Mom had emergency surgery and have to cancel our trip

Wishing your mother a speedy recovery.

Explain your situation to the hotels and see if they will allow some leniency on a refund or perhaps give you a credit to a future reservation.

The rail tickets is likely a cold impersonal corporate structure to deal with so see little hope there.

Go and 'scout' the territory so next year when, hopefully they can go, you can be their experienced tour guide and run things smoothly ( any 'mistakes' you will do on your own this trip). Best thing to do with lemons is make lemonade.

Good luck and hope she has a full and speedy recovery.

So very sorry about your Mom. I, too, wish her quick healing.

I agree you should go and scout things out. It really helps not to be a complete novice when you are trying to help others, particularly with the train transits and the luggage situation. You’ll enjoy your trip.

As you say, you never know what the future brings. Go now and enjoy.

BTW, it’s too late now but I don’t think anyone recommends the London Pass so you’ll know for next time.

Are the London and Paris Hotels not cancellable? Or was it a little less expensive to book non-cancellable?

Make notes to yourself on what you should and should not have done. It’s easy to forget.

Cancel what you can then go back to work on your capsule wardrobe!!

I'm just echoing what others have said, but I hope that your mom has a speedy recovery!

If you used a credit card to pay for the hotels, check to see whether there's a card benefit that will help you there as well. But I agree that you should make the trip, assuming your mom is out of the woods. London and Paris can keep you busy for months, so you need not visit a lot of sights you expect to see with your parents next year.

UK rail tickets can be cancelled for a fee as well so long as they aren't the Advance type.

I join everyone else in wishing your mother a speedy recovery.

If you end up not traveling this year, do contact the hotels that you can't a full refund from, explain the situation, and see if they can give you a credit. Particularly since you intend to go next year, a credit would be useful. And check with your credit cards to see if they will cover any other cancellations besides the airfare. You may have more protection from them than your realize, and it never hurts to ask.

If you do end up going, I agree that it's only sad if you make it so. Instead, look at it as a dry run, so the next trip will be even more special. You've already learned a lot (no to unnecessary advance booking; yes to travel insurance) and you haven't even gone yet - think of how much you'll learn while you're there, that will enhance the trip you do take with your parents!

The last time I cancelled an (American) hotel reservation, they asked "why?" - maybe because it was a wedding. When I said my mother had been hospitalized, they gave me a full refund. In fact, I had travel insurance, because my mother is now 92.

My point is that a personal (not Internet, best-price, rock-bottom, impersonal) hotel reservation at a mid-range or higher, established hotel, may have (non-guaranteed, to be sure) benefits that you don't know about on the face of things.

On that same trip, when I submitted the hospital's admission document (very FEW pages permitted by the United website), United Airlines promptly refunded the airfare that I also had travel insurance for. I'm not bragging, it's just that this is a very different story that one usually hears about cancellations.

I would still say that any trip someone takes with their parents should be include purchase of real Travel Insurance. It is foolhardy to do otherwise. Please report on how the Credit Card air insurance works out for you.

Listen to your parents and what they are telling you. They want you to go on the trip, so go on the trip. I know my elderly parents and in laws absolutely love newsy emails and lots of pictures each day when I travel. If there are locations that have special meaning in family history, go there and bring a nice photograph of your parents to include in a picture of the site as it is today. I've seen interesting photos where the next generation tries to pose as the parents did in the same location. You get my idea.

Granted they aren't traveling with you in the same way you originally planned, but they can still be a big part of this trip and enjoy it if you work it with lots of good stories and pictures each day.

My very best wishes for her speedy recovery.

I’m so sorry to hear about your mother. I hope she recovers quickly.

The advice above is all good. I wouldn’t expect to get a refund of the Eurostar or Gatwick Express tickets if you bought the lowest price category, but the hotels may be more sympathetic if you explain the circumstances. They may be willing to refund or give you a credit for a future date.

Check the credit card that you used for the purchase to see if it covers teip cancellation.

Also, I just looked up London Pass and the literature seems to indicate that they are good for a year. https://www.londonpass.com/contact-london-pass/

Your London Pass (as well as your email confirmation voucher if you planned to collect your order in London) is valid for one year from the date of purchase.

I'm so sorry. I too, learned about TRIP INSURANCE the hard way about 20yrs ago - my brother was killed in a car accident the same day my husband and I were to leave to a big vacation - we lost about $6000. We now purchase through USAA. If you don't have USAA, then AAA sells a very good Allianz policy. You can also get your own thru insuremytrip.com - they have many brands - we have, unfortunately, had to use Trip Insurance many times these past 20yrs and have had very good experience with Allianz, Travel Insured, Travel Guard. Just be sure you are comparing apples to apples - lost luggage, missed plane, medical evacuation. Our Credit Card offers Trip Insurance, but it is NOT good, so we always purchase our own.

You can always try calling all the places and explain your situation. The hotels may understand and reimburse you - esp if you tell them you will be back when your mom heals. I know how you feel, but I am so glad your mom will be ok. My appendix ruptured the night before our last trip and my husband was in a wreck and hurt his back 2 trips before that - it's a hard lesson. I'm so sorry and wish your mom a healthy, safe recovery.

I can't make a recommendation on whether you should go without them - only you know how you will feel making that decision - but if they say go, and your mom is safe -it is something to consider - you may end up learning things and do it a little different next year.

Hi,
I join in all others to wish you all the best and your mother a speedy recovery. Here is my take:
1. I have been buying travel insurance for many years, however, it could have worked fine if you had it, but don't feel so sorry, because when I finally needed it, had to make changes to return a week earlier (cost to change with Lufthansa $ 600.00). the travel insurance found any "scam" excuse to deny my claim, and that was considered the best on the market TravelEx from A/E. so you never know, but for bid emergencies, when you are older, it is advisable. I do not have knowledge with train passes, but I know, that hotels will generally refund you if you prove and explain your situation. That is why I always like to reserve with hotels directly and not use the third party online reservation mode. We use sometime Airbnb, and I spoke to them on this issue since you pay upfront all costs/fees. They indicated that in such situations, they are accommodating and will refund (minus some fee).
I liked someone's suggestion that you should go without your parents as a dry run. Noting like going back to a place and being familiar with the surrounding and all else.
Good luck and great traveling.

sydance, AFAIK, American Express is not an insurance company. They subcontract to companies they name, to provide various insurance products to their customers. You didn't say whether you had good reason to believe that your schedule change should have been covered. Did it involve family illness, the subject of this thread? Or did it involve business, graduations, weddings, or other desires? There is an extra-cost option at many companies, called "Cancel for Any Reason". This is reassuring for people who are (just for example) terrified about political or terrorist unrest, who have read the policy carefully enough to know that without the extra rider, they can't cancel unless the State Department puts out a formal warning. But schedule changes often are called out separately (with lesser limits) in the list of "Coverages". Unless you read all of the boring small print, there can be unpleasant surprises.

Sorry about your mom but hopefully she will make a full recovery and be able to take the trip next year. I agree with the others that you should take the trip this year anyway. As has been said, by your doing it now, next year you will be 'experts' and the whole trip will go much smoother for your mom. Even though I have traveled extensively when I return to somewhere I have been before it is so much easier.

Also, you can take tons of photos and give her a nice, long, detailed slide show. If it turns out she doesn't get to make the trip she will at least have that, and know that you got to see the places. And hopefully she will get to take the trip and it's fun to see places that you have previously seen in photos.

My mother-in-law was put on death watch about a week before our scheduled trip to Italy last fall. Travel insurance would not cover it because she hadn't died yet.

I simply cancelled everything and added an explanation for the cancellation. I did not ask for anything we weren't entitled to. However, all of the hotels but one refunded our deposits. Most prepaid attractions did too. Air France gave us vouchers good for Air France, Delta, and KLM (which we used a week later to get to the funeral).

You may be pleasantly surprised too.

Sorry to hear about your mother,I had a similar experience in February with emergency surgery with a trip to France on April 3rd.I contacted Air France and they gave me a full refund as well as all Hotels but one in Strasbourg.We prepaid the K & K in Paris and they gave us a full refund ,they are an excellent hotel chain in Europe.
Mike

Echoing all previous responses and wishing you mom a speedy recovery! Indians have a saying "something small bad happens so something big bad is avoided, case in point, thankfully your mom wasn't traveling abroad and then needing emergency surgery, if thats any consolation.
Its so nice of her to encourage you guys to go ahead with your trip, I do agree, you will be expert guides for them next year when you all can go together!
Except for the Eurostar, I think trying to call and speaking with a live person will go a long way toward getting refunds. Also, ask for email IDs and send over hospital and surgery paperwork if they give you a hard time, show proof and they will be more flexible, I think
Even with Eurostar, these policies are in place to avoid general public from canceling and getting refunds all the time, but I'm sure they get cases like yours which are genuine and they would help you out

Wish you the best of luck and to your mom and I hope it works out well