Planning and funding a break
Planning a break independently can feel like a daunting prospect. On the other hand some people may know what they want to do, but need financial support to make it happen.
In this section:
What support can I get to plan and fund a break?
Our Guide to Short Breaks is designed to give you ideas and inspiration to help you decide what kind of break is right for you, and guide you through the process of planning it. It has information about all aspects of taking a break, including:
- Who can help you find a break
- Standards you should expect
- Support with caring
- Finding residential respite care
- Who can help you pay for your break
- Where you can hire equipment
- How you can get there, including going abroad
- Getting insurance
You can download the Guide to Short Breaks, or order a printed copy via our online shop.
If you would like extra one-to-one support to help find and plan your break, call our Information team on 020 8438 0799 or email infoteam@mssociety.org.uk.
The Carers UK factsheet ‘Taking a Break’ gives specific information for families and carers, including getting help through social services and any effect on benefits. Find the factsheet on their website.
Local support
Support volunteers in our local branches are also being recruited and trained across the UK to give information and support to people with and affected by MS to help them plan and take the break they want. They will also have local knowledge of places available for breaks and respite care.
Financial support
If you need financial support to help pay for your break, our Short Breaks and Activities Fund considers grants for people with MS and carers for short breaks, holidays, activities and respite care. Find out more by contacting the Grants team at grants@mssociety.org.uk or 020 8438 0700.
You can find information about other sources of funding in our Guide to Short Breaks, or check out Tourism for All's Guide to Financial Help Towards the Cost of a Holiday or Respite Break. They request a small donation of £3.50 to cover their costs.
What else is out there?
We’re always finding out about useful websites, tools or resources that might be able to help you find and plan the break of your choice. Some of these which are not in the Guide to Short Breaks are listed below:
Finding accessible accommodation
- Open Britain is a comprehensive directory of accessible accommodation and places to go in the UK. You can search by specific accessibility needs, then narrow down the options by area to find places that can meet your needs. You can also read comments and see star ratings from other people who've already visited.
- Can Do Holidays specialises in personally inspected UK holiday accommodation for people with disabilities. You can search online for options that meet your specific accessibility needs, or if you can't find what you want, ring the team on 0800 298 3052. The service is free to use.
- Disability Rights UK have launched Holidays 2012: A guide for disabled people. Written by and for disabled people, the guide is an essential read to find out more about accessible and inclusive holidays. The first part provides advice and guidance to help you organise your trip and includes a list of organisations and resources you may find useful. The second part offers an armchair tour of the British Isles to help you decide where you might want to go and let you know about some of the local resources available to you in each region. You can buy a copy here.
- Some MS Society branches own self-catering holiday homes that are set up and equipped to cater for people with MS. The Wareham & Purbeck branch has an online database of some branch accommodation that is available across the UK.
Accessible transport
- Find out about accessible rail travel on the Rail Travel Made Easy website, including Passenger Assistance services and National Rail's new Stations Made Easy tool.
- The Accessible Travel booklet produced by DPTAC (Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee) covers all the different ways of getting around as a disabled person in the UK and abroad. They don’t produce a printed version, but you can download the booklet from our online library catalogue.
- If you decide a respite care break is what suits you best, then finding a care home which meets your needs and preferences is important. Our Care Home Checklist can give you ideas for things to ask or look out for during your search.
- The Carers UK factsheet ‘Taking a Break’ gives specific information for carers, including getting help through social services and any effect on benefits. Find the factsheet on their website.
More ideas and inspiration
One of the best ways to get ideas and inspiration about different kinds of breaks is to find out what other people have done, and where and how they've got the support they need.
We're working on ways to enable people affected by MS to share their views and experiences of short breaks with each other, but in the meantime, these websites might give some initial ideas to get you thinking about what's possible.
- Disability Horizons is an online lifestyle magazine with disabled traveller reviews of destinations all over the world. You can also send in your own stories.
- Disabled Travel Guide has personal reviews and ratings of hotels, attractions and locations and music venues in the UK and abroad. Why not add your own reviews of places you’ve visited?
- Youreable is an online community of and for disabled people with a forum on advice on holidays and accessible travel.
- The MS Society's Facebook page and forums are a great way to connect with other people with and affected by MS from all over the UK. They have plenty of local knowledge and experience of all kinds of breaks and holidays - why not tap into it?
If you know of any other useful forums, websites or publications related to short breaks, holidays or respite care, that you'd like to share with other people affected by MS, please write to shortbreaks@mssociety.org.uk or phone 020 8438 0805 with details.
