Travel During Mat Leave?

[PompomDahlia]

Is there anyone here who has done any travel during maternity leave?

DH and I are planning to ttc late next year. I had a bucket list of countries I really wanted to visit before kids and had got the money, air miles and annual leave sorted to do so, but then the pandemic happened… I’m mid-30s so can’t put off kids for much longer.

AIBU to think that assuming things go well with a baby that I could travel for some of my mat leave? Assuming I will have 12 months off and DH can work anywhere with a laptop. As mentioned, we have healthy savings and I love the idea of getting an Airbnb somewhere warm for a month or two. I’m ok with not doing crazy/dangerous travel.

I know it’s a complete first world problem so please be kind! Or any positive stories about still being able to see the world with kids! I’d love to go to Thailand, Japan, Brazil…

Does your partner work for a company or self employed? We are planning to do this, I'm due in Jan. however we have taken six months SPL each. From looking into it, neither of us would be permitted to work abroad by our employers - it has tax and staff implications for them. Plus then we're free to do as we please, and spend family time together. You accrue all of your holiday leave also, so that's extra time on top.

With coronavirus though and potential difficulties travelling and safety issues for a young baby, we're looking to do Europe and drive across as it's safer in our mind rather than busy flights. Plus easier to take the travel cot, pram, all the baby paraphernalia needed etc when you can just chuck it in the boot

That sounds a great trip @A1b2c3d4e5f6g7! DH is employed by a multinational and often goes abroad to work for meetings and conferences (or did before Covid). He has a visa for the USA permitting him to work there, so that could be one option whilst he works abroad. Then potentially him using some annual leave and SPL elsewhere.

I’m hoping that in 18mos - 2years time things will be a little better with the pandemic!

Lovely holidays in beautiful places - yes definitely. Doing the bulk of the parenting in an Air BnB for months at a time that isn’t as well appointed as your own home whilst your partner has to work and being away from the support of friends/family sounds shit.

I know people who have done this with both their first and second children as they loved it so much the first time! Particularly being somewhere warm where they didn’t have to worry about winter layers (during our winter). I’d definitely want to do the same. Newborns are very portable. Thailand would be brilliant (pandemic willing) as they’re so child friendly

@LakeShoreD good point. We don’t anticipate being able to have much family support - small families who are either too elderly/infirm or far away, and not many friends in our city have kids (through choice or going through IVF) so we’d be relying on NCT or similar to build networks. So in that respect going away may not be too different.

That’s reassuring to hear that it can be done!

@LakeShoreD sorry I hadn't clocked that you wouldn't have a baby for a couple of years! Absolutely further afield - we are just adapting to all of the news given ours is due really soon. Plus we want to go as a family with our dog - he loves travelling and holidays and Europe is easiest for that.

As per pp, for sure I wouldn't want to do this if one of us had to work full days. Think it would be boring. But we're similar to you, no family really close, so being away together wouldn't be an issue for us.

Sounds like a great plan!

I’d love to be able to do this. I know people who made it work pre pandemic, varying from a six week extended holiday to six months living elsewhere.

Bear in mind TTC could take much longer than you think, so I wouldn’t hold off all your plans until mat leave - based on your timetable it could be a few years before you even get there.

Also I’ve noticed that a lot of companies are getting very risk averse about people working from abroad. The early days of the pandemic have caused a bit of a clampdown as people wise up to the tax implications. It might not be as doable as your DP hopes, although it sounds like his company is more realistic than some.

I would definitely do this with one baby, would be more difficult with two. Of course you wouldn’t go anywhere for the first few weeks so you can recover and go to your six week check but don’t see a problem after that (assuming the pandemic has calmed down).

We had planned on travelling with our first baby but covid got in the way so we didn’t. Now have 2 babies and it would require a lot more work. Travelled plenty in our 20’s and lived abroad so can’t complain.

@LakeShoreD

Lovely holidays in beautiful places - yes definitely. Doing the bulk of the parenting in an Air BnB for months at a time that isn’t as well appointed as your own home whilst your partner has to work and being away from the support of friends/family sounds shit.

Absolutely this.

It all depends so much on the baby you get. A happy cuddly baby who will sleep anywhere and smiles at everything like my second - well that could be idyllic.

A baby with silent reflux who is a terrible sleeper and will only nap on you, less so. I definitely didn't have the head space for travel etc. I was too wrecked.

Keep an open mind I'd say.

With my first baby who slept through very early and was very content, it would have been ideal. But mu second was harder work and being close to home was best. We were lucky that we didn't have any health concerns once we were discharged from hospital, but knowing the GP is down the road is good. Also things like vaccines etc....... I'd see how you feel closer to the time. We did book a place in Europe for a couple of weeks with my first when he was about 3months. We could happily have stayed there a couple of months. I'd be careful about tax implications though. My old company specifically banned us from working abroad even though we were fully remote.

Your DP needs to check if he’s allowed to work remotely from abroad. It has complex tax ramifications for the company. I work for a multinational and we are not allowed to work abroad - unless we officially join one of the foreign-based offices, with all the different benefits, leave and pay entitlement that that entails (usually worse than the U.K.).

Also the US visa thing might not be as easy as you think! When I worked there we weren’t even allowed to do what you’re talking about from another state because of the tax headache. I know some people did and kept quiet about where they were, easily done with WFH, but the company would not have been impressed if they’d found out.

I travelled on May Leave. Had Six months off and went all over with and without my husband. Europe, North America, Asia and Australia. It was worth it amazing memories and photos and baby can't run off!

Mat leave!!!! Autocorrect

Newborn needs vaccinations / jags at certain ages within first year
Would you travel back to the UK to get the immunizations?

Also if you are travelling with a small baby and they get ill , you would need to be really aware of health clinics / hospitals / health insurance etc

Not to be doom and gloom but babies pick up a lot and I wouldn’t like to be away from home and GP / out of hours if something went wrong.