A declined request isn’t always the end of the story. Here’s how to understand your options and move forward with confidence.
Finding out that your travel supports haven’t been funded in your NDIS plan is disheartening, especially if you’ve already started planning a holiday, or if travel and independence are genuinely important goals for you.
But here’s what’s worth knowing: in many cases, a declined request isn’t a final answer. It’s often a sign that something needs to be clarified, better aligned with your plan goals, or documented more clearly.
This article explains why travel support funding can be confusing, what the NDIS may actually cover, and how to approach the conversation with your coordinator in a way that’s collaborative and constructive to include funding as part of your next NDIS plan review.
Why there’s so much confusion around NDIS travel support
If you’ve asked about funding travel support and received mixed messages, that’s a pretty normal experience right now. More often than not, the confusion comes down to a genuine lack of clarity in how the rules are understood and applied.
The NDIS doesn’t fund ‘holidays’, but it may fund your supports while you’re on one
This is the key distinction that trips people up, including some support coordinators and plan managers.
The NDIS isn’t a holiday fund. It will not pay for your flights, your accommodation, your meals, or your sightseeing. But what it may fund are the disability-related supports you need while you’re away – the same kinds of supports you receive at home.
Think of it this way: if you need personal care support on a Tuesday at home, you still need that support on a Tuesday in Perth. Your location doesn’t change your disability-related support needs.
Common reasons funding gets declined
Support for travel is often declined or questioned when:
- Travel isn’t clearly linked to the traveller’s NDIS goals
- The type of support needed while travelling hasn’t been clearly described or documented
- There’s confusion between the cost of travel itself (flights, accommodation) and the cost of disability support during travel
- The plan manager or coordinator may not be familiar with how NDIS guidelines apply to travel contexts
- Funding hasn’t been set aside or planned for in advance
None of these is a deal-breaker. They’re starting points for a better conversation.
Why coordinators and plan managers sometimes get it wrong
The NDIS is a complex system, and the rules around what is and isn’t funded can be genuinely unclear – even for professionals who work within it every day. Guidance has evolved over the years, and it can be hard to keep up.
That doesn’t mean your coordinator is wrong to ask questions or want more information. It does mean it’s worth going back to the guidelines together, and making sure any decision is based on accurate information rather than assumptions.
What the NDIS may fund during travel
The NDIS Reasonable and Necessary criteria apply to all funded supports, including those provided during travel. The key test is whether the support is directly related to your disability and necessary for you to pursue your goals.
Supports that may be funded
Subject to your individual plan, goals and circumstances, the following types of support may be funded while travelling:
- Personal care and daily living support (e.g. assistance with hygiene, dressing, eating)
- Community participation support – assistance to engage in social, recreational, or community activities
- Support workers required because of your disability-related needs
- Skill building and development (e.g. building independence, learning to navigate new environments)
What the NDIS typically does not fund
The following are generally not funded through the NDIS:
- Flights, transport costs, or fuel
- Accommodation and meals for travellers or support workers
- General tourism expenses or holiday activities
- The personal travel costs of support workers
How to approach the conversation with your coordinator
If your request has been declined, or you’re not sure how your coordinator will respond, here’s how you can approach the conversation in a way that’s clear, constructive and collaborative.
1. Link travel to your goals
The NDIS funds supports that help you pursue your goals. If travel is important to you, it needs to be connected to specific goals in your plan. Common goal areas that travel can support include:
- Social participation and building friendships
- Community access and inclusion
- Building independence and confidence in new environments
- Skill development (e.g. communication, problem solving, managing daily tasks)
- Improving health, wellbeing, and quality of life
- Giving informal carers a break (which supports your sustainability of care)
If these goals aren’t currently reflected in your plan, it’s worth raising them at your next plan review.
2. Separate the cost of travel from the cost of support
One of the most common sources of confusion is the difference between what you’re paying a travel provider for versus what you’re claiming through your NDIS plan.
When you book with a supported travel provider like Leisure Options, the cost of the holiday covers transport, accommodation, activities, and meals. Your NDIS funding is specifically for the support worker component – the disability support hours delivered during the trip.
Making this distinction very clear in your conversations with your coordinator can help remove a lot of the uncertainty.
3. Document your support needs clearly
Vague requests are easier to decline than clear, specific, well-documented ones. When requesting travel support, it helps to be as specific as possible:
- What type of support do you need, and how many hours per day?
- What activities will you be participating in, and what assistance will you need?
- How do the support needs during travel compare to your support needs at home?
- What are the outcomes you expect from the holiday, and how do they connect to your goals?
Your support coordinator can help you prepare this documentation if needed.
4. Plan ahead, ideally before your next plan review
Funding travel support is easiest when it’s planned ahead of time. If you know you want to travel in the next 12 months, bring it up at your plan review and ask for it to be included in your funded supports.
Last-minute requests are harder to approve because they weren’t part of your original plan. Getting quotes from travel providers early and bringing them to your review gives you the best chance of a ‘yes’.
5. Ask questions - and expect clear answers
If your coordinator or plan manager says no, you’re entitled to understand why. Ask them to explain:
- Which specific NDIS rule or guideline they’re applying
- Whether the issue is with the type of support, the documentation, or the plan goals
- What changes, if any, might make the request approvable
Understanding the ‘why’ is the first step to knowing what to do next.
Getting the most from your support coordinator and plan manager
Your support coordinator and plan manager are on your side. Most of the time, when a request gets declined or questioned, it’s not because travel isn’t possible. It’s because something needs to be clarified or adjusted.
What your support coordinator can help with
- Review your plan goals and help connect travel to them
- Help you document your support needs clearly and accurately
- Request a plan review if your current funding doesn’t reflect your needs
- Speak with the NDIS on your behalf if something has been misunderstood
What your plan manager can help with
- Pay invoices from your support providers on your behalf
- Keep track of your funding and send you regular budget reports
- Help you understand what’s available in each part of your budget
- Clarify what funding is available in the block period you are travelling, and request this funding be kept for the purpose of support while you are on holidays
What if you don’t have a support coordinator
If you’re self-managing or plan-managed without a support coordinator, you can still request changes at your plan review, or contact the NDIS directly with questions. An experienced travel provider like Leisure Options, can also help explain how supported holidays work and what documentation might be helpful.
If travel still matters to you, don’t give up on it
Travel isn’t a luxury. For many people with disability, a supported holiday means independence, connection, confidence and joy. Often, it’s also important for maintaining good physical and mental health. Those are exactly the kinds of outcomes the NDIS is designed to support.
A declined request isn’t the end of the road. With the right documentation and a good conversation, what starts as a ‘no’ can often become a ‘yes’.
How Leisure Options can help
Leisure Options has over 30 years of experience supporting people with disabilities to travel safely, confidently, and with the right level of care. As a registered NDIS provider, we understand how supports are structured and funded, and we can help you understand what to expect.
We offer:
- Group holidays across Australia and internationally
- Individual, tailored holidays for those who prefer a private experience
- Short-term respite (STR) stays for participants that live at home with family who are their primary supports
- Support for a wide range of disability support needs and categories
If you’re unsure whether your NDIS plan can cover a supported holiday, get in touch with us or call 1300 363 713. We’re happy to talk through your situation and help you plan with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does the NDIS fund holidays?
Not directly. The NDIS does not fund the cost of a holiday – flights, accommodation, meals, or activities. However, it may fund the disability-related supports you need while on holiday, such as personal care and daily living assistance, or community participation support. The key principle is that your disability-related support needs don’t change just because you’re travelling.
What can NDIS fund during travel?
The NDIS may fund personal care support, daily living assistance, community participation support, and skill-building activities delivered during a holiday. These supports must be reasonable and necessary, linked to your goals, and aligned with your NDIS plan. The holiday itself – flights, accommodation, meals, and activities – is a separate cost paid with your own funds.
Why was my NDIS travel support declined?
Common reasons include: there was no funding available in your plan; the request wasn’t clearly linked to your plan goals; support needs weren’t specifically documented; there was confusion between travel costs and support costs; or the plan manager wasn’t familiar with how NDIS funding applies to travel. In many cases, a declined request can be addressed by improving documentation and having a clearer conversation with your coordinator.
Can I use my NDIS funding for a supported holiday?
Yes. If your plan includes funding for daily living support or community participation, these may apply to the support worker hours delivered during a holiday. The holiday itself is paid for separately; the NDIS funding covers the disability support component of the trip. Speak with your support coordinator or plan manager to confirm what’s available in your plan.
What should I do if my NDIS plan manager says no to travel support?
Ask your plan manager to explain specifically why the request was declined and which guidelines they’re applying. From there, you can work with your support coordinator to address the issue – whether that’s improving documentation, linking the request to your goals, or requesting a plan review. You can also contact the NDIS directly, or speak with an experienced provider like Leisure Options for guidance.