Holiday abroad

[SunSparkle]

Hi

I'm prepared to get all sorts of responses to this, but is anyone considering a trip abroad before baby arrives/while pregnant?

I'm due end of Jan and was looking at holidays in Europe (Greece mainly) for end of September/early October. I will be about 22/23 weeks so well within 'safe to fly' as per pregnancy guidelines.

Coronavirus obviously adds another layer of complexity to the decision.

It's been a shite year, I'd love a break before we become parents (FTM here) and I think an all inclusive break in an underbooked hotel might be ok.

If I need to quarantine (no current requirement for Greece, but that can change in days), there's no issues as I work from home fulltime and can get some groceries delivered and stop at home for two weeks just fine.

Is anyone else considering a holiday abroad while pregnant? Has anyone discusses this with their midwife?

No. I had a threatened miscarriage after flying to Madeira. Blood bath! Went to A&E in the middle of the night. Luckily everything was ok but now I wouldn't fly in pregnancy again. Could be a coincidence. Oh and it was covered by the EU insurance which is obviously not valid now post Brexit. Who knows what an ambulance ride and emergency attendance would have cost??

You might want to consider this new update from Greece before booking, it includes restaurants closures as well:

metro.co.uk/2020/08/10/greece-bars-shutting-early-stop-virus-spreading-13111622/

I'm planning a holiday to France (hopefully) in September, and will be 24wks at the time. Our wedding and honeymoon were cancelled, and like you OP, we want to have a holiday before baby arrives in Jan.

I've also weighed up the risks in a balanced and considered way, spoken to midwife, and I don't feel like I will be putting myself or baby at an increased risk. We are planning to drive and take ferry, then staying in a friend's holiday home in the middle of nowhere. All feels very safe to me.

I think that people on here suggesting UK holidays, are probably overlooking that covid has not disappeared from here and the risk of standing in a supermarket queue or eating in a restaurant, going to a crowded uk beach, or having a UK break, is equivalent to the risk of travelling.

Don't let other people's anxieties cloud your judgement, and do what you feel is right for you!

Lots of different opinions! I'm going to talk to my midwife this week and keep an eye on the Greece situation. Look at some travel insurance too.

I had looked at breaks in the UK but I don't drive and most of them were fully booked already for the summer months.

I’m in a bit of a different situation to you as I’m only 6 weeks but I’m currently on holiday. I can’t vouch for Greece (I’m in Croatia which has a very low rate of infection) but I’m loving being on holiday and haven’t felt at all unsafe. Flight was absolutely fine - in fact I go so far as to say better than normal. It felt much cleaner on the plane and everyone was being considerate rather than the usual barging. Everyone was wearing masks in the airport.
We’ve been to some quiet places and some normally very touristy places and all have been quite quiet. Absolute bliss. Definitely monitor the situation in Greece and make sure you have insurance but if you really want to go I would recommend it

The holiday destinations are quiet for a very very good reason.

I wouldn't exactly call Croatia 'safe' either!

I would think you were all bonkers if you were friends of mine, pregnant in the middle of a pandemic and going to areas with very sub standard health care. Seriously?! I am beginning to wonder whether some of the posts are just a wind up, surely no one can be that stupid.

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/29/belgium-luxembourg-and-croatia-may-join-spain-on-englands-covid-19-quarantine-list

I would discuss with midwife and keep an eye on infection rates especially in the area you will be travelling too. Travel insurance would be a must.
Similar situation, ftm baby due in March. Planned a holiday anyway for late summer but did not book anything. We are however only looking at Airbnb where the whole house is for us, with a pool, further away from the coast (Spain). That way minimising contact with other guest/ tourists. Baby threw a spanner in the works as original plan was to go out there next spring to start looking at purchasing a property with my mum out there so need to visit different areas. Baby arriving at that time means we need to do go there before.

Any recommendations for travel insurance companies with good cover for corona? Cancellation etc?

There are none, not a single insurance company will cover repatriation and lockdowns. Thought I would save you some time looking. We tried for weeks, and spoke to AMEX etc before calling it a day.