Virtually as good as a holiday

When Claire Wade found she couldn’t leave her bedroom because of ME, she set up a voluntary organisation to bring holidays to other disabled people in the same situation. Now, she says, she is experiencing the world from her own bed

Travelling has always been my biggest ambition; but being bedbound with severe ME has made this impossible.

When I was 18, I was devastated to discover that some of my family were going on holiday without me; but I decided that if I couldn’t go on holiday with them I’d do the next best thing and bring a holiday to me.

Greece was somewhere I’d always wanted to visit so my mum put photos up around my room, we ate Greek food and we even used a foot spa and pretended it was the sea.

People ask if it upset me only being able to take a virtual holiday but, in truth, I was already sad and angry and the holiday gave me something to focus on. It was a lifeline that got me through a week that could have been full of tears but instead was full of fun.

It was this experience that inspired me to set up Holidays From Home*. I felt that if I’d benefited so much from a holiday like this, others would too.

We provide free virtual holidays to anyone for whom leaving their bed or home is difficult or impossible or who is unable to travel due to disability or illness. The virtual holidays describe everything as if you’re really experiencing it – from getting on the plane to visiting all the tourist attractions. The guides include photographs, recipes and recommended books and films, so you can bring the country’s culture into your everyday life. We have two destinations so far: Australia and New York.

Membership of Holidays From Home is free and allows online access to all our holidays via our website.

We are also running a pilot study in Norfolk**, supplying free holidays in either a book or audio CD format, funded by the Lottery’s Awards for All. This is running alongside a study at the Norfolk and Norwich Hospital.

I write the holidays myself and because I’m too ill to travel, the research is done via the internet but I learn so much that I feel like I’ve actually been to the destinations. I find it really interesting and fun to write the holidays and I hope that people feel the same when they take them.

Holidays from Home is still in its early stages but the future is very exciting and we are working on increasing our range of holidays. I know it’s going to take time, but if I reach for the world I might just get it.

* www.holidaysfromhome.co.uk

** If you live in Norfolk and would like to take part in the pilot, contact Claire at contact@holidaysfrom
home.co.uk