026/27. September 2026.
The short answer
Yes, and the stage of their dementia decides what kind of trip suits them
People with dementia can go on holiday, and plenty of families have a good week away. Whether it goes well depends far more on how the dementia affects your relative day to day than on the destination you choose.
The companionship that keeps somebody with dementia safe and engaged at home works the same way on holiday. It is the routine and the familiar face that do the good, not the view. Somebody in the early stages, still finding their way around most days, often copes well with a new place and enjoys the change of scene. Somebody further into the condition, who relies on a familiar room and a fixed daily pattern to feel settled, is usually more at ease somewhere that does not change from one day to the next.
The table below sets out how the same three questions, how long to go for, how much to change, and who needs to be there, tend to land differently at each stage. The seven stages of dementia explains what each stage means if you are not sure which one applies to your relative.
How long to go for
Early stage
Stages 1 to 3
A full week away can still work well, much as it did before diagnosis.
Middle stage
Stages 4 and 5
Try a night or two somewhere closer to home first, and build up from there if it goes well.
Late stage
Stages 6 and 7
A day trip out and back usually works better than a night spent away from home.
How much to change
Early stage
Stages 1 to 3
A new place rarely causes real difficulty on its own.
Middle stage
Stages 4 and 5
Keep the room, the meals and the daily pattern as close to home as you can manage.
Late stage
Stages 6 and 7
Familiar surroundings do more good than a new view, so weigh any change against what it disturbs.
Who needs to be there
Early stage
Stages 1 to 3
A travelling companion is a reassurance rather than a necessity.
Middle stage
Stages 4 and 5
Somebody needs to be watching for the whole trip, not just the outings you have planned.
Late stage
Stages 6 and 7
The same face throughout matters as much as it does at home, and they should not be left alone at any point.
If your relative is somewhere between two of these, or you are not sure which stage fits, it is worth erring on the side of the smaller trip. A short break that goes well can always be followed by a longer one, and a long trip that does not go well is harder to recover from for everybody.
Before you decide
Signs a holiday is likely to go well, and signs to choose something smaller
A stage on a scale is only ever a guide. These everyday signs tend to matter more than the label a memory clinic has given your relative.
Signs it is likely to go well
- Still recognises where they are most of the time, even somewhere new
- Enjoys company and a change of scene rather than finding new faces unsettling
- Has slept reasonably well on a recent night away, or has not needed to test it yet
- Is still described as early or middle stage by their GP or memory clinic
- Has someone who knows them well free to be there for the whole trip
Signs to wait, or choose something smaller
- Gets distressed by an unfamiliar bathroom or bedroom, especially at night
- Has started to wander, or needs watching closely once it gets dark
- Has had a recent infection, a fall, or a stay in hospital
- Finds a change to their daily routine upsetting rather than something to look forward to
- Nobody is free to be with them for the whole trip, not just the outings you have planned
Three or more ticks on the right is not a reason to rule out a holiday altogether. It usually means choosing something smaller: a shorter trip, closer to home, with the same person there the whole time, rather than the longer break you might once have taken together. The Alzheimer's Society's advice is to try a night away somewhere closer to home before committing to somewhere further afield, and a day trip is often the easiest place to start of all.
While you are there
The kind of day that tends to work
Once you are away, keeping the day itself simple does more good than an ambitious itinerary. A few habits make the difference between a holiday that refreshes and one that exhausts everybody.
Time outdoors
Nature and fresh air
One thing a day
Keep the itinerary light
Familiar kinds of activity
Not a new hobby
A plan for a bad day
Build in downtime
Making it happen
Choosing how to go, and who goes with them
Once you have decided a holiday is worth trying, three practical questions usually decide the shape of the trip: who comes with your relative, where you go, and how you pay for it.
The journey there is often harder than the stay itself. A change of surroundings, unfamiliar noise and a long wait can unsettle somebody with dementia and trigger anxiety or confusion before the holiday has even started. It helps to choose whichever way of travelling your relative already knows and finds comfortable, a familiar car journey, a direct train, or a short flight, rather than whatever is fastest or cheapest on paper, and to build in time so nothing feels rushed.
If travelling does not feel like the right move this year, that is a reasonable place to land. Respite care lets your relative stay somewhere familiar while a carer covers the days you would normally be there, and find a carer is where to search near you or near wherever you decide to go instead. The fuller figures for what a carer costs, at home or away, are on companion carer costs.
Questions
Questions families ask about dementia and holidays
Yes, and plenty of families have a good week away, especially in the earlier stages of dementia. Whether it works depends far more on how the dementia affects your relative day to day than on the destination. The seven stages of dementia explains what to expect at each stage.
Yes. In the early stages, a full week away can work as well as it always did. In the middle and later stages, a shorter trip closer to home, with the same room and the same person there throughout, usually suits your relative better than a longer holiday further afield.
A day trip, or a night away somewhere close to home, is a smaller step to try first, and it is what the Alzheimer's Society recommends before committing to somewhere further afield. If even that feels too much this year, respite care lets your relative stay somewhere familiar while you take a break instead.
It depends far more on the stage of the dementia than on the ship. A cruise can suit somebody in the early stages who still enjoys a change of scene, but a moving ship, a new cabin and a different port each day raise the risk of falls and disorientation, which is often the harder kind of holiday later on. Should a person with dementia go on a cruise? sets out what to weigh up.
Yes. If your relative already has a carer through PrimeCarers, ask whether they would consider coming away, for their normal rate of £15 to £20 an hour, plus their own travel and a room agreed in writing before you book. Can you take a carer on holiday with you? has the full breakdown.
Attendance Allowance is the most reliable source for most families, worth £77 or £115 a week in 2026/27 and yours to spend on a carer or anything else that helps. A council will rarely fund the leisure side of a trip, but if your relative already has an assessed direct payment for care, it can sometimes be used to cover extra hours away too. Attendance Allowance: who qualifies and how to claim.