Did you wake up with a monster headache the day of your flight? Did you twist your ankle mid-way through your first city tour? Did you... drink the water?!?
If you are seriously considering going home early because of an unexpected reduction in mobility, take a moment to think through your options.
Let's say you had planned to walk all over Porto, a steep city, but can now only manage 30 feet at a time. You can:
- add a driving tour (We Hate Tourism is a fantastic company for this)
- hire a taxi (try the mytaxi app - 50% off when you use it in Porto!)
- hire multiple taxis, and add in buses (caution - you may have a hard time getting to a given stop; review the terrain carefully)
- modify! Spend less time strolling museums, shops, and parks, and more time sitting in cafés and on city benches. If you have prepurchased museum tickets, call ahead and ask about wheelchairs and elevators.
Your room is up a flight of stairs, and now you can't get there? Obviously, this is a bigger problem. Call around for a hotel with an elevator (Ibis is reasonable and basic, as well as ubiquitous). You may have to just eat the cost of your apartment, but it's still less cost and hassle than booking a flight change. Also consider whether you can make the stairs at least once a day - it makes for a more structured and rigid day, but that might be the best thing to do.
More and more European airports have do-it-yourself wheelchairs available. Just ask about them at an info desk. Also, ask for help at the check-in desk - you're supposed to arrange for help ahead of time (48 hrs), but if you just got hurt the day before, you obviously can't do that. They can sometimes still work it out. Just remember to update your next flights!
Don't be shy about asking for help from a local pharmacist - they will have (or can order) something that will help. Even if you have to buy something without a prescription or insurance, the cost still will likely be well below USA prices (virtually everywhere).
Essentially, continuing to travel with a sudden mobility problem is more expensive, and you do less than you expected, but it's still worth it!
All of this makes me think about how I will travel when I'm old and decrepit - some things will change to accommodate the physical realities, but I'll still get around and enjoy plenty of places!
In fact, the day we got home, I caught myself looking at a picture of an azure sea murmuring to a white sand beach, and thought, yeah, that's a place to be pampered - nothing to see or do, just the sun, the breeze, a lounge chair, and a cold drink...
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