Fearful Traveler

He shouldn't worry about food. My husband is beyond fussy...I mean, the only veggies that will cross his lips are potatoes and raw carrots! I'm certainly not a daring eater either - I will try something diff to a certain extent (if I know what is in it)...we get by just fine. We don't even drink alcohol of any kind. We tend to eat a lot of pasta and pizza when away (well, we do at home as well)...and we never had an issue finding a restaurant with menus on display so we could peruse them. If there was nothing there we thought we'd eat, we'd move on...it helps to know the words for the foods that he likes and see if they are on the menu (and some restaurants will even have English, or a photo of the meal) - or have a small travel dictionary so if he isn't sure, he can check it out before eating it.

There are other posts on this website about travelling with CPAP machines and insulin pumps. I will try to find some links for you. As far as the insulin pump, you can rent another pump to take with you in the event of a pump malfunction. CPAP machines (and obviously the insulin in an insulin pump) are considered medical devices that you are allowed to carry on and do not count toward your carry on allowance.

Regarding the eating: I imagine he is finicky because he has to be. It is part maintaining good control of his diabetes. When you say "finicky", do you mean plain? Maybe he will be inspired to branch out but if not, most restaurants have more simple menu choices-meats without sauces, vegetables, etc. And if you explain it is a health issue, I am sure people would be accommodating.

I would recommend he get travel insurance in case he does need to seek medical care and this will probably give him peace of mind. I also recommend he let his doctor know about the trip. They might recommend changing some of the settings on the pump because of the time difference.

He should carry some back up parts in the unlikely event something breaks or tears on the cpap. Distribution systems for medical equipment are handled differently in different countries and they are not always easy to figure out quickly. It's not a big deal to stick an extra tube or mask parts in the luggage.

As for total machine failure--It's unlikely his machine will fail, as new ones are dual voltage. However, he should get the list of distributors from the manufacturer for every country he's going to before leaving the States, including the phone numbers and email. That way he could get help immediately,
At least two of the biggest manufacturers are Europan-based multi-nationals.

He'll probably find it easiest to stay in just a few places and take day trips, rather than pulling up stakes every few days. With a few good home bases and some down time built in for rest and recuperation, it should be a good trip for him.

Food: my French husband and my sons were extremely fussy when younger but survived fine. One thing to note is the EU has stricter rules against added hormones and chemicals in the food supply than the US.

I don't have a specific Website to offer, and this may be an obvious point, but does the c-pap or any other electrical equipment need a voltage converter and/or plug adapter for use in Europe? Are existing power cords long enough to reach any bed where they might be staying, or would bringing a short extension cord be advisable, in case they stay someplace with unexpected electrical outlet locations? If staying at a standard hotel, the availability and proximity of outlets shouldn't be any concern.

If they attend a local market, perhaps that would afford an opportunity to see local food up close, talk with vendors, and have a sample or two.

I'll just address your first issue. My wife is diabetic and uses an insulin pump. We've traveled to Europe and other places without any real issue. Here are three previous posts that I believe are related to your friend's concerns.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/insulin

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/refrigerated-medication

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/diabetic-travelling-to-spain

I'd say relax and have a good time!

I understand his concern. I have a health issue that almost killed me in my 30s, and air travel is an ongoing risk. However I love to travel.

A few thoughts:
--I'd suggest he join the International Association for Medical Assistance to Travelers. It's free, and it provides services to travelers, including reliable lists of English-speaking physicians. Many are Americans or US trained.
--Hopefully he already belongs to something like MedicAlert. That's also inexpensive and provides useful services. He should ensure all of their information is up to date before he leaves. Since MedicAlert bracelet only provides a toll-free number. I ensure that I have the direct dial number on my card since the toll-free number will not work outside the US.
--I'd suggest taking the first trip to an English-speaking country. That would eliminate the worry about communications, should something go wrong.
--An English-speaking country will also allow him to know what he's ordering on the menu, which will help avoid unpleasant surprises.
--Get travel medical insurance, looking carefully at exclusions for pre-existing conditions. For some policies, pre-existing conditions are covered IF you buy the insurance within a limited number of hours of making the first payment for your trip. So investigate/buy the travel insurance very early.
--I also have a separate medical evacuation policy through Medjet Assist. It's not very expensive, and it provides much greater control over medical evacuation than is available with travel insurance policies.
--Finally, I put key medical information – diagnosis, medications, doctor phone numbers, etc – on one page, and keep a copy with my passport, wallet, luggage, etc.

As Sherry said (this is just to emphasize the point): in your situation, suggest you look very carefully at the pre-existing conditions part of any medical or evacuation policy you're thinking of buying.

I am diabetic but use syringes. As long as the pump (and blood glucose meter) aren't old, they should be relatively reliable. I make it a point to take along a spare battery for any such items when I travel since they are tiny and easy to pack and finding the right ones in a foreign country may be difficult or, at least, time consuming.

I also travel with a CPAP. I've never had trouble with my machine away from home, but I did have the mask break once while I was traveling, so I take a spare mask (and headgear) with me which is a bit of a packing pain since it's not tiny. Here are the recent discussions of CPAP issues that I've participated in (there may be others that I don't know about):

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/what-to-do-with-a-c-pap-machine
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/packing/traveling-with-a-cpap

The odds are that the power supply for your friend's CPAP will work in Europe as long as he has the correct plug adapter. He should look on the power supply (usually on the bottom or back) for the (usually) black label that hopefully says something like 100-240 V - 50/60 Hz which would indicate that it can operate on European electrical systems.

Just ditto-ing this suggestion:

I'd suggest taking the first trip to an English-speaking country. That
would eliminate the worry about communications, should something go
wrong.

An English-speaking country will also allow him to know what he's
ordering on the menu, which will help avoid unpleasant surprises.

Also, my brother is the pickiest of picky eaters. If he wanted to go to Europe but was freaked out at the prospect of food choices, I'd send him to Ireland, or the UK. But even he could probably find something to eat in Italy! ;)