Booking a babymoon: tips for pregnant travel
Whenever I see a pineapple, it makes me think of the Azores and my own babymoon, the final overseas holiday I took while I was pregnant.
With people insisting throughout my pregnancy that I’d have to stop travelling once my baby was born, I was determined to fit in one exciting final hurrah. Of course, those dire warnings turned out not to be true, as the blog goes to show, but I didn’t know for certain at the time.
Along with pineapples, the Azores have volcanoes, whale-watching, geothermal lakes to bathe in plus a traditional dish called cozido, food cooked in the earth’s volcanic heat. The westernmost point of Europe, almost a thousand miles west of Lisbon, they’re undiscovered, unusual but still only a four-hour flight away: the perfect pregnant combination.
So if you’re planning your own getaway, here are my tips for booking a babymoon.
1. Booking a babymoon: Fit to fly?
It goes without saying that you shouldn’t be booking any kind of trips if you have had complications in pregnancy but it’s worth getting the OK from your midwife or GP even for a straightforward one.
Airline rules vary but if you’re flying after 27 weeks (or look like you’re in your third trimester), you may need a fitness to fly letter from your GP.
2. Booking a babymoon: When to go
The best time to travel is normally during your second trimester, so if you’ve got your heart set on a particular destination, check the best times and prices during that three-month window. The later you leave it, the more you’ll probably appreciate the break .
Too late and you won’t be able to fly at all – most airlines have a cut-off date of 34 to 36 weeks (32 weeks for multiple pregnancies). By that stage you may not want to be wedging yourself into a plane seat anyway.
3. Booking a babymoon: Where to go
The world is still your oyster but do consider the situation if you needed medical care or even went into labour early. What facilities are there? Are you close enough to get home easily if required?
Always make sure you have comprehensive travel insurance and that your insurer knows you’re pregnant too.
The Canary Islands and Cyprus have almost year-round sunshine and are only a short-haul flight away from the UK, or if you’re willing to travel a bit further how about Dubai. For city breaks, there’s choice galore in Europe or New York is less than eight hours away.
4. Booking a babymoon: What to consider
What will you want to do? And what can you do? If you prefer adventurous travel, it’s worth remembering that even if you’re game, you may not be able to get involved in some activities – even less obviously risky ones such as boat trips, which I found were off the cards as tour operators often couldn’t or wouldn’t allow pregnant women on board.
Equally a shopping and cocktails city break is likely to seem less fun when you remember you can’t drink the cocktails and don’t want anything else for your maternity wardrobe.
PIN FOR LATER: BOOKING A BABYMOON
Image of me in the Azores is copyright MummyTravels. All other images courtesy of Depositphotos.
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I didn’t have an honest-to-god babymoon but my tip is to go somewhere with great scenery. It’s a great moment to enjoy beautiful views and light walks and to get away from crowds. You’ll want to sit down a lot, take naps, etc so a nice beach or benchseat overlooking cliffs is perfect. x
That’s a great idea – lots of sitting was definitely called for and it’s lovely to take things at a slow place, just relax and enjoy.
Handy tips Cathy. Buying tin box scuppered my dreams of a foreign babymoon. Instead we did lots of little weekends away before the Tot decided to arrive. It was still very relaxing to be away from the chores at home and put my feet up while Mr TB cooked food on the barbecue and generally ran around after me
At least Tin Box is still useful post-baby (although I have taken my daughter to various volcanoes 😉 ) Definitely think that a relaxing break with feet up before the baby arrives is key.
Hi there,
I’m really happy to have found this blog post as my husband and I recently booked a babymoon (baby #3) and 10 year anniversary getaway to the Azores this May! We’ll be staying on Sao Miguel for four nights and Terceira for three nights after that. I have been researching the hot springs on Sao Miguel but am coming up empty handed on whether there are pools that are more moderate in temperature (ie. not 104 degrees) for my pregnant self. Did you soak in any hot springs while you were there and do you have any more information on which places might be suitable for pregnant lady? 🙂 Thanks in advance!!
Thank you! And congratulations – hope you have a fantastic 10th anniversary break. And I did find some thermal pools which weren’t too hot on Sao Miguel, at Furnas – I wrote about it in this blog post too https://www.mummytravels.com/2012/05/04/the-bump-and-the-volcano/ The hotel website says 35-40C so around 95-104F but I definitely wouldn’t have been in if it was anything like 104! We were there in April, so I think spring air temperatures would cool it a bit as well rather than if someone was visiting in August.
Can I ask how far along in your pregnancy you were when you went on this trip? I’m looking to go in April as would like one last trip but il be 34 weeks and unsure if that is too far along really?
I was around 29 weeks when we landed back, I think – under 30 I’m sure but I had a fit to fly letter just in case. I know some airlines have 34 weeks as their limit too so it would depend who you were flying with. It’s really hard to say as it’s such an individual thing: I remember walking along those Heathrow corridors when we landed home thinking that in another week or two (so 30/31 weeks), I wouldn’t fancy doing that but I know someone who flew regularly to the Channel Islands until about 34 weeks.
Great post. Can I ask at what stage of pregnancy did you travel to the Azores? I’m supposed to go and will be at 26 weeks. Is there good facilities there? Thanks
Thanks – I was at almost exactly the same point: I think 28 weeks when I flew out so around 29 when I returned. The facilities do vary from island to island, but assuming you’re probably in Sao Miguel, there are hospital facilities etc It’s small but you’d have all the essentials you’d expect from a UK town (although I remember a lot closed on Sundays and Saturday afternoons!) – in an emergency, it’s about a 2h flight from Lisbon.
Make sure your travel insurance includes the fact that you’re pregnant (and you’ve got an EHIC if relevant!) – mine updated my annual policy without any extra cost as there were no complications in my pregnancy, so it shouldn’t be tricky, but best that they’re aware so you’re covered. Otherwise, have a great time!