Skip to search
List
7 nights

Planning a neuro-inclusive holiday

Get advice for planning a neuro-inclusive holiday, including top tips for at the airport and while you’re away.
Here at TUI, we want all our customers to be able to Live Happy. Making our holidays accessible – for those who’re neurodivergent – is something we are taking real steps to achieve. And that’s why we want to make travelling easier and more enjoyable for anyone who needs an extra helping hand along the way. Keep reading to find out how we can help, plus the latest info on what we’re doing to enhance neuro-inclusive holidays.

Before you go

If you or someone you’re travelling with is neurodivergent, give us a call. Our friendly and knowledgeable Assisted Travel team are on hand to help you with anything we can do to make your journey – and holiday – as stress-free as possible. You can call the team for free on 0800 145 6920 if you’re in the UK, or +353 1 605 6500 from Ireland.

At the airport

Getting to and navigating your way through the airport can be stressful at the best of times – and we know it can be that bit harder when you’re neurodivergent. We’ve assembled a team of disabled and neurodivergent influencers to form our Accessibility Ambassadors. They’ll be sharing their travel experiences, hotel recommendations and more, plus they’ve got some handy hints to stick to in the airport for a hassle-free start and end to your holiday – find out more about the team.

We’ve also got the inside scoop on navigating London Gatwick Airport, read on for the lowdown…

London Gatwick Airport is the UK’s first nationally recognised autism-friendly airport – this means they’ve pledged to train their staff to be better equipped to assist autistic passengers. Pop in to your local TUI Store before you fly and grab one of the widely-recognised sunflower lanyards – it’ll help both airport and TUI staff be aware you might need an extra helping hand. We can do things like escort you through the airport, get you onboard first and show you around the cabin, so that you can have some extra time to get comfortable. Our friendly and helpful Assisted Travel team can arrange airport assistance for you at any of our 21 UK airports, and they can also send a Sunflower Lanyard straight to your home.

Top tips: 1.  Arrange your airport assistance early. We recommend doing it at the time of booking – but don’t worry if you haven’t, we can arrange assistance up to 48 hours before your departure. 2.  Give our Assisted Travel team a call to discuss your baggage allowance if you’ve got any specific requirements.
A family with a wheelchair user walk through the airport.

On the plane

If you’re travelling with someone that’s neurodivergent, it could help to tell them as much as you can about the plane and the experience of flying in general. Visual supports, like photos and plans, can be helpful in setting the scene for what it’s like to be on an aircraft. And we can provide you with pictures of the aircraft to help you do this – just ask us.

If you're neurodivergent, we can also allocate you a specific seat in whichever part of the aircraft you think will be most comfortable and convenient for you. We’ll do this free of charge and you’ll be able to have a companion or carer join you, too. Please note that this is subject to availability and safety restrictions.

Top tips:

1. Our friendly cabin crew are there to help you, if you need to do things a little differently they’ll do their best to make it happen.
2. If you have any serious allergies, speak to cabin crew when boarding.

When you arrive

On arrival you’ll be welcomed by a TUI airport rep who will ensure you have everything you need to make your transfer as smooth as possible.

Whether you’re staying in a hotel or setting sail on a cruise our accessible holidays will make finding a holiday to match your needs much easier. Find out which hotels offer adapted rooms, cater for dietary requirements or which shore excursions experiences are suitable for you on your cruise.

Top tips:

1. Check out our accessible holidays and speak to the Assisted Travel team to double check the holiday you’ve chosen is right for you.
2.  Get familiar with your hotel or ship – not all hotels offer an in-person rep service, for hotels that don’t, our 24/7 virtual rep service is on hand to help you with whatever you need, whenever you need it. Contact them via the TUI app, by calling +4433 33 365 147 or by texting 80247 (text messages are charged at your standard network rate).

Two customers laughing with a TUI rep at airport arrivals.

The latest on neuro-inclusive holidays

Now you’ve got all the details on planning your holiday, here’s the latest news on what we’re doing to enhance neuro-inclusive holidays…

Sensory rooms
We first introduced sensory rooms to Ibiza’s TUI BLUE Aura and TUI BLUE Nausicaa Beach in Cyprus and it’s safe to say they were a hit. Following on from their success, we added rooms to three more hotels in our TUI BLUE collection – TUI BLUE Atlantica Aeneas Resort in Cyprus and Turkey’s TUI BLUE Tropical and TUI BLUE Palm Garden. And now we’re bringing them to four hotels in Gran Canaria – TUI BLUE Orquidea, TUI BLUE Playa Feliz, TUI BLUE Las Pitas and TUI BLUE Tres Vidas. Each room provides a calming, low-stimulation environment for those who may feel overwhelmed by busy or unfamiliar surroundings. Expect soft lighting, interactive sensory equipment and quiet zones.

Kids’ Club
If you’re staying at one of our hotels with a sensory room, there are also a range of inclusive activities on the agenda. Parent & Baby Sensory Adventure sessions encourage early sensory play in a calm, inclusive setting for tots aged 0 to two years old. For families with older kids, Sensory Connections offers a chance to connect and build confidence outside of our Kids’ Clubs.

We’ve also partnered with SENNIES – a Special Educational Needs childcare agency – to provide specialised training, visual supports and communication cards at all hotels with a Kids’ Club. Our Kids’ Club teams have also completed neurodiversity training and there’s a dedicated team member championing neurodiversity at each hotel. Plus, we provide sensory bags filled with tactile, visual and auditory items to help children self-regulate inside and outside our Kids’ Clubs.
A person interacting with a bubble tube lamp in a sensory room.

Ready to start planning your holiday?

Give the Assisted Travel team a call on 0800 145 6920 from the UK or +353 1 605 6500 from Ireland.

Or, check out our accessible holidays and watch our Guide to Assisted Travel video to find out everything you need to know about assisted travel.

Author: Sarah Robinson and Carla Fabian

Last updated: 01.06.2026

Holiday Type

Destination

Show more