DESTINATIONS AGENT REPORTS | ACCESSIBLE TRAVEL


Barrier-free breaks


Two UK agents with first-hand experience of disability won accessible stays at Tui Blue resorts in Cyprus and


Majorca, following a competition in Travel Weekly. Here’s what they discovered, as told to Alice Barnes-Brown


Travelling with a neurodivergent child to Cyprus was easier thanks to sensory rooms and helpful staff at Tui Blue’s Atlantica Aeneas Resort,


i travelweekly.co.uk


says LUCIE DUMBLETON of Independent Travel Experts, who took son Josh and mum Karen to the resort in Nissi Beach, Ayia Napa, in April


live in Worthing with my 14-year-old son Josh, but I frequently travel with my mum, Karen, too. Josh has autism with pathological demand avoidance – any demand on him can trigger him to become dysregulated. He also has ADHD, Tourette syndrome and sensory processing disorder, so can present with behaviours that challenge. After winning the competition, I had the full Tui accessible experience. Before we travelled, they asked a series of questions, like what barriers there were and what Josh struggles with. Tui arranged special assistance at the airport and put us on the first bus to the aircraft, so we could board first – which means my son is not getting stressed while others are boarding. He was even able to go into the cockpit, which was great for him because he absolutely loves planes. I sell accessible travel for a living because I have lived experience of disability, but it’s different when it’s


your own holiday. Transfers are something I stress over, because Josh has Tourette’s, so he can say quite extreme things. Tui arranged access to its welfare taxis – which I didn’t think we’d qualify for, as I thought they were only for people with physical disabilities – rather than being on a coach transfer, which was a huge relief.


THE BIG BLUE The Tui Blue Atlantica Aeneas Resort is a big hotel, but didn’t feel busy. Tui made sure I had the right room – not near an entrance or lift where people come and go, or with external air-conditioning units that make noise. When we checked in, we could get into the room


straight away. We had access to the pool directly from our terrace, which was brilliant for Josh, because he’s drawn like a magnet to water, and steps meant he was able to safely get in and out. He often struggles on a sunlounger if there are lots of people next to him, but he could come back to our terrace and wouldn’t have anyone but me and his grandma around. When he was in the pool, we could watch him from the terrace, which gave us a bit of a breather. Tui rep Lucy showed us the sensory room, which


can be accessed 24 hours a day by both adults and children, and explained how they meet children’s needs. Many of the staff are ex-childcare workers, some


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