Booking a room and transport around healthcare appointments

Before paying for accommodation or transport in Mexico or Costa Rica, ask for details about the actual room, route and vehicle you will use. 'Accessible', 'near the hospital' and 'recovery package' do not explain whether an arrangement fits your needs. The clinician responsible for your care should explain any clinical assistance, activity limits and travel questions that apply to you. Accommodation and transport providers confirm logistics; they do not determine medical needs.

Use this checklist once you know the appointments and support you may need. It helps compare practical arrangements. A hotel room is not nursing care, a standard transfer is not medical transport, and this page does not assess whether you are fit to travel.

Match the exact room to your requirements

Ask for the booked room type, floor or floor options and the route from the street or parking area. Check steps, elevator access and the fallback if the elevator is unavailable. Request current photos or measurements of features that matter to you, such as doorways, bathroom access and mobility-equipment space. Confirm which features are guaranteed in writing and what alternative or refund terms apply if the assignment changes. A photograph of another room does not confirm your booking.

Confirm a suitable bed arrangement, bathroom features, companion space, meals or kitchen access, drinking water, air conditioning or fans, laundry and any storage requirements specified by your clinician. If cold storage is required, ask whether the refrigerator stays powered when you leave, how the required storage conditions are checked and what happens during a power failure. If powered equipment is needed, confirm suitable outlets and the backup arrangement. For equipment, ask who supplies it, whether it fits, who installs it and who you call if it fails. Do not assume a property advertising accessibility has assessed your personal needs.

Check the journey from the room to each appointment

Ask about travel time at the relevant hour, the pickup point, steps and walking distance. Tell the transport provider the assistance you require, without sharing unnecessary clinical details. Confirm the actual vehicle, boarding arrangements, luggage and mobility-equipment capacity, companion seating and whether help is available between the room and vehicle.

If you need clinical supervision or a medically equipped vehicle, ask your treating team what service is appropriate. Confirm boarding arrangements that match your needs; do not assume a step stool or lifting help is safe or available. A driver should not be assumed to provide lifting, nursing or medical care. Book any airport wheelchair or boarding assistance with the airline separately from ground transport. Agree the return trip, waiting charges, delays, cancellations and the backup arrangements before paying. Ask what happens if the backup is also unavailable.

Separate accommodation, personal assistance and clinical care

Get a written list of what the package includes and excludes. Who provides meals, housekeeping or companionship? Who, if anyone, provides nursing, rehabilitation or other clinical care, under whose instructions and with what qualifications? Confirm the hours and the contact when scheduled staff are absent. Ask which local service to contact if a health problem develops, who can help you reach it and how to contact the responsible clinician. Hotel staff may help call for assistance; clinical assessment belongs to qualified professionals or emergency services. Keep the accommodation’s full address in Spanish with the contact plan.

The CDC cautions that vacation activities can interfere with recovery and advises planning for complications and follow-up. Ask your treating team about activities and transport. Do not schedule sightseeing or a flight around a generic online recovery calendar.

Keep dates flexible and record responsibility

Ask the clinician which appointments and reviews must happen before departure. Then check the room's extension policy, availability, price and refunds if care is postponed. Ask the transport provider about changed times. Check coverage for planned treatment, complications and medical transport home, including any preauthorization, with your insurer directly; a package description is not proof of coverage. If you cannot return home as planned, agree who contacts the clinician, airline, insurer and accommodation provider.

Write down a name and contact for each responsibility: room assignment, pickup, equipment, agreed assistance, clinical questions and urgent care. If a package coordinator handles several services, identify the actual service provider and how to contact them if the coordinator cannot be reached.

Copy this room request

Copy this transport request

Spanish room request

Spanish transport request

Print this checklist or copy the questions that apply to your own notes. Before a nonrefundable booking, record written confirmation from the relevant provider about the room, vehicle, assistance, price, changes and backup arrangements. A provider interview introduces their stated process, not a certification that a property or transfer is suitable for you.

Sources and scope

For another local equipment-rental perspective, read Live Mobility’s Playa del Carmen interview on hotel access, delivery and support. Confirm your actual room and arrangements directly.

• CDC: Medical tourism

Sources checked October 6, 2026. This is an editorial planning resource, not medical advice or an independent clinical review. Confirm arrangements with the responsible service.

Related contributor perspectives

• Andrea Chi Ramírez: checking equipment, room access and support in Mérida
• Dr. Aria Ravery: assessment, rehabilitation and the journey home in Costa Rica

Interviews describe contributors’ own experience and process. They are not endorsements or independent verification of provider credentials or suitability.

Use the shared before-booking checklist and Planning Care Abroad workbook to keep confirmed arrangements and unanswered questions together.