186 family voices. One clear message: make travel more accessible.

The Neurodivergent Family Travel Report 2026

Travel should be an opportunity for families to explore, connect and make memories together. Yet for many neurodivergent families, the journey can bring significant anxiety, sensory overload and uncertainty.

We asked 186 families about their experiences of travelling with neurodivergent children. We wanted to understand what makes travel difficult, what support makes a difference, and what families wish the travel industry understood.

Their responses reveal a consistent message: families want to travel, but they need greater understanding, flexibility and access to information that helps them prepare.

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Travel can be both wonderful and overwhelming

These experiences are not mutually exclusive. A family can love discovering new places while finding airports, queues, unfamiliar environments and changes to routine extremely difficult.

“It’s so exhausting even getting to the point of booking and getting to the destination before the holiday even starts.”

What this tells us: The challenge isn’t necessarily a lack of desire to travel. It’s the barriers families encounter along the way.

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Crowds, queues and uncertainty create barriers

When asked specifically about sensory challenges, waiting in queues was the most frequently selected issue, followed by crowds, noise and unexpected changes.

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Families know what would help

The survey asked families what would make travelling easier. Three priorities stood out above the rest.

83% — Priority or flexible queuing options

82% — Better staff understanding of neurodiversity

79% — Quiet spaces in airports or destinations

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Confidence begins before booking

Families want to make informed decisions about whether a trip will work for them. They highlighted the value of:

• Familiarisation videos and visual walkthroughs.
• Honest photographs and information about accommodation.
• Clear details about food, facilities and sensory environments.
• Information about queues, security, transfers and waiting times.
• Details of available assistance and quiet spaces.
• Clear communication about what happens when plans change.

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Understanding matters as much as facilities

Of the 185 respondents who answered the question about feeling judged or unsupported, 122 said yes and 45 said sometimes. That means around 90% had experienced this at least sometimes.

Families described situations in which distress was misunderstood, parents’ explanations were dismissed or support was difficult to access when it was most needed.

They want the industry to recognise that neurodivergence is not always visible and that behaviour that appears challenging may reflect anxiety, sensory overload or dysregulation.

“They should listen to parents — they know what their children’s needs are.”

One respondent put the importance of prevention particularly clearly:

“Meltdowns should be prevented not managed afterwards.”

What this tells us: Staff training is important, but it must be supported by practical adjustments, compassionate communication and a willingness to listen.

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Why getting this right matters

Behind the statistics are families who want the same thing as everyone else: the chance to enjoy time together, explore new places and make memories.

For some families, travel is not simply a break from everyday life. It is an opportunity for growth, confidence and connection.

The aim is not to promise a completely stress-free holiday. It is to remove avoidable barriers so that more families can access the benefits of travel.

_______________________________________________+Recommendations

Six priorities for a more inclusive travel industry

Our findings highlight an opportunity for the travel industry to make holidays more accessible, predictable and enjoyable for neurodivergent families. Meaningful change can start with clearer information, greater flexibility and a better understanding of families’ needs.

01. Make the unknown, knowable

Give families the information they need to book with confidence.

• Share clear photos and videos of accommodation, facilities and key spaces.
• Explain sensory considerations, busy periods and what families can expect.
• Make accessibility information easy to find before booking.

02. Build understanding into every interaction

Ensure families feel supported, not judged.

• Equip staff with practical neurodiversity awareness.
• Encourage calm, respectful responses when children become overwhelmed.
• Make support consistent across teams and locations.

03. Make flexibility part of the experience

Small adjustments can make challenging situations more manageable.

• Clearly explain available assistance and priority arrangements.
• Consider quieter waiting areas, flexible arrival times and early boarding where possible.
• Communicate changes clearly and give families time to prepare.

04. Consider the whole sensory experience

Look beyond dedicated sensory rooms to the entire customer journey.

• Identify quieter spaces and explain how to access them.
• Consider noise, lighting, crowds and queues.
• Share honest information about sensory demands before arrival.

05. Make peak periods more manageable

Inclusion should not depend on being able to travel off-peak.

• Set realistic expectations about busy periods.
• Explore quieter time slots and ways to reduce queues and congestion.
• Ensure information and support remain available during school holidays.

06. Design with families who have lived experience

Use lived experience to shape meaningful improvements.

• Involve neurodivergent families in reviews and service design.
• Gather feedback on what works and where barriers remain.
• Measure progress and show how feedback leads to change.

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From recommendations to action

These priorities are not about creating a perfect, challenge-free holiday. They are about removing avoidable barriers, improving understanding and giving families the information and flexibility they need to make travel work for them.

Progress can begin with small, practical changes. Clearer information, better-prepared staff and more flexible processes can all contribute to a more positive experience. Over time, listening to families and measuring the impact of changes can help businesses build more inclusive services with confidence.

The next step is turning understanding into practice.

How we can help

The Neurodivergent Travel Mum brings together lived experience, community insight and a passion for making travel more accessible. We work with travel businesses and destinations to help them better understand neurodivergent families, communicate more effectively and identify opportunities to improve the customer experience.

From family insight and familiarisation videos to inclusive content and community collaboration, we can help turn these recommendations into practical action.

Let’s make travel work for more families.

Inclusion should not be left to chance

The families who contributed to this report are not asking the travel industry to remove every challenge or create a perfect holiday. They are asking for better information, greater understanding and practical flexibility that makes travel feel possible.

For some children, travel can be far more than a holiday. It can create opportunities for independence, communication, confidence and connection. But families cannot benefit from those experiences if the journey itself feels too uncertain, exhausting or inaccessible.

The opportunity for the travel industry is clear: move beyond describing a destination as inclusive, and demonstrate how that inclusion works in practice.

By listening to neurodivergent families, designing around real needs and measuring what improves, the industry can help more families travel with confidence and make inclusion part of the experience, not an exception to it.