I had a gastric bypass about 18 months ago and to be honest I had very little pain. After surgery I was up within 24hours and physio had me walking the stairs within 2 days. I had mine locally so can't advise about travel but a pillow between the seatbelt and my tummy was an essential for the drive home. It's very important that the patient doesn't overdo it activity wise but it's also important to take small regular walks. I decided to hoover the living room a week after my surgery and definitely pulled something internally. That was more painful than the surgery!! I found myself to be very tired on and off after surgery so would drift off to sleep quite regularly so that's to be expected. Best of luck to your family member. They're lucky to have your support. Best thing I ever did for myself was having the surgery.