Going on a Vacation with an Injured Child

You’ve been planning a family vacation for a while. Your tickets have been booked. Your reservations have been confirmed, and that’s all you’ve been talking about recently. But then someone in your family is injured. And then you and your family have to make a decision as to whether or not you should still go on the vacation. Here are seven things to consider when deciding if you should go on a vacation with an injured child.

My family and I were scheduled to leave for vacation on a Wednesday. We planned to drive to Sedona, spend a night there, take a train ride on the Verde Canyon Railroad, and then drive to Scottsdale and spend two nights at a resort.

Two days prior to our vacation, though, I received a phone call from my son’s school, saying that he was injured on the playground. That injury resulted in his finger being fractured, a deep cut that required multiple stitches, and his hand in a cast. We had to make a decision quickly whether or not we were going to cancel our trip or modify our trip. While this list could apply for any member of the family, here are seven things you should consider when deciding to go on a vacation with an injured child.

Book Reservations with Travel Insurance

There was a time when my husband and I booked trips without travel insurance. That was before we had our son. Now that we have our son, we always pay extra for travel insurance. Even though it adds to the cost of the trip, it’s well worth it, even for peace of mind. In this particular situation, I did not need to book with travel insurance, because we were driving to our vacation destination and we were using our free hotel nights. But we’ve gone on several other vacations where travel insurance would have been crucial. In this situation, we were still able to go on vacation with an injured child, our son.

Seek Advice From Your Child’s Doctor

My son was ultimately treated by a pediatric orthopedic specialist. We told him about our upcoming travel plans, and he recommended we could still go on our train ride in Sedona. He advised, however, that my son should avoid swimming and getting his cast wet. That meant that our trip at the Scottsdale resort would have to wait for another time. Ultimately, we ended up modifying our trip and we still had a great time.

Consider the Injury

In our situation, my son’s arm was in a cast. He was still able to walk without any problems. If the injury had been his leg, we might not have been inclined to still go on our trip.

Low Impact Excursions

I ended up booking our train ride using a media rate. My ticket was complimentary, and I received a 10% discount for my husband and my son’s ticket. I wanted to take this particular train ride for a couple of years, especially since my son loves trains.

Trains are low pact excursions when going on a vacation with an injured child.

Trains are low impact excursions when going on a vacation with an injured child.

It is the perfect excursion for all family members, but especially for a young child who has limited mobility.

Going on vacation and your child is injured? A train ride is perfect for all family members.

The enclosed platform with shade and benches makes it enjoyable to sit outside, and watch the scenery.

Make it Fun and Make Your Child Feel Included

The train ride was fun, but also educational. There were several formations that appeal to adults and children. For example, one of the formations looked like a dinosaur.

A rock formation that looked like a dinosaur’s head!

We also rode first class, which meant all you can eat appetizers, including crackers. My husband and I were given champagne and my son was given apple cider. Cheers!