First of all, congratulations! Whether you are already pregnant, or you are starting to plan your family, this is an important milestone that is worth celebrating.
Now, let’s get to the point: traveling when pregnant requires a whole other level of organization, spontaneity, and awareness. There is so much to learn and consider, while keeping in mind that each of us is different and will experience the pregnancy in a different way!
I joined forces with fellow travel bloggers Katalin from Our Life Our Travels, and Tori from Tori Leigh, to summarize some of our best experiences and tips for travels during the first, second and third trimester. Let us know in the comments if you find them useful!
Travelling during the first trimester
Planning our family certainly did not stop us from planning our travels. If anything, knowing that travelling would become more complicated very soon, gave us even more motivation to visit nearby cities, travel on city breaks in Europe, and even visit Darek’s favourite countries, Japan and Australia.
Short and easy trips during the first trimester
Well, guess where we went on our first trip after finding out I was pregnant? To a wine festival! Oh, the irony!
The town of Szeged is a beautiful destination for a weekend away from Budapest. Located in the South of Hungary, near the border with Serbia, it is a melting pot of history, religions, and architecture styles. We really enjoyed strolling around the downtown: Dom Church is absolutely majestic, there are countless beautiful Art Nouveau buildings, and the New Synagogue is a gem.
Obviously, the first rule the doctor said was: very very little alcohol is allowed! So, unfortunately, only Darek got to taste a few Hungarian wines from the stalls in the main square Dóm Tér, while I tried the non-alcoholic grape must.
Pregnancy tip: Take it easy! Your body is adjusting to the new, major task of creating a new human. You may feel tired, nauseous, excited, nervous, confused… So be kind to yourself.
Be efficient: take notes of important information and new stuff you have to keep in mind, especially when it comes to new food restrictions. It may not be easy to remember what you cannot eat when pregnant. We created a shared notebook on OneNote, one of our favourite travel apps.
Be spontaneous: Follow your inspiration for day-trips and short trips that do not require planning in advance.
Katalin’s tip: Have a flexible itinerary
While I was pregnant, relaxing vacations were even more essential than ever. All I wanted to was a peaceful fun time with my husband without any rush.
We’ve spent the first two trimesters of my first pregnancy in Canada, and despite the undeniable fact that we wanted to explore and see as much as we could from the country in this limited time, flexibility was a key requirement for all our trips. Due to work constraints, the majority of our trips were short weekend trips including one-day hikes near Vancouver.
So how did we implement flexibility to a tight schedule?
Firstly, all of our itineraries included plenty of free time. If it was a day trip, we made sure it wouldn’t occupy literally our whole day. In the case of a weekend or multi-day trip, we added ‘lazy mornings or day(s)’ with no physically exhausting activities. We could still enjoy a stroll in a nearby park or eat something yummy in a fancier restaurant.
Secondly, we took the liberty to modify the program at any time. Especially in the early stages of the pregnancies, I felt extremely exhausted and became sleepy so suddenly – probably you already know what I mean. Not to mention when the morning sickness kicked in, we couldn’t set our plans in stone.
We juggled with all of these, changed plans whenever needed: explored new places or enjoyed an easy hike when I was up for them and rested when my body protested against going out of the house.
It was an excellent warm-up for the upcoming years. Plan ahead but be flexible to make the most out of the trips.
Travel overseas during the first trimester
My doctor wasn’t too happy about it, but we did not want to postpone our 2-weeks epic trip to Japan and Australia for Darek’s 50th birthday. It is not advisable to take long flights during the first trimester because it increases the chance of miscarriage and blood clots; also, it means that if anything happens and you need medical attention, you are far away from home and from your doctor.
However, our trip was planned for the very last two weeks of the first trimester. We decided to take some precautions and travel anyway: we bought travel insurance, packed extra medication and vitamins, and kept digital copies of my medical documents on the cloud and on 2 devices.
The trip was wonderful and luckily everything went well. We travelled to Tokyo and to Yamagata prefecture in Japan, and to Melbourne and Sydney in Australia; we visited friends, went to Darek’s favourite places, restaurants and cafés. Life and travel with a baby is a giant question mark, so it was really important to enjoy this last, major trip together as a couple.
Pregnancy tip: Your body can change anytime and without warning. For example, suddenly I started to feel very hungry or very sleepy all of a sudden. We learned quickly to have a couple of snacks ready in my handbag, and we adjusted our itinerary on the go to allow me to take a nap.
Be efficient: Plan your trip in short, exchangeable blocks that can be moved according to how you feel. Keep food and medical recommendations on your phone. Pack lightly!
Be spontaneous: Instead of committing to a certain itinerary or destination, use the occasion to discover unexpected neighbourhoods or attractions. Follow your body and your instinct!
Travelling during the second trimester
Just 2 days after coming back from Australia, the 13th-week scan confirmed that our baby was healthy. The first trimester was over! We could finally announce to all our friends and family that we were having a baby! Gosh, just this brought such a sense of relief. Even planning our next trips became much easier.
Tori’s tip: Long haul flying during pregnancy
Long haul flying during pregnancy can sound uncomfortable and even scary.
While sitting on an airplane for eight or more hours with joint pain and constant bathroom breaks sounds less than ideal, it’s absolutely possible. Here are a few tips for flying overseas during pregnancy.
Ideally, fly during the second trimester. It’s called the good one for a reason since morning sickness typically subsides and there’s often a period of increased energy. Most doctors will okay a long haul trip during this window if your pregnancy is typical and complication-free.
When flying pregnant, aisle seats are ideal. First, the aisle comes in pretty handy with the double-digit bathroom breaks you’ll need on a long flight. The aisle also lets you stretch out a little bit more. While sleeping on a long flight may prove difficult, any extra room helps, especially since you’re flying for two.
Sitting for an extended period of time can cause swelling; in addition to getting up about every hour, compression socks are great for long haul flights. Drinking plenty is necessary, too. Bring an empty water bottle through security, and fill it up before boarding your flight. Ask for it to be refilled as necessary during the flight.
Lastly, look into travel insurance that specifically covers pregnancy or pregnancy-related complications. Finding a company to cover pregnancy as a reason to cancel is difficult, if not impossible. However, some policies cover cancellation if a complication arises. For example, if a patient with a typical pregnancy who would be approved for travel is suddenly diagnosed with a serious complication, like pre-eclampsia, and is no longer deemed fir for travel, cancellation could be covered. It’s always wise to read the fine print in this case.
Tori shares here more tips about traveling when pregnant.
City-breaks during the second semester
As you enter the second trimester, your body will start changing even more: for example, just during the 4th month, I became more sensitive to some foods, I felt tired quickly when standing still, and my belly suddenly started to grow (this I did not expect for one more month! I outgrew all my pants in a couple of weeks 😀 )
We still managed to squeeze in two short trips: one at the end of the 4th month to visit friends in Rotterdam (Netherlands), and one half-way through the 5th month to my Italian hometown of Cortina d’Ampezzo for Christmas.
Rotterdam is perfect for a city break. The city centre is small, easy to visit on foot, and packed with attractions: pretty historical streets strike a contrast against the modern Market Hall, the Rotterdam skyscrapers and the yellow Cube Houses. We spent three days in Rotterdam, but we did some serious sightseeing for only one day.
And then, Christmas in Cortina! We got to see my family and friends, show off my growing belly, and browse through the baby clothes and equipment my mom used for my sister and I. Over 5 days, our main focus was taking easy walks, relaxing on the sofa, and eating delicious local food. Next time we would be in Cortina during the winter, we would have a baby to take into consideration!
Pregnancy tip: At this point, you should have learned how to take care of your body. Especially food-wise, research in advance and keep notes of any unusual food or ingredient you may come across.
Be efficient: If you have a busy calendar of scans, blood tests and whatnot, book your flights and hotel stays with flexible conditions. You never know if you may have to cancel last-minute.
Be spontaneous: Website like Skyscanner and Google Flights help you find cheap flights with very short notice! When you’re feeling inspired, pack your bag and go 🙂
Travelling during the third trimester
Unfortunately, we did not manage to go anywhere during the third trimester. We planned to go back to Italy again at the beginning of the 8th month, as soon as my maternity leave started, to visit friends and family in multiple cities. Instead, the coronavirus outbreak obliged us to self-isolation.
To be honest, looking back at the 8th month, it would have been very hard to enjoy the trip. I felt huge, it was uncomfortable to sleep and sit and stand and walk, I needed a 2-hour nap every afternoon… Considering my usual obsession for not wasting a single minute of travelling, I would have felt very frustrated and moody!
Katalin’s tip: Road tripping while pregnant
After carrying a baby already two times in my rapidly growing belly, I can confidently say, my favorite type of trips during the pregnancies were road trips.
We drove a couple of thousands of kilometers in total across Canada, the United States and two years later in Northern Europe. I really enjoyed road-tripping, as I could just sit comfortably in our vehicle with a pillow and observe the slowly changing landscapes before visiting a new city or attraction.
During the 7th month of my second pregnancy, we went on an amazing 3-week long road trip to Norway from northern Finland, by our own motorhome and with our then two-year-old boy.
Nothing is better than exploring at your own pace, crafting your own itinerary and spending as much time at each place as you want to.
Another thing we love in road tripping is that we aren’t surrounded by other people all the time – which is a gift when your stomach is unwell and you want to limit weird smells reaching your nostrils as much as I did. Norway is anyway famous for its stunning nature, and even the cities weren’t crowded.
There are a couple of important things you should pay attention to.
First of all, drink enough and eat healthy during the long drives too. It’s easy to forget about them. Prepare healthy snacks and plenty of water for each day in the car.
If you drive multiple hours a day, add a lot of short breaks to move a little and breathe fresh air. In Norway it was easy, every route is full of spectacular viewpoints either over the fjords or to the mountains.
Tori’s tip: Babymoon in Paris
Pregnant and looking to take a pre-baby trip before the newborn days and sleepless nights blur together? Nothing is more romantic and relaxing than the City of Lights!
Before our second son was born, as I was 7 months pregnant, we snuck in a four-day baby moon to Paris. With nothing and no-one to worry about, we completely immersed ourselves in the stop and stroll culture of Paris, France.
We wandered the cobblestone streets of Montmartre, listening to accordion renditions of La Vie en Rose. We strolled leisurely through gardens, stopping for a cup of coffee or pastry at a stand or nearby café. When you’re pregnant, all the food is fair game.
And Paris doesn’t disappoint when it comes to eating. Everything from baguettes to crepes to world-class dinners is at your disposal. You deserve it, since boxed Mac and cheese is about to become the new norm. Plus, reconnecting with your significant other over a fine French meal provide the moments you’ll want to hold onto when you become a family of three, instead of two.
Of course, we made time for the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower at night. We walked the Champs Elysee and even visited the Paris Catacombs. When walking got tough on those pregnant ankles, the Paris Metro was easy to navigate and quick. For even more seamlessness, guided tours and skip the line tickets are available at almost every major Paris attraction. For us, Paris provided the balance of culture and fun and leisurely relaxation.
Paris is more than ideal for any expecting couple. It’s romantic, easy to navigate, safe, and very pregnancy-friendly. Our babymoon in Paris provided us with a closeness that I didn’t know, at the time, we’d need before becoming parents of two.
Conclusion
As you already knew, it is absolutely possible to travel during your pregnancy. Listening and paying attention to your body’s needs will allow you to enjoy your travels and create unique memories with your loved ones.
What is your experience travelling during your pregnancy? Let us know in the comments below!
