The short answer
- Yes, once it is agreed with the carerA live-in carer can travel with your relative, but it is not automatic. PrimeCarers introduces you to the carer rather than arranging the trip itself.
- Budget for more than the usual weekly rateTravel, the carer's own stay and food, and any extra pay for the holiday itself sit outside what a carer usually charges at home.
- Agree rest, sleep and a room of their ownA live-in carer needs the same proper time off and privacy away from home that they get in the usual week, and it takes planning to arrange.
- Sort insurance and paperwork before you bookTravel insurance for both of them, and if you are leaving the UK, a free GHIC each and passports checked in good time.
PrimeCarers introduces families to self-employed carers, so a holiday together, and everything it costs, is a conversation between you and the carer rather than something PrimeCarers arranges or manages.
The short answer
Yes, once it is agreed with the carer, not assumed
A live-in carer can go away with your relative, and for a lot of families it turns into one of the best things about [live-in care](/live-in-care): a familiar face and the usual support in a different place, rather than a break from it. But it is a private arrangement between you and the carer, the same as any other change to the usual week. PrimeCarers introduces you to a carer and does not arrange or manage the trip itself.
Before you book anything
- Ask the carer well in advance, so they can think about their own plans and paperwork
- Agree in writing what is extra: travel, accommodation, food and any holiday pay
- Check both your relative's and the carer's travel insurance before you book
- Talk through rest and privacy before you choose the accommodation
Don't assume
- That the usual weekly rate covers a holiday, it usually does not
- That a carer's own travel insurance covers them while they are working abroad
- That any hotel room or twin room will do for a carer who needs proper rest
- That the carer will raise cost or rest themselves if you don't ask first
Most carers are glad to be asked, especially if they already know your relative well, and a trip together can suit both of them: a change of scene, and a working week that looks different from the one before it. What are live-in carers entitled to? sets out the wider expectations most families and carers settle on for an ordinary week, and it is a fair starting point for a working holiday too.
If you are travelling with a pet, or would like the carer to spend more time on company and less on chores while you are away, say so when you first ask. Some carers are glad to help with a pet's routine on top of looking after your relative, or to focus more on companionship during the trip, but neither is something to assume: Can a live-in carer look after a pet? covers what is reasonable to ask of a carer at home, and the same applies away from it.
What it costs
Budget for more than the usual weekly rate
A carer's usual pay covers their work at your relative's home. Away from it, a few things typically sit outside that rate, and it is worth pricing them before you agree a destination.
A week at home
£1,050–£1,400
a week on PrimeCarers, our fee included
- The carer’s usual work: personal care, meals, medication, company and the household jobs agreed at the start
- A room of their own and, in most arrangements, their food, provided by your relative at no extra charge
- Time off during the day and a full night’s sleep, built around your relative’s routine
A week on holiday
Agreed separately
travel, stay and any extra pay, on top of the usual rate
- Travel to and from the destination for the carer, the same as for your relative
- A separate room or an adjoining one, so the carer gets proper rest away from the routine of home
- Food and days out while you are away, unless a package already covers them
- Extra pay for the holiday itself, if the carer asks for it and you agree a figure
None of this needs to be complicated, and a holiday together does not have to cost much more than staying at home if you keep the accommodation modest, a family cottage with a spare room, or an adjoining hotel room, rather than booking the carer their own separate holiday. What matters is agreeing a figure before you book flights or a place to stay, in writing, the same way you would agree how much a live-in carer is paid for an ordinary week. Do live-in carers get paid for travel? covers the separate question of travel to and from the placement itself, which works differently from a holiday together.
Rest and privacy
A live-in carer still needs proper rest and a room of their own
The reasons a carer has set time off and their own space at home do not stop applying on holiday. If anything they matter more, because travel, a different bed and a change of routine are tiring for your relative and the carer both.
Worth agreeing before you go
0 of 4 ticked
Rest and sleep
While you are away
None of this is a legal entitlement in the way it might be for an employee. Carers who work through PrimeCarers are self-employed, and PrimeCarers does not set or enforce their hours, so what a carer gets in terms of rest and privacy on holiday is whatever you agree with them directly, the same as where live-in carers sleep at home. A carer who is worn out partway through the trip cannot give your relative the same care, so it is worth treating rest as part of the plan rather than an afterthought.
Planning the trip
How to plan the trip, step by step
Four steps, starting well before you book anything.
- 1
Ask the carer, and give them time to think
As soon as you are thinking about itNot every carer wants to work away from home, and that is a reasonable answer. Asking early lets them think about their own plans and paperwork. - 2
Agree the extra costs in writing
Before you book anythingTravel, accommodation, food and any extra pay, confirmed in a message or email so nobody is guessing once you are away. - 3
Sort insurance and paperwork
Several weeks beforeCheck your relative's travel insurance covers their needs, ask whether the carer's own cover extends to working abroad, and if you are leaving the UK, both of you can apply for a free GHIC and it is worth checking passports are in date. - 4
Book with the carer's rest in mind
When you bookA separate room or at least a separate bed, and a pace that leaves time to properly switch off, rather than a packed itinerary built around your relative alone.
Questions
Questions families ask about carers and holidays
Not automatically, but most families do. A carer's usual weekly rate covers their work at your relative's home; travel, their own accommodation and food, and any extra pay for a working holiday are separate and worth agreeing in writing before you book. How much is a live-in carer paid? covers what the usual rate includes.
Check rather than assume. A carer's personal travel insurance may not cover them while they are working, the same way an ordinary car insurance policy does not automatically cover business driving. Ask the insurer directly whether the policy covers working duties abroad, and get the answer in writing.
A UK Global Health Insurance Card gives access to state healthcare that cannot reasonably wait until you are back in the UK, free of charge to apply for, in EU countries and a few others including Switzerland and Norway. It is not a replacement for travel insurance, and anyone travelling, including the carer, can apply for their own card at nhs.uk.
Not for an ordinary holiday. Attendance Allowance can continue to be paid for the first 13 weeks of a temporary absence abroad, and you only need to tell the office that pays it if the trip will be four weeks or longer. Attendance Allowance covers the rates and how to claim.
Yes. Search live-in carers by postcode, read their profiles and message the ones you like, then ask directly about travelling with a client before you book anyone. How do I hire a live-in carer? covers searching and messaging carers in more detail.
That is a reasonable answer, and it is worth asking early enough that it does not derail the trip. Some families book a second, temporary carer for the days away while their usual carer has time off. Can I hire a live-in carer temporarily? covers arranging short-term cover.