Days out and holidays from a care home: fees, benefits and planning

People living in a care home can go on days out and holidays, with family or with staff, unless a specific risk or legal restriction stands in the way. While they are away, the care home will usually keep their room and keep charging, but the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) says a contract is more likely to be fair if full fees apply only for a limited period, with a discount after that. Disability benefits such as Attendance Allowance and PIP can continue during a trip abroad of up to 13 weeks, but Pension Credit only covers 4 weeks outside Great Britain.

In short

• The CMA’s example of a fair term: full fees for the first full week of absence, then a 20% reduction, with a review after 6 weeks.
• Terms that make residents pay full fees for any length of absence, with no allowance for savings on food or care, may be unfair under consumer law.
• Attendance Allowance and PIP can be paid during a trip abroad of up to 13 weeks (26 weeks for medical treatment); tell the benefit office if the trip is longer than 4 weeks.
• Pension Credit continues for trips outside Great Britain of 4 weeks or less, and you must contact the Pension Service before going.
• Council-funded residents keep a Personal Expenses Allowance of £31.80 a week, which can go towards outings.
• If your parent lacks capacity to decide about a trip, it must be a best-interests decision under the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

Days out: what to arrange

Most homes run some outings, such as trips to a garden centre, the seaside or a local café, and some have a minibus. Check your contract and fee list for what is included. Outings, transport and staff escorts are often charged as extras, and the home should set these out clearly; our guide to whether care home fees are all-inclusive covers this.

If you are taking your parent out yourself, a little planning avoids most problems:

• Tell the home in advance. Agree timings, especially around meals and medication rounds.
• Medication. Ask the home to give you any doses due while you are out, with clear written instructions. The home records what has been handed over.
• Continence and changes of clothes. Take pads, wipes and spare clothing, and plan where accessible toilets are.
• Mobility. Check whether a wheelchair can be borrowed and whether the car is suitable. A Blue Badge belongs to the person, so it can be used in any car they travel in.
• Tiredness and confusion. For someone living with dementia, shorter trips to familiar places often go better than long days out. Return before they are exhausted.

If your parent gets Attendance Allowance or PIP, they can usually buy a Disabled Persons Railcard, which gives a third off most rail fares for them and an adult travelling with them.

Do you still pay care home fees while on holiday?

Usually yes, at least for a while, because the home keeps the room and its staffing costs carry on. But the CMA’s consumer law advice for care homes sets out what is fair:

• The home should keep the room for the resident while they are away and not end the contract. If it charges full fees, the resident should keep exclusive use of the room.
• If the home re-lets the room for a short period, it should ask permission first and refund fees for that time.
• Where the home saves money, for example on food, medicines or personal care, it should give a discount after a set period. Waiting a long time, such as 6 weeks, before any discount, or leaving it to the manager’s discretion, may be unfair.
• After a set period of absence, for example 6 to 8 weeks, the home should review the position with the resident and their family.

Worked example

Your mother pays £1,400 a week and goes on a two-week holiday with you. Under a contract that follows the CMA’s example of a fair term, the first full week is charged in full (£1,400) and the second week at 20% less (£1,120). The total is £2,520 instead of £2,800, a saving of £280. Under a contract with no absence discount, you would pay the full £2,800, and that term may be open to challenge.

Read the clause before booking. Our guide to care home contracts explains what else to look for.

Benefits while away

Attendance Allowance is generally only payable in a care home if your parent pays the full fees themselves; see our Attendance Allowance guide and State Pension and benefits in a care home. For council-funded residents, the Personal Expenses Allowance of £31.80 a week is theirs to spend, and saving some of it towards a trip is a common use.

Planning a holiday

1. Talk to the home and look at the care plan. Ask what care your parent needs each day and night, and whether staff can travel with you. Some homes can provide a carer for a trip, usually at extra cost.
2. Do a simple risk assessment together. Cover falls, stairs, bathrooms, beds, night-time confusion, wandering and how you will manage personal care.
3. Check with the GP if health is unstable. Ask for a medication review and enough supply for the trip, with a copy of the prescription list.
4. Choose accessible accommodation. Ask for photos of the bathroom and bedroom, door widths and step-free access. Hire equipment such as a hoist, shower chair or profiling bed if needed.
5. Get travel insurance that covers existing conditions. Declare all conditions, including dementia. For EU and other EEA countries, also carry a free UK Global Health Insurance Card, which covers necessary state healthcare but is not a replacement for travel insurance.
6. Keep the room. Confirm in writing that the room will be kept and what you will pay.

Some charities run holidays with care support built in, or specialist respite centres where a family can stay together. If you need a break as a carer too, see respite care explained.

Mental capacity and DoLS

If your parent can decide for themselves, the choice to go, and where, is theirs. If they lack capacity for this decision, the people involved, including the home and anyone with a health and welfare lasting power of attorney, must make a best-interests decision under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. That means weighing their past wishes and present feelings, the benefits of the trip and the risks, and choosing the least restrictive option. A mental capacity assessment is decision-specific, so it should be about the trip itself.

A Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) authorisation applies to the particular care home or hospital named in it. Ordinary outings that are part of the care plan are usually fine. For an overnight stay elsewhere where your parent would be under continuous supervision and not free to leave, ask the home and the council’s DoLS team for advice before booking. Our guide to DoLS in care homes explains how authorisations work.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Booking before checking the contract’s absence clause.
• Forgetting to tell the Pension Service about a trip abroad if your parent gets Pension Credit.
• Not declaring dementia or other conditions on travel insurance.
• Planning a long, busy itinerary for someone who tires easily or becomes disorientated.
• Taking only a few days of medication with no written record of doses.

Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

The CMA’s advice on fair care home terms applies across the UK. Benefit rules differ in Scotland, where Pension Age Disability Payment and Adult Disability Payment have replaced Attendance Allowance and PIP, so check with Social Security Scotland before travelling. See paying for care in Scotland.

Frequently asked questions

Can care home residents go on holiday?

Yes. Residents can go on holiday with family, friends or staff, as long as the trip is safe and, if they lack capacity to decide, it is in their best interests under the Mental Capacity Act 2005. Agree the plan with the home, check the care plan and medication, and confirm in writing that the room will be kept.

Do you have to pay care home fees when on holiday?

Usually, because the room is kept for you. The CMA says fair contracts limit how long full fees apply. Its example of a fair term charges full fees for the first full week of absence and then 20% less. A term charging full fees indefinitely, with no allowance for savings, may be unfair.

Can I take my mum out of her care home for the day?

Yes, unless a court order or specific restriction applies. Let the home know, agree timings around meals and medication, and ask staff to hand over any doses due with written instructions. If she has a DoLS authorisation, ordinary outings in her care plan are usually fine; ask the home if unsure.

Can you get Attendance Allowance while abroad?

Yes, for a temporary trip of up to 13 weeks, or 26 weeks if it is for medical treatment. Tell the Attendance Allowance office if the trip will last more than 4 weeks. The same rule applies to PIP. Pension Credit is different: it only continues for trips outside Great Britain of 4 weeks or less.

Can someone with a DoLS go on holiday?

Often, yes, but the authorisation covers the care home named in it, not the holiday address. If your parent would be under continuous supervision and not free to leave somewhere else overnight, speak to the home and the council’s DoLS team before booking. A best-interests decision should be recorded.

Who pays for care home outings?

It depends on the contract. Some activities are included in the fee; trips, transport and staff escorts are often extras. The home should list these clearly before you sign the contract, and ask before charging for something new. Council-funded residents can use their £31.80 weekly Personal Expenses Allowance towards outings.

Sources

• Care homes: consumer law advice for providers (CMA, GOV.UK)
• Claiming disability benefits abroad (GOV.UK)
• Pension Credit eligibility, including time abroad (GOV.UK)
• Claiming benefits if you’re going into a care home (GOV.UK)
• Apply for a free UK Global Health Insurance Card (NHS)
• Social care charging 2026 to 2027: local authority circular (GOV.UK)

General information, not legal or financial advice. Figures for 2026/27, checked October 2026.

Reviewed by The Care Panel team on 29 October 2026. This guide is general information about care in England, not legal, medical or financial advice. Rules and rates change; check with your council or an adviser before making decisions.