Pre-first baby holiday ideas please!

[PassTheAfterEights]

DC1 due end of March (so early April) 2019; married one year and haven't been away since honeymoon (plus big house move = recovering financially).

Both feeling the need for a break, probably a change of scene & some sun (we moved to Scotland), and ideally the other side of Christmas in depressing Feb or late Jan or something.

All other things being equal would I be allowed I fly in third trimester? Should I? Is it insane to book in case I don't get permission nearer the time because a risk has emerged?

And if so, or if not, where should we go? Do any of the big airlines or tour operators have sales upcoming / do Black Friday?

I doubt we'd be looking for a lot of action and adventure by then, not all-inclusive types though - just prefer peace & quiet and nice surrounds and chill and sun. Hotel might be better than Airbnb given pregnancy?

TIA very much for any ideas / experience!

I think it depends on the airline, most airlines will not let you fly after week 37 of pregnancy with a single baby. You should check with your airline and insurance company that they will allow you to travel while pregnant.

Apparently, after you get to 28 weeks, most airlines require a letter from your midwife or GP.

Congratulations by the way, I'm due 26th April with my first, and we were considering somewhere like Lanzarote/Tenerife where it will still be >20c in February/March.

I think we're now leaning towards a spa break in the UK for a long weekend to relax (& sleep!) before baby comes. Although the sun and relaxation appeals, I'm not sure the flight will be worth lying by the pool without a cocktail and activities which we would normally do.

March / April due date here too!

Crete in Greece is amazing - if you go off peak the beaches will be empty too! The Airbnb options are so nice also. If you plan to hire a car you can see a lot of you’re an explorer type of traveller. We loved our trip there it was amazing. We went last year :) nice mix of city and beaches.

What about somewhere like Austria or France or Spain too? We have so much on offer don’t we being in Europe.

We are currently looking at going away back end of Nov as I’m not sure I want to go on flight if I do get a bump by then. If not Europe then Scotland or Wales or potentially London.

April here! Sounds weird, but we're looking at a long weekend at Centre Parcs - its about £400 for 3 nights in Elveden Forest in Jan and will hopefully be quiet then. That's in their 'hotel' which is central to everything and right in the village but with lovely views of the forest, and they have a spa so we will do a spa day and just relax. We love the forest vibe and the spa is supposed to be amazing.

Loving all these ideas, thank you so much and congratulations all round!

Looked into the insurance and it is indeed a pig after 28 weeks, which for us is 03 Jan - so that's pretty much the end of that for anywhere we can't drive back from in an emergency :/ the UK spa/centre parcs break sounds like it would be perfect closer to D-Day.

We are wondering about trading the sun for the USA pre-Thanksgiving, prices are amazing & will still be able to walk the shops rather than splat on a sunbed. Will look into Crete weather too, that sounds lush!

Thanks again all. I think the dream will be after all the terror, next summer in the south of France with a bottle of rosé probably..!!!

We went to Cornwall to the Headland Hotel and Spa on Fistral Beach (granted this was September so a bit warmer than Jan/Feb) but we did go to the New Forest in Feb a couple of years ago and it was lovely. It snowed but we had lots of walks and pub food. I was 29 weeks and really didn't feel like I would have wanted to fly.

We went to Crete when I was 29 weeks and loved it - great food, the hotel had a nice pool and beach to laze around on and we hired a car for a few days to explore the sights a bit further afield. Flight was only 3.5 hours so not too challenging. It gave me something to look forward to before the last few months.

I needed a letter from my GP to confirm my pregnancy was uncomplicated and how many weeks I was and I had travel insurance specifically for pregnancy just in case.

The only thing is I don’t know how warm it would be in February. In September it was hot but there was enough of a breeze to make it bearable.

PS Got insurance through Ravenhall who did a specialist pregnancy policy that covered both me and the baby if they were born prematurely. It cost £51 for a week (including travel insurance for my partner as well). I think it was £24 for the doctor’s letter.

Thanks a lot @hammeringinmyhead and @Darkstar4855 fab tips x

We're going to Cyprus for our baby moon. We were originally thinking Tenerife but Cyprus is a lot cheaper and the weather is just as warm

I am going to California at 24 weeks next year, looking forward to it! I can’t imagine going there now at 10 weeks 😷