In February 2022 All Access Holidays celebrated its 5th anniversary. In that time, we have travelled far and wide and have literally (and metaphorically) traversed some interesting terrain. We have facilitated over 100 holidays in 63 destinations in places as varied as Spain to Japan, England to Thailand and from inner city Melbourne to Northern Australia.
More recently, due to global events, we have tailored our holidays to regional Victoria. The pandemic has brought challenges to every industry, none more so than to the travel and disability sector. The assumptions, freedoms and landscape in which we operated in 2019 are no longer relevant in 2022. So, like many other businesses we “pivoted”. To meet the new needs we socially distanced groups, we implemented infection control policies, temperature checks and a myriad of procedures to ensure the safety of our travellers and staff.
In 2017 All Access Holidays was created, and the business combines my love of travel and my ten years of experience working in the disability sector. My career involved working in high needs residential houses, assisting clients with behaviours of concern and in management settings. I particularly enjoyed the face-to-face interaction with clients, working towards a specific goal and the feeling that I was making a difference.
My aim with All Access Holidays is to make travel as seamless as possible for people with disabilities. With the introduction of the NDIS I wanted to ensure that we provided a holistic holiday experience that catered to specific needs. With that concept we hit the ground running.
Well not quite…. in our first six months of operation, we provided just one holiday to a lovely lady (who still holidays with us) to the Gold Coast. What I didn’t fully appreciate was that it takes time for parents, guardians, support coordinators, residential house managers and people within the disability sector to gain trust in a business. We chipped away, running small group holidays that have grown over time and have successfully gained that trust.
We have learnt many lessons over the last five years which have only served to make us a better company.
All Access Holidays is an NDIS registered company that provides supported holidays to people with disabilities. Our motto “Adventure Awaits” attempts to encapsulate our philosophy; those adventures await everyone. But our motto is not just some tired, cliched marketing tool. It poses a deeper existential question. The call to adventure is as old as mankind itself, the call to explore, to traverse the unknown corners of this wonderful place we call earth. It asks where are you? Which adventures would you like to take? And if not, then why not?
In the coming 12 months we will be offering up to 30 different holidays in a variety of locations. Our holidays range (according to our participants) in their activities from “relaxed” to “active”. We run two kinds of holidays, group and individual. Group holidays vary in size from as little as three travellers up to 12. These holidays can suit travellers who enjoy the chance to socialise with new people and who like the opportunity to make lifelong friendships.
In 22/23 some of our group holidays include the following:
Adelaide Overlander – if you like trains then you will love this holiday! We will be travelling from Melbourne to Adelaide on the Overlander to experience everything the city of Churches has to offer (August 2022)
Sydney Home and Away – Perfect for all those admirers of Home and Away. Activities include a guided tour around Summer Bay and exploring Sydney (October 2022)
Queenscliff Music Festival – Ideal for all music lovers out there! Dance the weekend away at Victoria’s premium country music event (November 2022)
Our individual or 1:1 trips offer a slightly different experience from our group holidays. 1:1 holidays are just that, a traveller and an All Access Holidays travel companion. These holidays are tailored to the exact needs of the traveller, from the destination to the activities. So the only thing limiting where you go and what you do is your imagination. Past experiences have included trips to Japan, England, Darwin and camel riding in Broome.
All Access Holidays prides itself on being a one-stop-shop for all of your travel needs. We arrange the transport, accommodation, activities whilst on holiday and we can attend to any care needs that travellers need assistance with. All Access Holidays are there to provide the level of support that is appropriate to the travellers’ needs.
Learn more about All Access Holidays on our website allaccessholidays.com
For all enquiries please email us at info@allaccessholidays.com or call us on 1300 585 876. You can also follow our adventures on Facebook and Instagram.
This sponsored article first appeared in Travel Without Limits #7 (March 2022)
