ACCESSIBLE HOLIDAYS FOR NON-FLYERS Tailor-made trips for you by ferry, rail or self-drive
Your award-winning accessible travel specialists
MAKING TRAVEL EASIER FOR YOU.
As the awardwinning accessible holiday specialists, Enable Holidays is well known for offering over 500 disabled-friendly holidays in more than 50 worldwide destinations. We arrange everything from guaranteed adapted rooms and adapted taxi transfers to airport assistance and accessible excursions. But for those of you who would prefer to avoid a long flight, we are pleased to offer a varied range of ‘close-to-home’ options, where travel is by a short flight, ferry crossing, Eurostar, Euro Tunnel, local connecting railways, and even self-drive.
This brochure features just some of the holidays you can enjoy with us without having to enter an airport or board a plane.
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JERSEY
Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands, is a perfect blend of British and French cultures in a relaxing continental atmosphere. English is the official language and pound sterling is the currency. A holiday in Jersey also means VAT-free shopping, beautiful scenery and excellent food. You’ll find plenty of flat, wide pavements on the island that make it far easier to get around than many other destinations. There are also many wheelchair-friendly facilities for your convenience when shopping, dining and sight-seeing. These welcome benefits, together with the advantage of a short ferry journey or flight from the UK mainland, ultraaccessible accommodation and slower pace of life, make Jersey the ideal location for a disabled holiday not far from home. In addition to offering accessible hotel holidays on the island, Enable Holidays also organise small group holidays inclusive of built-in excursions. These specially designed holidays are not your ‘typical tours’. They are informal, flexible and allow plenty of free time to relax or explore at your own pace between group activities. You’ll meet like-minded single
travellers, couples or friends – including a good number of new wheelchair-users looking for an easier and more enjoyable way to holiday. Your accessible group excursions will take in some of the best sights and experiences in Jersey . And whilst some excursions are dependent upon the weather, the choice normally includes visits to St. Helier, St. Brelades Bay, The Jersey Orchid Foundation and Durrell Wildlife Park.
Travel options available Ferry travel is available from Poole in Dorset, and short flights are available from a wide range of regional airports.
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FRANCE
The nearest continental country to Jersey is France, and this is also a ‘close-to-home’ destination covered by Enable Holidays; and a good place to start is the capital city. Paris is famously viewed as one of the most romantic cities in the world, and after just one visit it is easy to see why it holds this unofficial accolade. As it’s quite an old city, with many tourist attractions spaced out, wheelchair accessibility is definitely more of a challenge compared to some other capitals, but it’s well worth it. The accessible bus provides you with a good way to get around the city – and obviously is a big saving when compared to hiring accessible taxis. It’s wise to take the time to research the routes and plan your trip beforehand; and if you fancy taking a bus tour around the city, we recommend that 4|
you ride the tour all the way around as not every bus has wheelchair ramps. Enable Holidays offer a varied range of accessible holiday options in France. You can choose from luxury purpose-built accessible apartments in a 19th century cotton mill located only 10 minutes’ drive to the beaches on the banks of the River Jaudy in Brittany. Alternatively, you may fancy a high specification fully adapted Gîte in Lourdes with stunning views of the surrounding area and the legendary Pyrenees. From your base in the foothills of the Pyrenees in south-western France, you’ll
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find a wide choice of accessible activities, including: skiing, cimgo riding, hiking, joëlette walking, Nordic skiing, parachute tandem jumping, tandem paragliding, hand-biking, whitewater rafting, equestrian farm visits, pontoon fishing, husky dog sled rides and spas. Being only a two- and-a-half-hour journey from San Sebastian, you can easily combine your stay here with a driving holiday through France and Spain. When thinking of France, many of us think of fine wines and Champagne. So, it will come as no surprise that Enable also brings you tailor-made wine-tasting tours across the wine regions of France – all of which are specially designed with the disabled tourist in mind. The packages include ferry travel (or short flight if preferred), adapted accommodation in an accessible hotel, car hire/adapted vehicle plus at least two vineyard tours. Tours can be arranged to both largescale wine producers and smaller familyrun vineyards. At the larger sites, you can witness the latest technology and modern-day production methods, whilst at the smaller ones you can take a closeup view of traditional skills, such as turning the bottles by hand.
For those of you looking for the perfect holiday close to the port, we are delighted to offer five superbly appointed accessible Gîtes. Two of them are approximately a one-hour drive from the port of Calais, while the remaining three properties (which are adapted and can accommodate up to 14) are located in Calvados, which is under an hour-and-a-half drive time from Le Havre. As you know, France is also the European home of Disneyland® Paris, where we can arrange an accessible short break or package holiday to meet your individual needs – with a choice of adapted room, interconnecting room, or accessible cabin accommodation. Ferry crossings are available from Dover and Portsmouth, or you could choose a self-drive option via Eurotunnel, or take Eurostar whilst the Disney Express transports your luggage direct to the Disney park. So, if you’d like to experience a truly magical trip to the world’s famous make-believe destination, please talk to us first on 0330 380 6800.
Travel options available Cross-Channel Ferry, Self-Drive (via Ferry or Euro Tunnel), Rail Travel on Eurostar and/or local rail networks.
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HOLLAND / NETHERLANDS
Amsterdam is one of the most unmistakable and unique cities of the world. It features beautiful canals, glorious architecture, liberal attitudes, museums, galleries and fantastic places to relax and play. From an accessible point of view, the city is one of the flattest in the world, with lots of smooth pavements. This makes it a very popular destination for wheelchair-users, as it’s easy to get around and offers plenty of accessible trams and buses throughout. The only slight downside is the relatively low percentage of adapted rooms in the city. But whilst the choice may be somewhat limited, we do still offer a select number of good quality accessible accommodations, to include accessible tours during summer and winter months if you feel like exploring further afield. The Netherlands is a country of waterways, and there’s no better way to discover it than on a 5-night accessible cruise with wheelchair-friendly excursions and adapted transfers included. Enable have two different cruises to choose from (the Holland River Cruise 6|
and the Rhine River Cruise). Both of which take in historic towns, such as Nijmegen, Zaandam and Harlingen, plus a myriad of other destinations where you will soak up fabulous sights, enjoy good food and drink, have plenty of fun and make many happy memories along the way. Other ideas we have for you include a guided tour of Keukenhof Gardens from March to May when the wonderful tulip fields look their finest; or you may fancy an accessible bicycle tour to view the iconic windmills.
Travel options available Cross-Channel Ferry, Self-Drive (via Ferry or Euro Tunnel), Rail Travel on Eurostar and/or local rail networks.
BELGIUM
Belgium is a country known for its fine art, folklore and food. Most people know Belgium for its chocolate and beer, but the country offers so much more, especially to wheelchair-users and travellers with limited mobility. The country’s efforts at providing and improving accessibility are awardwinning – in 2013, ‘Visit Flanders’ (a Belgian destination information provider) won the Amadeus and WTM Travel Experience Award for accessible travel. On an accessible holiday to Belgium, you can admire the architecture and canals, discover the country’s history, culture and more. Historic Bruges and the capital Brussels are two of the most popular destinations. Around 10% of all taxis in Brussels are wheelchair accessible with rearentry ramps that fold out to allow your wheelchair to roll in and out of the vehicle. This allows you to remain seated in your wheelchair for the entire journey. If, however you are able to transfer from your wheelchair, standard taxis
are suitable in many cases as they offer ample room for storing manual / foldable wheelchairs. The city’s bus system is almost completely accessible with built-in wheelchair ramps on the vast majority of buses. The city’s subway can also be navigated at many stations – although a bit of planning in advance is advisable.
Travel options available Cross-Channel Ferry, Self-Drive (via Ferry or Euro Tunnel), Rail Travel on Eurostar and/or local rail networks.
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EUROPEAN ROAD TRIPS
For those of you who love the open road, Enable Holidays can organise your self-drive road trips across continental Europe. The service includes pre-planning your itinerary and organising accessible accommodation and special arrangements in advance.
How far you decide to go is down to you, but some of the most popular routes are venturing across the low countries of Holland and Belgium, travelling through the ever-changing landscapes of France, and chasing the sun around Spain and Portugal. Many travellers like to visit places of interest along the way. Whether it’s a First World War battlefield, a pilgrimage to Lourdes, Disneyland Paris, historic villages, exhilarating cities, magical castles, a Bavarian Christmas market – or 100s of other options, anything is possible. Just give us a call on 0330 380 6800 and we’ll be delighted to help you to plan your adventure from start to finish.
Travel options available Self-Drive (via Ferry or Euro Tunnel) 8|
CITY BREAKS
Amsterdam
Barcelona
Berlin
Bruges
Brussels
Budapest
Erfurt
Frankfurt
Hanover
Hamburg
Krakow
Madrid
Paris
Prague
Rome
San Sebastian
Valencia
Connecting rail networks via Eurostar and self-drive opportunities also enable you to explore further north, south and west. German cities such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg and Hanover are within your reach and the medieval town of Erfurt is especially popular during the festive season when it unveils its famous Christmas market. We also offer city breaks in Poland, the Czech Republic, Spain and Italy. Just check
out your favourite destination above and we can arrange everything for you from A-Z. Call us on 0330 380 6800 or visit enableholidays.com
Travel options available Cross-Channel Ferry, Self-Drive (via Ferry or Euro Tunnel), Rail Travel on Eurostar and/or local rail networks. Alternatively, you may be comfortable with a short flight.
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STAYCATION UK
Some customers of Enable Holidays look for a little more aid during their holiday and may not feel confident enough to venture out of the UK. To meet the needs of these staycationers, the company offers a range of holidays specifically tailored for people who need a greater helping hand during their accessible holiday. These special hotels provide on-site care, where the staff can produce tailored care packages for guests depending on the level of extra support they require. This extra help can include assistance with daytime mobility, evening assistance to bed, assistance with medication, organised excursions and more. Two of the most popular locations are the seaside resorts of Blackpool and Llandudno.
Travel options available Self-Drive or a Home-To-Holiday Taxi Transfer or Regional Rail Travel. 10 |
SOMETHING DIFFERENT
Fancy something out of the ordinary? At Enable, we don’t believe limited mobility should limit your options. And to prove it we’ve put together amazing holidays that really offer something different. With a great choice of destinations and guaranteed adapted accommodation, we’ll create a holiday around the things you want to do. With activities such as assisted horse riding, diving, golf, para-gliding and hot air ballooning. Plus escorted tours, speciality wine tasting
even pilgrimages - you’ll be amazed at what you can do and where you can go with Enable Holidays.
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YOUR ENABLE HOLIDAY WILL INCLUDE: • Tailor-made planning to meet your individual requirements • Guaranteed adapted room upon confirmation of booking • Wheel-in shower with room to manoeuvre a wheelchair
Your award-winning accessible travel specialists
• Pre-booked adapted taxi transfers if required
Tel: 0330
380 6800 enableholidays.com
info@enableholidays.com Enable Holidays Limited Suite 108-109B The Big Peg 120 Vyse Street, Birmingham B18 6ND 6261
Enable Holidays is registered in England, registered number: 4834377.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS: Full booking terms and conditions are shown in Enable Holidays’ main brochure, available to view online at www.enableholidays.com To download a copy go to www.enableholidays.com/about-us