by Anais Durand

Have you always wanted to take a trip abroad but couldn’t due to your care needs? Look no further! Altogether Travel can be your holiday companion.  At bespoken we know that trying to organize a trip on your own when you have special health care needs can be extraordinarily challenging. This week we have a chat with Stephen Chalmers, the founder of Altogether Travel, Scotland’s only supported travel company which provides care and assistance to the traveller to ensure they get the most out of their holiday. 

Altogether Travel combines the services of a travel company and care company to assist customers to plan, book and provide a holiday companion to look after any care or support needs. Their holiday escorts can accompany individuals throughout the UK and overseas, and they will arrange suitable accommodation, transport, etc. to cater to the traveller’s needs. They are currently the only Care Inspectorate registered travel company in Scotland.

It started with a small idea…

Back in 2012, founder Stephen Chalmers realised that there was an enormous gap between travel companies and care providers. He decided to use his entrepreneurial skills to combine the two in order to provide better access to travelling and holidays for people with numerous health care needs and disabilities, such as the elderly, individuals with physical and learning disabilities, mental health problems, sensory impairment and people with limited mobility. Stephen was able to make use of his 25 years of experience working in the social care sector, having seen the difficulties people face when booking a holiday and their reluctance to travel or take short breaks due to the importance of their needs.

Tailored holidays for all!

Altogether Travel offers tailor made holidays with specialised support structures, depending on the needs of the passengers and their destinations. As every package is tailored to fit the traveller’s needs, such as need for assistance with care, and how many hours per day the assistance is needed, prices vary. Altogether Travel can provide the customer with a qualified carer that can act as a travel companion who will provide full care and assistance to the traveller according to the urgency of their needs – whether they need one-to-one support for the full duration of their holiday or simply at certain moments of the day. The escort, who is usually recruited directly from a healthcare agency, can accompany a family and provide support with accommodation, transport procedures, luggage handling and security/check-in procedures at airports to ensure they enjoy their holiday with dignity and respect.

Where do I start planning my dream holiday?

Altogether Travel doesn’t have any brochures; their customers simply contact them and state where they would like to go. The travel agents then work hard to research and source the right accommodation and holiday support to make it happen. The number of repeat customers that use Altogether Travel to arrange and support their holidays is testament to the incredibly thorough job done by the staff. Stephen tells me that one particular traveller has already used their services three times, and brace yourselves, he is 89 years old! This shows that you don’t necessarily have to let age and health conditions prevent you from enjoying travelling or going on holiday.

Come a long way… but still a long way to go!

Stephen speaks very proudly – and rightly so – about the achievements of Altogether Travel since its launch in 2012. They were the Scottish Winner for the FSB/Worldpay Business Innovation Award 2014 and have accumulated quite an impressive list of nominations. Another achievement of Altogether Travel is its recent affiliation to Thomson six months ago, a partnership that has allowed customers to book holidays directly from their website. Altogether Travel has been breaking down the barriers that prevent people from travelling and don’t want people who need extra medical assistance to be excluded. In the near future, when they are more established, Stephen assures me that they will eventually be able to provide nursing care and support and meet the needs of travellers who require specialised medical assistance during their trip, so stay tuned!

What about you, would you like to use the services of a supported travel company such as Altogether Travel? Have you had any experience of using supported travel before? If yes, please share your comments below! To get more information, visit the Altogether Travel website here.