Looking for advice on possibly salvaging trip after injury

What rotten timing.

I don't know anything about special assistance at Italian rail stations; perhaps someone else can help you there.

Honestly, since this is a short-term disability, I would postpone the trip. If I were in your shoes, I wouldn't be happy being significantly limited in the walking I could do. You said "we", so I assume there are at least two of you traveling. There would surely be significant additional cost, above what has been spent so far. Would a constrained trip be worth that much to you?

Can you recoup some of the $2000 in the form of airline credits?

We won't be in Italy - just Amsterdam and France (Colmar - renting a car; Paris - staying on Rue Cler; Bayeux - renting car). I will check on airfare credit. We have reservations at Airbnbs - no refund on amount paid (half), but I could cancel and save the other half. I am just having a pity party.

Oh, and there are two of us - ages 67 and 70.

Sorry about your injury. I wasn't sure from your note if you will require a wheelchair the entire time on your trip or you want to use a wheelchair for airport/train transfers and use your walker.

Amsterdam has good accessibility. I have not required wheelchair rentals in Amsterdam, but here are some potential options based on a web search. Here is a link for accessible travel, including airport and train transfers: https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/plan-your-trip/practical-info/disabled-travellers. Accessible Travel has special packages and wheelchair rental options: https://www.accessibletravelnl.com/.

Paris is a bit more of a challenge for accessible travel. Here is a good link for how to navigate: https://www.sagetraveling.com/Paris-Wheelchair-Accessible-Travel-Tips. Here is the link from the Paris tourist bureau on rentals: https://en.parisinfo.com/practical-paris/visiting-paris-with-a-disability/info/guides/practical-information-for-disabled-visitors/equipment-hire-for-disabled-visitors/rental-of-medical-equipment-including-wheelchairs.

Hope this helps,
Sandy

VERY sorry to hear you fell and broke a leg bone.

It is disheartening after all your planning. You need to heal and to heal properly.

Being brutally honest your health is far more important than the trip.

It’s a reality that needs to be faced. You had an accident. Nothing you can do to change that reality but you can temper the disappoint.

Wouldn’t you rather travel when you felt 100%?
When you could stroll and meander without pain or discomfort?

Focus on your recovery. Don’t rush.

Amersterdam and France will still be there when the Dr. gives you a clean bill of health.

You might want to see if you can rent a wheelchair in the US and take it with you to Europe. I would suggest Sage Travel's website and looking on TripAdvisor. I'm guessing it can be done, but it's going take some research on your part.

I've read some horror stories about what can happen to a wheelchair while flying. If you rent one, make sure that there's some insurance on it for travel.

Will your other half be able to handle all the luggage and help you out at airports/train stations? Do the AirBnB's have steps or other obstacles that may cause difficulty for you to navigate?

I'm not trying to talk you out of going. I've been through foreign countries with a broken foot, but mine didn't require surgery. And I remember how easily I grew tired. Motrin, water + frequent rest were my best friends.

My personal opinion is do the European trip...if you can accept that it will be a different trip than the one you have been planning. I looked at some of your previous posts. You have an ambitious itinerary. If you are willing to adjust your mind to your new body you can still visit all the places you have booked but perhaps not do all the things you had planned and still have a wonderful time. Just being in Amsterdam and Paris will be healing for you. Enjoy sitting in a cafe instead of walking through the tourist sites. Sometimes just being in a new place is enough.

From someone that travels a lot, I would say to stay home and get well.

I remember being on a river cruise with a couple where the man twisted his ankle (it was a bad sprain). He could not walk without crutches.

He tried to go on the bus while in port and mostly stayed on the bus and eventually stayed on the ship.

First off, I am guessing you didn't take out travel insurance which would have let you make the prudent decision post surgery and assessment by doc. This is why it is recommended from the time you book.
Airbnb has a mechanism that you can ask for further refunds on cancellation. I once cancelled a 6 night rental and recieved my half refund. Shortly before I would have been in the city, I wanted to see if he had been able to rerent the dates I cancelled....so he wouldn't be out of pocket for my decision. All but one day was rented. So, I found the relevant button and asked, that since he had been able to rebook, would he consider refunding a further $amount. He did, so instead of being out of pocket 3 days, I was only out of pocket 1.
If your bookings are in a popular place and time, you could even ask at time of cancellation whether they would give a larger refund due to your injury and reason for cancelling.
Only you can decide whether you want to take a trip in a sub-optimal state. It may be a 'make do' trip at best.

Kathy, I think the person you should ask advice of would be your surgeon on Monday. Explain to him or her what your plan was and try to paint a picture of what you envisioned for your trip so that they will understand the amount of walking which would be required. Tell the surgeon your trip dates as well. After this, ask him or her if they feel it would be doable or not. Ask if they feel that physical therapy may be required during or after your period of time with the walker. In my opinion, without knowing your age or medical history, if it were me, I would still plan on going. Four weeks on a walker falls just inside the time period before your trip. However, if you are older or have any other comorbidities (COPD, diabetes, peripheral arterial disease, osteoarthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, etc.), this may slow you down and somewhat delay your recovery. But I would listen to your surgeon and your primary care doctor above anyone else who replied to you on this forum.

Edit: I see that you are either 67 or 70, so that will very likely impact your ability to recover. I really hope things work out for you.

"I remember how easily I grew tired."

This is a very important point. There's a difference between energy and stamina. You will probably feel OK as you get started each day (your starting energy will be good), but you are likely to tire more quickly than normal (you will have low stamina). So, you'll be spending a lot of time resting and recuperating rather than seeing and doing.

If you HAD to go on a trip (say, for a funeral), sure, you could make this work with lots of accommodations. But since this is leisure travel, I agree with most of the other replies - postpone it until you're doing better. Do try to get the refunds using the techniques others have outlined, and for the rest of the money, consider it your "insurance premium."

I would check a few things out.
First off are you going to need therapy? That could really mess up your trip..

Then I would See if you can reschedule your flight (the biggest hit as you can’t look at it as points as you will have to pay money to replace unless you have a LOT of points.
I would see look at the hotel options to change the dates.
And I would contact my credit card company. It is amazing how many credit cards have protections for things we don’t know about.
But if you can save the points by paying a nominal rescheduling fee it should not be too bad.

A couple years ago I had to cancel a trip to Florida due to gallbladder surgery and my airline gave me a year to rebook for free. And that was an airline with pretty nasty restrictions on canceling. But the airlines don’t want to take a chance on health issues so will often make occomidations that otherwise they wouldn’t, And a person in thier late 60s or early 70s fresh out of leg surgery crammed into tight airline seating is frankly a potential problem that the airline may very well want to avoid.

Thanks to everyone for your thoughtful comments! It gives me some things to think about. In Amsterdam the main thing that I wanted to see is Keukenhof Gardens, and I was able to reserve a wheelchair for that if we are able to make the trip. I am making peace that the trip may not happen; but, if we do, I will slow down and only see those things that are most important to us and enjoy the experience of JUST being there. We may take more taxi's than we usually would; hop on/hop off buses.

The main things that are not refundable are: the flight from Amsterdam to Strasbourg - $400 and the first 50% on the Airbnb's (Colmar, Paris, Bayeux). As someone noted, I may be able to get that back if they rent the space after I cancel. Sure wish I had paid that trip insurance earlier! Live and learn.

We are traveling with carry-on luggage only. My bag is the Rick Steves' rolling carry-on and the Euro flight bag. Jim just takes a Rick Steves' backpack. So we won't have to be concerned with heavy luggage.

Again, many thanks for your feedback! This is a wonderful forum for those of us that love the adventure of travel.

Sorry to hear your situation, it must be really difficult. Being realistic will help in the long run.

Like I said, I have been through MULTIPLE foreign countries wearing one of those huge boots for a broken bone. It's exhausting, but - important but - I am glad I went anyway.

You should always follow your MD's advice, of course, but if you're willing to take things more slowly and accept your limitations you could still be able to salvage your trip. Just remember that you will not be able to do certain things, no matter how much you want to do them.

Last year I got pneumonia a month before I was due to leave for Europe. I ended up in the hospital and even asked my doctor if I could go. He said it was up to me and how I felt. Honestly, I'm glad I didn't go on the trip. It's amazing how long recovery times take after surgery. I didn't feel myself until a 2 months afterwards and I'm in my 40s. I can't imagine going to Europe with a walker.

Like you there were some items that were non-refundable-train tickets, pre-bought tickets but they are sunken costs. I felt horrible about missing the trip and other circumstances have made it that I won't be traveling overseas for a few more years. But please, please take care of yourself and rest. Europe will still be there in 6 months or a year but you may never recover if you damage your tibia while on vacation and IMO is not worth it. Watch Rick Steves episodes, stream some French movies on Netflix and heal.

Take it from someone who's been there.

Believe me, health comes first. It's miserable away from home when not in good health.
As old as we are, I'm 63 , we need to use common sense in our elderly years.
Europe will still be there next year. Get well !!

Since you booked your tickets with points, why not pick a similar block of time next fall and rebook then United has done that for us with a small change fee only. Then you will be feeling 100% again and can really enjoy the trip, rather than just trying to carry on.

My only concern would be if the flight would be dangerous somehow; ie, blood clots and how I could avoid that. And I'd ask my doctor if it was up to me or there was a reason I shouldn't go. Otherwise, I'd rather be slowed up in Europe, than at home missing my trip. Your vacation might change, but you will still be in Europe. On the other hand, I love sitting in cafes and parks watching people. You never know what the future will bring, so best to have some of it now. With luck, you can repeat next trip and see what you were unable to see this time. If I read the calendar correctly, you will be off the walker before the trip and on...crutches or a walking cast or are you finished at that point? Again, if the flight is OK and the doctor is OK with it, I would go. I bet you meet more people than usual, which will be interesting in itself.

Oh, and about this:

As old as we are, I'm 63 , we need to use common sense in our elderly years.

Wow! My husband is 78 and I've never thought of him as elderly. This is an eye opener. There must be something wrong with my thought process (or right). LOL

Another “Wow!” at that statement.
When did 63 become “elderly”??
My grandmother lived to be 100, my dad 97, both sharp as tacks when they died.
They would have described 63 as “young”.

Re: heather’s post... you can’t compare pneumonia to a broken bone. I’ve had both. No connection whatsoever.

Kathy, I am so, so sorry to hear about your fall and now the subsequent surgery. To answer your question, I think you need to play this by ear. At least speak with the surgeon first for travel advice post surgery. You will have no idea how you'll feel and how you'll recuperate from surgery and how physical therapy will go as you use the walker. Your body will need to get accustomed to having a rod and screws in your body. I am happy to hear that the surgery will be outpatient; to be in a hospital is something I wouldn't wish on anybody.

When you do travel, request wheelchair service from your airline at both departure and arrival airports. By and large, they do a great job. You also hopefully will get preference for an aisle seat close to the front without paying an extra cost for a seat reservation. At least you get one perk.

Gare du Nord and Amsterdam Centraal are excellent for travelers with disabilities. Good luck to you.

When my 90-year-old father-in-law severely hurt his back at his home in New Jersey and needed my husband to bring him to an assisted living facility near us (in Minnesota), we had a fully planned and paid-for Italy trip that we had to postpone for 3 months. Delta was very nice about it and charged us as little as possible to re-book the flights, and every single airbnb host and hotel allowed me to re-schedule without penalty, even ones with strict cancellation policies. See what they say.

I hobbled around with a cane for a month and using wheelchairs in airports and doing much less on our latest trip to Italy, and it was just barely possible. I can't imagine using a walker and having a much more severe injury than what I had. Like, think about using bathrooms, especially on the airplane........

My wife and I are 67 and 70. We just decided last week, for the first time, to get travel insurance. This post makes me feel better about the modest expense.

One thing we did get, and which is increasingly sensible, is MEDICAL EVACUATION INSURANCE. If the OP had this occur in Europe, it might have been necessary for her to be medically evacuated. This is NOT a part of your normal insurance, and can run to $10,000+ in costs. Even if you don't get trip cancellation insurance, getting medical evacuation insurance ($180) sounds like a pretty good idea.

I think so you can best evaluate your options, call the airline and talk with them directly. Same with the accommodations. You might be surprised. I have at least twice been able to cancel a airline flight and rebook within a year at no penalty. Try as much as possible to talk to a live person. With the AirBnB, can you email the host directly? Sometimes it can help to have the doctor write a short note. Best Wishes!

The railways offer free, pre-reserved boarding assistance for disabled travelers, though I'm not sure that they provide wheelchairs. See also:

https://www.sncf.com/en/passenger-offer/travel-for-everyone/accessibility

https://www.thalys.com/be/en/info-services/travellers-with-reduced-mobility

We planned a trip to Florence Italy in 2005, and my wife broke her ankle four weeks before the trip. We went to the airport to talk to an agent about the transatlantic Delta flight. The agent said to my wife :you didn’t plan to break your ankle, so I’m going to waive the change fee. There were no other costs incurred since we had booked refundable hotel rooms. Since my wife was in a non-weight bearing cast, there was no way she could have gone to Europe. We rescheduled the trip for 8 months later.

Good luck getting boarding assistance in France. I tried. I tried contacting them ahead of time and when I got there in person for my father and I got bubcus. They wouldn’t even tell me what platform we needed ahead of time. And that was with First Class tickets.
I would try to avoid trains in France if you have anyone with walking issues at all costs. And that goes double for changing trains.
So good luck with that.
No the folks in England on the Eurostar were great, The folks the next year in France on Eurostar were... indifferent. But at least it has good indications ahead of time where you will board from.
Vs the standard French method of every stands around like it is a race until they finally flash the platform number on The scream and “Bang” “thier off and running”. Often time just trying to find the elevator to the platform is a nightmare.

As much as I enjoyed France and Paris both times (and thinking about a third trip to Paris) the Trains need a LOT of help for those with limited mobility.

Kathy, how was your surgery? Are you feeling OK?

hey kathy
what a WOW moment so unexpected. you were so excited about this trip. so disappointing. how was your surgery? did you put all your questions to the doctor? only you can decide what's best for your and your husband. hope all goes well and please let us know. take care
aloha

Hi, dear friends, the surgery went well. The doctor only put in one screw, but the surgery was longer than expected- a ilitle over two hours. I asked all of my questions, and he was very positive. He said we would have a better idea in about two weeks.

Glad that the surgery went well. That and the recovery are the important things!

Pleased to hear the surgery went well.

Now take the time to properly heal.

I am very sympathetic that you fell and hurt yourself. I can only relate for you the following story.

Incredible as it may seem, I hurt my knee pretty badly and i was so intent on gong to Europe anyway.
I said, I gotta go to France even if I go in a wheel chair. So I did! Airfrance was wonderful--I was treated so kindly. when I got off the flight a nice young muslim man came to help me and push the chair. He got my bags off the belt and put me into a cab ( I believe this was above and beyond his pay grade)
I got to the hotel and sat for a couple days just luxuriating in bubble baths and talking to a few people at the hotel. I had wonderful room service. I believe France and Paris in particular still are magical. Something about the ambience and the kindness and really swell treatment from the staff at the hotel, the next thing you know, I am up and walking and going here and there. One day it rained while I was having lunch with a new friend ( I meet people everywhere). And I actually heard myself say: "let's run for it. Let's run to the hotel. We did. We raced over to the hotel. It was only after we sat by the huge fireplace int he lobby putting our jackets on a chair to dry before the fire that I realized I RAN!

How did that happen? I arrived in a wheelchair and here I was running.

Go figure. I believe in magic. I believe in God. And so the trip was healing. P S i did not go home in a wheel chair. OK? Take from this story what you will.

Another PS I happen to be 70! Which is middle age.

Hi, dear friends, the surgery went well. The doctor only put in one screw, but the surgery was longer than expected- a ilitle over two hours. I asked all of my questions, and he was very positive. He said we would have a better idea in about two weeks.

Glad to hear the surgery went well! Fingers crossed for a speedy recovery followed by the trip you desire! ;-)

Update: I went on the trip in a portable transport chair (lightweight folding wheelchair) and overall had a great trip to Amsterdam and France. We went to the train stations in France about an hour before our trains were scheduled to leave and went to the ACCESS (SNCF special services) area. They arranged for ramp onto the train and personally took me to my seat and assisted with my baggage. There was one hiccup in Brussels when the pre-arranged assistance for a short connection to Amsterdam did not show and we missed our train by one minute. The train doors closed as we were approaching. Fortunately, a wonderful Dutch Intercity train employee told us that we could take the next train which was only a 30 minute wait. This was even with a non-refundable/non-exchangeable ticket! He assisted us on the train, and came to check on us several times during the short trip. He assisted us getting off the train and walked with us through the train station in Amsterdam to show us which exit to take to our hotel, which was very close by. Now that is service!

I did get tired more quickly after the surgery for the fractured leg and sitting for a month before the trip, but I am glad that I went. No, it wasn't the trip that I had hoped for, but we really enjoyed being in some beautiful places - Keukenhof Gardens, Colmar, Paris, Normandy, Lille. In Paris, we took one of the On and Off Tour buses on two different days, and they did not charge for passengers in wheelchairs and their companions. The cobblestones were difficult to push the wheelchair on and the wheels took a beating. We took a night time vintage car tour of Paris that was fabulous .

By the way, in addition to the fractured leg, I got a mild case of food poisoning and a sinus infection. Thank goodness for the pharmacists in France and the wonderful French Onion Soup!

Thanks to everyone that responded. Happy travels!

Thanks for posting your follow up, and I'm glad you had a good time despite the problems.

Wonderful!! Thanks for letting us know that a redesigned trip can still be worthwhile.

Thanks for posting your follow-up. Despite all the challenges, glad you had a successful trip.

Kathy, what a great outlook you have!
So glad you had a good trip (despite the food and sinus issue). Good to know that a trip can still be fun, even with limitations. Well done!

Susan,
Right, I am 71 now and still active, walking 10 miles a week.

When I was 63, I did a 108 mile bike ride in 7 hours. I passed some people half my age.

Thanks so much for the update Kathy! I'm glad things worked out for you even though it was different from your planned vision! Keukenhof was spectacular, wasn't it?

Congratulations, Kathy, on a job well done! Talk about perseverance! I am so happy you had such a grand time with only a "few" glitches along the way. What will you be taking on next?😃

hey kathy
great to hear you took the trip with all the bumps involved. you do find kind and willing to help people everywhere. you and your husband got the job done at a slower pace and enjoyed. your mention of french onion soup made me laugh, 2 years ago i was on a "mission" to see which restaurant had the best soup. the place i found was in montemarte, La Maison Rose, and was serenaded by couple of guys singing french songs. loved it. will be in paris again this september and on a "mission" for eclairs.
thanks for the update, happy you both pulled it together and enjoyed.
aloha

Thanks Kathy, for the update. So glad you could salvage the trip and make some lemonade from the broken tibia lemon. Sometimes we spend so much time trying to make the 'perfect' trip we don't allow ourselves to enjoy it when things don't go as planned. I understand it, but one can learn to take what is good regardless of the bad.
I do have to ask, however, in hindsight, is there anything you would do differently? Or do to prevent issues for future travel. I will be honest, the insurance part is what I am thinking about with the last question.

Maria, The only thing that I would do differently regarding the travel insurance is to sign up for a policy sooner as I have always done in the past. Since I plan our trips and we travel using frequent flyer miles, I pay for things as I go. Usually it is small amounts, but I kept putting it off - bad plan!! Live and learn.

If anyone that plans their own trips (paying deposits, buying museum tickets, train tickets, etc.) has any suggestions on when they purchase travel insurance, I would be interested in hearing their strategy.

The travel insurance we always buy is thru USAA, and covers pre-existing conditions, if purchased within 30 days of the trip booking [for us, I purchase the insurance within 30 days of the airline booking.] USAA offers three plans , and we always purchase the "middle" plan. Thankfully, we have never had to file a claim.