OMG, @Bestyears! What an ordeal. You must be awfully hardy to be able to travel with luggage that distance with broken bones and torn ligaments. I would have been on the floor sobbing.

Wishing you all the best for smooth and trouble-free healing.

Oh lord, what a nightmare. One of my fears when traveling is being alone and injured. I know on the tour groups Ive joined, if you cant keep up, you basically get left behind. One reason to buy excellent travel insurance.

Im so sorry your wonderful vacation ended not so wonderfully. I cant imagine dealing with so many injuries at once and being so immobilized.

Oh no! I am so sorry! Both hands and an ankle. I'm surprised you can even get up in the morning.

You take care of yourself and hopefully you have some help.

Your surgery schedule should be interesting.

Oh goodness! You are one tough gal to have made it home with those injuries. I just booked my first tour with Go Ahead tours! I recently joined a womans travel group & will be going to Amsterdam, Brussels & Luxenburg (sp?) in April of 2026. I have enjoyed reading about your travels, I sure hope that you heal soon with very little complications.

Wow, yes to your toughness and endurance. best wishes getting through treatment andrecovery.

Oh my gosh, what a crummy end to your wonderful trip!

Wow, what fortitude and toughness to make your way home. I wish you a rapid and complete recovery.

I’m so sorry! Such a wonderful trip, and now laid up, but you are certainly an intrepid traveler! (and thank goodness for voice-to-text, right?

omg! Bestyears, you are one tough lady! Amazing fortitude you have. I hope you have a quick recovery and this, given enough time, becomes a tale to tell at cocktail parties when the topic of travel comes up--but not certain this event can deflate to this level even given enough time. I'm just trying to find the levity, should there be any.

Ugh. Hang in there. I know you are not having a good time right now. I'm keeping good and uplifting thoughts for you. I hope you have something for pain while you heal. ((hugs))

That not the way to end a trip! On the bright side, at least you're being taken care of at home - where you speak the language -- and know your healthcare providers.

One of my good friends fell in France, and fractured her shoulder. She was with her sister and a group, They took her to the hospital, her sister went with her, but neither of them spoke French, and their translator went with the group to the next destination. The hospital staff had one person who spoke minimal English, and anyway, it was a nightmare.

They wanted to do surgery -- but she declined. They immobilized her shoulder and gave her some pain pills. They rejoined the group, and then had about 3 more days left before they came home.

After seeing her doctor her, and having all the xrays & MRI, the doctor told her there was no fracture, it was soft tissue damage there was no need for any kind of surgery. . Thank goodness she declined the surgery!

I hope you're on the mend soon!

Other than that -- how was the rest of the trip?

Shame shame shame on that desk manager to not even ask if you were injured! You are obviously a woman made of steel to push through the pain. I hope your various mends are without further complications.

So sorry you fell but glad you are able to mend at home, Bestyears. Every time I see a doctor they ask if I have had any recent falls, and when I say no they ask if I am “concerned“ about falling. Well….duh! 🙄

OMG...that's aweful your hurt. I feel for you. I am glad you have wonderful memories up until that moment. I'm glad you made it home...and are recovering.

We had a mishap when my hubby climbed a mango tree in Fiji, then slid down quickly taking ALL the skin off his inner thighs. We flew home THAT day. He had oozing wounds and bled through his bandages. Accidents happen.

You are amazing. To get so badly hurt and still keep going.

Sending you hugs and healing vibes.

Bestyears, I’m so sorry your trip ended that way. I cringed reading of your injuries and can only imagine the pain you were in. :(

Please keep us updated on how everything goes. I hope you heal fully and as painlessly as possible. Hugs!

Oh my gosh, I can't believe you did all that travel with all those injuries! I'm so sorry that happened to you. Sending healing vibes!

Wow, what an unfortunate end to a great trip. Like others, I am in awe of your grit and ability to soldier on through those injuries. And it sounds like you made a very wise decision.

The hotel's response was very disappointing, imo as was their decision to .not provide lighting on the stairs. Elevators don't always work, and can't be used in fires, so it just doesn't make much sense.

I am also so happy to hear how well your solo travel adventures have worked out. To find great travel partners is a precious gift! Wishing you a smooth and speedy recovery Bestyears.

I am so sorry this happened. What a way to end the trip. But I am glad you had fun, and wish you a speedy recovery.

You are beautiful!

Oh my, what a nightmare thing to happen! A real bummer of a way to end a beautiful trip. It is beyond understanding why the hotel wouldn’t have some sort of lighting in a stairwell, knowing people would be moving about in the middle of the night to catch airport shuttles.

Falling was (and still is) my biggest fear, my DD and I managed to walk all over the place in Siciliy and Italy in May. Then a couple of weeks after returning home, I fell and broke my femur. I can’t begin to think of going through that while overseas.

Yikes, Bestyears! I’m sorry you went through all of that and got hurt! You are a hardy lass!

You are also very pretty! I’m wishing you all the best for a complete and speedy recovery. I carry a little, durable high intensity ”flash light” in my purse. I think it was meant for a bicycle’s handlebar. I’ve had it for over 8 years. I urge everyone to carrya small bright light with them. It comes in very handy.

That darn desk clerk. grrrrr.

I am so sorry that happened. But wow am I impressed with how you handled it. Very impressive!!

Oh no! but dare I say that I’m glad it happened on the last day rather than the first day of your trip. May you heal quickly!

Umm, wow.... I'd have probably awakened the whole hotel falling down marble steps. You are tough! Hope you heal quickly.

Wow... I'm super impressed you made it back home(and delayed) with those injuries. What a bummer ending your trip like that.

Glad to see you are getting around though. You look great!

What an ordeal...... at least the trip was wonderful and this was the very end?

You look great- though I know that footwear is not the souvenir you wanted.

Hopefully healing will be steady.

Unbelievable story.

Oh no! As I was reading your story, I was hoping the ending would be ”…and it was just a bruise.” So sorry that happened!

Ouch! Glad you made it home so you could get medical care here and not have to figure that out overseas. One of my close friends broke both of her wrists last year when she fell ice skating and broke both of her legs this .year while hiking, so I know what a nightmare it is to have both limbs out of commission. Hope you heal quickly!

I hope you’re on the mend soon!

Wow....I am so happy you made it back to the States. Heal quickly!!

I just want to say that I have been in three overseas medical emergency situations (my Mom, me, and one of my children) and have had excellent experiences with healthcare; and two of these situations involved hospital stays. I am mentioning it in case any of you find yourself in that situation, as it might allay fears. Of course I cannot vouch for all the possibilities, but in these cases the quality of treatment was entirely on par with what we would have received at home. And everything was incredibly inexpensive, including medications. Our Dr.s here told us that they would have done nothing differently.

Wherever you are, you need to be an aware and educated consumer of health care, but do not automatically assume you are always at additional risk because of where you are.

PS Selfishly, when you can, please dish on the Amalfi coast and Sicily; they are both part of our spring trip

And yet, she persisted!! Happy you are home and impressed you are not letting any of this get you down. I'm such a big baby, I would still be sitting in a chair feeling sorry for myself. Hope you are back to 100% soon.

I am occasionally in a position for my employer, to handle reimbursement for medical expenses incurred during work-related travel all over the world.

I can only echo what Mtn said above. Certainly some countries will have higher quality care options than others do, but again, in general, most of the places we talk about going here on this board can take perfectly good care of you should the need arise. And again, generally for shockingly reasonable fees at that.

If you're traveling for personal reasons it's generally a good idea to make sure you understand if your health insurance covers you/offers reimbursement. I have seen a few weird things which can probably be described as shake-down attempts from some facilities in a handful of countries, so it's best if you have professional assistance backstopping you regardless.

Apologies for the diversion, carry on. :-)

I have to echo what others are saying about medical care in other countries. I never had a moment’s concern about the quality of care I would get. And I had actually purchased a million dollar medical insurance policy coverage good for the duration of my trip -which was shockingly affordable. My hesitation was purely tied to being left alone to navigate things while in a physically compromised position. I’m so excited to share photos and details of my fabulous trip and will start a new thread when I’m able. Thanks again ever for the commiserating and support!

My hesitation was purely tied to being left alone to navigate things while in a physically compromised position.

Yes, and this I totally get and agree! I don't think we should navigate health care alone at home, if it can be helped. But I would have just laid on the steps and wailed just the same...

Yes, I was referring to navigating health care while alone overseas, not the quality of care available.

“And yet, she persisted!! “ Rubyclaire said it perfectly. You are one tough AND smart cookie. I’d have done just as you , but managing all those issues? You are a champion.

Looking forward to your pics. The Amalfi coast will forever be a favorite.

You are one tough traveler (and I mean that with all due respect) and I am so impressed with your gutsy, never-quit or give-up attitude!

@Bestyears, your fortitude is impressive. They would have heard me screaming all the way to the town center, if I had fallen down marble stairs in the dark. You should have taken “zee elevator”? Man! that’s cold!

If anyone asks about your injuries, you need a good story…. You were dancing with Harrison Ford and he tripped? Mick Jagger asked you to join him for a set; you were blinded by the spotlights and fell off the stage? Stanley Tucci invited you to cook with him and his pots and pans fell on you? (btw, did my research. All of these people have vacationed in Sicily at one time or another, so it could be true….)

@mtnrdredux_gw check messages re Amalfi Coast

And look at you so pretty in pink after all that! You go girl! Hope you enjoyed the Quilt Show and the scooter— an interesting change of perspective, I would think. Glad you had an otherwise fun travel experience, and wishing you a very speedy recovery!

Sorry you had to go through that and hoping for a speedy recovery.

But why didn't you pull out your mobile phone and use the flashlight app?

So sorry that you had to go through that, especially all alone. Can not imagine what the hotel was thinking. I commend you on your resolve to get home.

Best, when your fingers are more mobile, check out the book Syracusa by Delia Ephron. Would be interested to hear any comparisons, plus its a fun little read.

I think that I also would have lain on the steps and waited for someone to help me, although I'm not sure how long I would have done that, especially at that hour.

So sorry to hear that you had this accident, but it sounds like it could have been worse - at least you did not get stuck in a hospital.

When I was young, I traveled by myself all the time, but I don't do that anymore. I will drive myself 130 miles between Los Angeles and Palm Springs, but that's as far as I go by myself these days.

I had an attack of appendicitis on a trip to Sonoma County back in 1992 (I think) for Thanksgiving and ended up being stranded in a Sonoma hospital for almost a week, as I remember. At least I had friends who would visit me, but I can fully understand the fear of getting bored if stuck in a foreign hospital. You might have gotten decent food at a hospital in Sicily - the Sonoma hospital had a good wine list, although the food was a bit bland and boring.

Am looking forward to seeing photos of your trip! I hope you have a speedy recovery without complications. It is easy to re-injure broken bones (as I learned from experience), and so you will need to be very careful. I rented a wheelchair when I broke my ankle so that I could take trips through Golden Gate Park and make food for myself.

I vote for the Stanley Tucci explanation, I adore him!

Lisaam -thanks for the recommendation to read Syracusa by Delia Epron -I LOVED it and it helped pass a few hours while I'm laid up!