Best way to plan
 

Hello. My mother is in a wheelchair and we are going to Europe for two weeks in November to see my daughter who is staying in Luxembourg. My mom is exchanging two weeks of her timeshare in Florida for two weeks in Europe so we won't have to pay for lodging. However, the only ones that seem to be available are in Malta and Spain. That seems too far away from the sites we want to visit such as Luxembourg, Rome, Venice maybe Belgium. If we stayed a week in Spain or Malta do you think we could make day trips from these areas to Rome for example. This will be our first trip to Europe and the more I research the more confused I get. I would like to fly into Lux city or Paris first to pick up my daughter and then go from there. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
PS-Ireland is on her bucket list-is this impossible

A day trip to Rome from Malta or Spain would be insane and I can't even count how many ways this would be insane.

Did you look at flight times before you asked this question? Plus you have time getting to and from the airports and waiting times at airports. Plus your airfare and transportation to and from airports. You could spend as much on the flight and ground transportation as for a room for the night.

Please get yourself a map of Europe - free on the internet - and see how far apart these places are.

If you want to go to Luxembourg to see your daughter then stay in Luxembourg and pay for lodging - it won't cost all that much if you book budget places or go on priceline for inexpensive rates.

Or, meet your daughter in some other country and book a triple room to cut down on lodging costs.

I would not recommend Malta in November as it will be cold and damp and most of the Malta sights involve seeing ruins which would be difficult with your mother in a wheel chair.

With mobility issues...you cannot/should not do a day trip from Spain to Rome. Just the hassle of getting to the airport then from the airport at Rome to.. a bus tour, then going back to airport, flying, and from the airport in Spain back home....

And, how far is Spain home from international airport?

Either tour the areas you are in, or go with another plan. Maybe one week at timeshare, then fly...to Dublin? You could rent a car there and do a nice visit to the countryside for a week.

I have been looking at maps trying to figure out what's doable. I think the timeshare issue keeps getting in the way. Thanks for the advice.

No, of course not. You can't just skip from country to country like that, especially with a handicapped person. Even with a better base location you couldn't possibly get to those four countries in a week's time. Scrap this plan - it's totally unworkable. You can see a bit of France, Luxembourg, and Belgium in a week's time, though even that would be a race and you'd need to pay for local lodging, not "commute" from Spain, then fly to Ireland and spend a week there.

And I would imagine most time shares in Spain are in the south.

Thats a good idea from StCirq about Ireland,use one week of your time share there.

The OP does not have a time share in Ireland - only Malta and Spain.

Let this be a lesson to everyone: never, NEVER buy a timeshare.

Well, the Malta and Spain timeshares are totally useless if the OP wants to visit France and Belgium and Luxembourg and Italy (which is in itself insane in a week's time).

I love this one. Just getting the popcorn ready.

OK -- are you in RCI? Are Malta and the south of Spain truly your only options??

There are MANY timeshares in the UK - and while you cannot do day trips from England or Scotland to Rome (you really do need to get a better map of Europe) There would be MANY things to see nearby in the UK.

And there are a few timeshare resorts in Ireland.

I'd work w/ the exchange agency and find out exactly what is available where. One problem is many resort exchanges are filled months ahead so the pickings will be slim at this late date.

Malta is an Island that isn't a 'day trip' from anywhere and if you want to stay a week at a timeshare in Spain -- then see things nearby in Spain.

1987 - I hope we haven't scared you away. Perhaps you have a sense of humor and I can tell you that I am still rolling on the floor laughing about the day trips! :)

My recommendation, considering that you're traveling in November and that your mother is wheel-chair bound, is to book an apartment in Paris for 2 weeks and have your daughter join you. You can save money on restaurant bills by eating many of your dinners at the apartment and can keep drinks and snacks on hand. A major city, such as Paris, will offer lots of indoor activities in case the weather turns damp and rainy and lots of parks, gardens, outdoor cafes, or street markets for sunny days.

If your mother is able to walk a bit without the wheel chair you can take day trips by train to Versailles (or other palaces/chateaux), Brussels, etc. and get a taste of other places.

I loved Venice, but getting around is hard enough for someone with bad knees, like me. Dragging a wheeled suitcase over the multitude of bridges wasn't fun. I think it would be difficult to navigate Venice in a wheel chair and very difficult to get on the canal boats for transit to your hotel, the train station, the airport or various parts of Venice. And what does someone in a wheel chair do when St. Mark's Square floods, as it does regularly?

I don't wish to be negative and I'm not trying to talk you out of visiting. Venice is a great place to visit. You just have to be aware of the transit limitations/difficulties.

You're planning now for a trip in less than 8 weeks that involves a person in a wheelchair!??? I don't think this is something you can throw together without significant research and planning.

Does your mother need accessible bathroom facilities? These are not available in most hotels. Not every hotel has elevators either.

Is she bringing her own chair? Is it motorized? You won't find many wheelchair-friendly sidewalks and curb cuts.

What kind of car or other transportation will you need? Someone else might be able to comment about train travel in the various countries; otherwise, you'll need a large car that can hold luggage AND the wheelchair.

If you're going to stop in Paris to pick up your daughter, then I would stay there for a few days. Paris may be one of the easier places in Europe to get around in a wheelchair.

You might want to consult with a travel agency that specializes in travelers with disabilities. For a reasonable fee, they could save you hours of research and help you plan a more enjoyable trip.

hi 1987,

lovely idea but fraught with difficulty as you've not been to Europe before.

Here's a website to get you started:

http://www.slowtrav.com/europe/disabled_travel.htm

may I ask how much you travel with your mum at home? possibly if you don't do that much, you should set your sights very low on what you can accomplish here. or get some practice at home first!

PS - one place that is now quite disabled friendly is venice -loads of the bridges have wheelchair lifts fitted to them. another good place is vienna as all the underground stations have lifts. Brussels might work well as it is pretty flat; Rome would be a pig for the opposite reason and the cobbled pavements and streets. good luck!

Going to Rome as a day trip from Spain would be a little like going from New York to Chicago for a day trip. The cost of doing that would totally wipe out any savings you get from using the time share. Plus, you would spend most of the day traveling back and forth from country to country, leaving no time for sight seeing.

I think you will have to give up using the time share so you can visit the places you want to see; or use the time share, knowing that after spending all that money for airfare to get to Europe, you will not likely see much that you want to see.

IMHO, since you are going to Europe for the first time, you should just forget about the time share, and go to one or two of those places you have most dreamed about seeing, or at least, go to one or two places that are really special. You can cut costs by renting an apartment for a week in each place. You could, for example, visit Paris and London, Paris and Venice, Paris and Dublin, etc. You could fly into one city and out of the other to save traveling back and forth. You could also concentrate on an area like Belgium and the Netherlands or Southern Spain.

Days will be shorter and some places will be cooler. Keep that in mind. Spain may be rainy. The Netherlands may be colder.

If you can give up the time share and narrow down your choices, or even if you do keep the time share, and get some kind of itinerary together, there are many experts on this board who can then give you advice.

Don't want to pile on - but the trip you're describing couldn;t be done even by a pack of 20 year olds who didn;t care if they got any sleep at all.

You haven;t figured in several things:

1) Days will be very short and some sights operating on shorter winter hours
2) WEather has the potential to be bad, interfering with travel plans
3) From Spain (even assuming this time share is right next to a major airport -unlikely) to fly to rome and back will take the whole day - no time for sightseeing

You really need to either forget the timeshare - or stay there and understand that all of your travel wiLl have to be within a short distance. (Also check where it is. Many timeshares are in distant locations that are not easily accessible except by car - and designed to be a resort - focusing on golf or tennis or something most of the year.)

And please - get a map of europe. Look at flight times and train schedules. and then realisze that when one person is ina wheelchair you need to allow for significantly more travel time.

If it were me I would pick 2 cities and do 1 week in each in an apartment. but - you are very late for that - and many buildings in europe don;t have elevators at all. Or do - but have 3 or 4 steps from the street inside. If your mom really can;t even take a couple of steps you will be severly limited in where you can stay. (Have you even checked out the timeshare to see what their situation is concerning stairs and access?)

Agree to find an expert to help you sort this out in the very limited time that you have.

We are taking my mother-in-law to Venice for a couple of weeks, and she is a very fit 80-something who still plays tennis (in a fairly sedate fashion, I might say). And even though she is in good shape, we still thought long and hard before setting up the trip.

I think NYTraveller has given sound advice – Italy is not noted for being very disabled-friendly. Rome would be really hard work – it is hilly, with cobbled pavements. A day trip to Rome, even from a close Italian city, would be hard, and from Spain it is not possible – just think of the airline security lines, passport control and the like.

No matter what accommodation you choose, you need to check if it is on the ground floor, or has an elevator.