What’s A Babymoon And How Do You Plan One?

What’s A Babymoon And How Do You Plan One?

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My wife and I are proud to announce that we’re expecting a baby boy in late September!

We’ll be transitioning to a family of five, including three kiddos under the age of five. We’re literally about to create a 3-ring circus, and you can be sure that we’ll be taking the show on the road as soon as possible.

sonogram
To plan a Babymoon, you first need one of these.

Actually, we don’t know how it will all work but we’re eager to find out. But first, we have a babymoon to plan. Don’t know what a babymoon is? You’ve come to the right place.

What Is a Babymoon?

I’ll be honest — I generally think the term babymoon was ginned up by the travel industry to generate business. It’s kind of like how Hallmark created Boss’s Day as a reason to sell yet another greeting card. (Actually I think Ben’s more of a flowers kind of guy….) But hey, I’m not one to argue against taking a trip, so this is one time in my life where I’m happy to go with the trendy flow.  Babymoon it is, then.

bossday

As best I can tell, the general idea of a babymoon is to have “one last trip” as a couple before you transition to the life of family travel. Whereas a honeymoon is a celebration of your new life ahead, a babymoon is a celebration of the old life you’re about to leave behind. Or something like that.

For others, a babymoon is just the natural progression that follows from a really, really successful honeymoon…

Where Should You Go?

The simple answer is to the beach. And we’re not even really beach people. I mean, I’m usually good for about an hour in the sand before I get bored. But hear me out.

It’s hard for me to say this with any authority without having experienced it myself, but my understanding is that being pregnant is kind of a pain for a woman. The human body is an engineering marvel — our center of gravity is generally positioned directly over our feet, creating this precisely balanced form. Getting pregnant kind of throws all that out the window though, as now you have this bulge in front, with nothing counter-balancing it in back. If you draw the force diagram of the situation, you basically see that you’ve got this torque pulling you downward … and well, let’s just say it looks uncomfortable and leave it at that.

Anyway, my wife discovered one really comfortable position  during her first pregnancy–  floating face down in the water, ideally with a snorkel. For those few blissful moments, she felt weightless, calm, and once again, perfectly balanced. Of course you can float in a pool, but the salt water of the ocean provides more buoyancy and can actually reduce swelling. Plus it has sand. And maybe palm trees.

Doradosnorkle
This is the goal for our Babymoons…

Distance

It probably goes without saying, but you should consider the length of the flight and how far along you or your partner are in the pregnancy. If you’re in a premium cabin, preferably with the ability to put your feet up, you can reasonably expect to fly farther than if you’re in economy.

Availability Of Medical Care

The availability and quality of medical care at your proposed babymoon destination is a very sensitive subject and one which you should discuss with your partner. Depending on where you go, the medical facilities and practitioners may vary significantly in quality and abundance from what you are accustomed to. Even seemingly well-traveled destinations may pose logistical hurdles if you should need medical care — I’ve been told that many locals on Maui actually fly over to Oahu for relatively routine procedures, for example.

On the other hand, plenty of people do babymoons to far-flung places around the world, including us. My wife delivered our first two children naturally (no drugs) in a birth center rather than a hospital, so perhaps we have a different perspective on the subject. I will add that as a father, it’s important to talk the situation through with your partner, but at the end of the day, we have no more than 49% of the vote (and probably a lot less!) So make suggestions and be supportive, but ultimately it’s going to come down to her level comfort with the trip.

How Many Babymoons?

I would argue that you are entitled to a babymoon during each pregnancy. After all, you’re about to embark on another 12-18 months of straight up nighttime feedings, dirty diapers, and crying so you might as well try to get in a little relaxation while you can.

Or look at it this way — as parents of multiple kids we spend a lot of effort making sure that each kid gets the same opportunities and experiences as the others. Doesn’t it seem like not having a babymoon for #2 is already getting off on the wrong foot?

Perhaps the real question then for Babymoon 3.0 is whether or not to take the kids. I expect the purists will say that it’s not a babymoon if the kids come, but we don’t see it that way. We view it as our last trip as a family of four. We all have our own personalities, and we’ve sort of figured out how to live together. Now we’re about to introduce a fifth personality into the mix, so the family dynamic is going to change. So it really will be our last trip in our current configuration.

Our Babymoons

We’ve taken a babymoon for each of our pregnancies. In fact, since I’m prone to doing things to excess, we’ve actually taken multiple babymoons for each pregnancy. Like I say, I don’t need much of an excuse to travel. So these are our official babymoons, which for us means it was the last significant trip before the birth.

Babymoon 1.0: Kauai

Our first babymoon was to Kauai. It was our first trip to the island and we very much enjoyed it. We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard on MegaBonus free nights, though I think it’s since gone up in category. (What hasn’t?) We snorkeled at Poipu beach.

marriotkauai
This seems to be the only picture I have of the hotel.  Guess I didn’t realize I’d be writing for OMaaT someday….

Babymoon 2.0: Puerto Rico

Our second babymoon was to San Juan, Puerto Rico.  We really like Puerto Rico and even spent part of our honeymoon there. On this trip, we stayed at the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar in Dorado, which is generally considered a love-it or hate-it type of property. As introverts, we love the secluded, private beach, and the peaceful nature of the entire property. (And don’t mind the hulking edifice of a deserted hotel next door.)

HyattdoradoPlayingInsand
Who you lookin’ at?

I was able to apply a Diamond Suite Upgrade, and we were upgraded to a fabulous 2-room suite, which was great since we had the product of Babymoon 1.0 along on the trip.

HyattDorado
View from our suite at the Hyatt Hacienda Del Mar, Dorado, Puerto Rico

Babymoon 3.0: Aruba

For this baby, we’re headed to Aruba next month. We usually don’t travel much in the summer months, mostly due to the lack of good deals on airfare. This year has been a bit different in that there have been a variety of deals to interesting destinations available. So when we saw Aruba for the low $300s from the middle of the country, we jumped on it. We’ll have both kids along, so it really will be our last big adventure as a family of four.

We’re still figuring out where to stay so please leave your suggestions in the comments.

Have you been on a babymoon. If so, where did you go?

Conversations (28)
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  1. Susan N Guest

    Welcome to the circus Travis! Congrats on your newest gift! -Susan

  2. Chris Member

    Travis, I recommend one of the Marriott properties over the Ritz Carlton when traveling with kids. Marriott Stellaris is very good. It and the RC and the various Marriott timeshare places are all next to each other, so you can actually use the pools of any of them. I don't know you are "allowed" to do this, but it's easy enough to do as each of the properties is relatively open to the long beach that they all share on the back side of the resorts.

  3. Christine Guest

    I bet I have the longest ago baby moon - my baby moon baby turns 30 this September! I was 7 months pregnant with a 14 month old son and we were moving. My husband surprised me with a trip to Cape Cod only because he had a friend who offered his condo for the trip because we were so poor and couldn't have afforded a trip. Thanks for bringing up a great memory!

  4. Diana W Guest

    We went to London before #1 was born. I was about 25 wks pregnant and dragged my husband all over the city, he was exhausted after the 2nd day. Go big or go home! =)

  5. Travis OMAAT

    Appreciate all the kind works everyone! Means a lot to be able to share our excitement with the OMaaT community!

  6. Jo Guest

    Never been on a baby moon, but I have 3 kids. I'm making up for lost time now. No lame "push" gifts either cause you know we had a baby to pay for and stuff.... Also I would not fly when pregnant cause I didn't want to have a baby somewhere other than the hospital close to home.

  7. Luis Diamond

    Hey Travis, remember when you helped me book my trip to Turkey and Greece a few years back? That was actually our babymoon ;)

  8. JBG Guest

    Congrats! We just did one a few weeks ago and she was 26 weeks. Went JFK-VAN. A few nights in Vancouver and a few nights in Whistler. The plan was to do lots of hiking as that's what we normally do on the weekends. After our first hike attempt my wife quickly found out that hiking in BC vs Dover, DE was too much for her. We still had an amazing time as the food...

    Congrats! We just did one a few weeks ago and she was 26 weeks. Went JFK-VAN. A few nights in Vancouver and a few nights in Whistler. The plan was to do lots of hiking as that's what we normally do on the weekends. After our first hike attempt my wife quickly found out that hiking in BC vs Dover, DE was too much for her. We still had an amazing time as the food in the area is much better than our town. And we were able to fly Cathay first again, which is always great.

  9. Abdel Rahim Abdallah Member

    "For others, a babymoon is just the natural progression that follows from a really, really successful honeymoon…"

    cracked me up! :D

  10. Steve Guest

    Again with the clickbait. ;) But I clicked, so...

    Lara and I did Yellowstone when she was about 5-6 months pregnant. Nothing like running away from a mama bear while carrying your own "cub". She's a trooper.

    I'm inclined to say that snorkeling in the ocean rather than the pool is the preferred choice for reasons other than buoyancy, but what do I know?

  11. Travis Swanson Member

    Did you book this trip before the Club Carlson devaluation? If so, why didn't you book the Radisson using the 2 for 1 deal? Was a great use of points (as you've pointed out). I've also heard great things about the Hyatt next door. Just thinking of places you can use points at. :)

  12. EricB New Member

    We did two babymoons, one to Napa and one to Chile / Argentina. Aruba is a great. For a family of 4, I'd think about renting a house/villa on HomeAway or VRBO. Enjoy!

  13. Ben Guest

    Congrats!!
    Babymoon one was in Bermuda
    Babymoon two (with first daughter, fully agree with you she deserved it as well) in Puerto Rico
    Babymoon three (upcoming this September / October) likely to be somewhere reachable with 10,000 avios from NY... availability is definitely a concern.

  14. PointsPinnacle Guest

    Congratulations! Have a blast, maybe try the Ritz-Carlton in Aruba?

    We just took our babymoon 8 weeks ago in Japan of all places lol!

    http://pointspinnacle.com/2015/04/22/japan2015intro/

  15. kjab Guest

    Our babymoon was at 20 weeks pregnant with our first child at a 5* all inclusive beach resort in mauritius for a week - I took full advantage of the unlimited cocktails and champagne. My wife indulged in half a glass a couple of times... Only slightly ropey point was when I capsized our sailing dinghy and she had to be pulled onto the safety boat (we were only 50m from shore!)

    Apparently I still...

    Our babymoon was at 20 weeks pregnant with our first child at a 5* all inclusive beach resort in mauritius for a week - I took full advantage of the unlimited cocktails and champagne. My wife indulged in half a glass a couple of times... Only slightly ropey point was when I capsized our sailing dinghy and she had to be pulled onto the safety boat (we were only 50m from shore!)

    Apparently I still owe her an all inclusive trip sans kids - the oldest of our three is now five....!

  16. Jon Guest

    Congratulations!

    For our Babymoon, the wife and I took our first RTW trip in J - JFK-BCN-DOH-DPS-HKG-JFK. Truly a great way to refresh and start our new lives!

  17. Enough already Guest

    Go on a trip whenever you want, but you're right about the totally unappealing and fabricated name. While you're at it, don't forget the other trends... a "push" present (ugh), gender reveal cake (gag) and creepy maternity pictures clutching a bare stomach with a pair of tiny shoes and chalkboard with the due date (yak). Please also use the terms "baby bump" and "preggers".

  18. Travis OMAAT

    sice; LOL, I think maybe it gets another name after the baby is born?

  19. Travis OMAAT

    Jen -- Well, our past two got through their sleeping issues in 12-18 months i think, but like in finance, "past performance is not an indicator of future success".

  20. Curious George Guest

    Congrats!!

    Came back from our first "baby moon" a couple of months ago. Fly CX F ORD-HGK, one night in HGK, then 4 nights in Phuket, 5 nights in BKK and flew back EY J.

  21. Katie Guest

    I didn't call it a babymoon, but I did have us go to Germany/Sweden/Poland when I was 28 weeks pregnant with child #2 and child #1 was 17 months old. I really wanted to see some family in Sweden, Christmas markets in Germany, and do some pottery shopping. It wasn't the best idea as I pushed it too hard for our toddler. But, I did get to fly in LH F on an A380 with no one but our family!

  22. Nathan New Member

    We did baby moon at Andaz Maui which was a great choice.

  23. Sice Diamond

    You're only supposed to do these before a baby is born??? Why'd you have to spoil it for me? My interpretation of trips and kids is that you're allowed an un-ending number of trips BECAUSE a baby was born. Our 13 year old finally complained enough about her parents' trips to Hawaii that this summer the kids get to come along too...looks like our babymoon is ending :-)

  24. snic Diamond

    Our "babymoon" was an exceptional 5 course dinner in a fine restaurant the night before mrs. snic was scheduled for a C-section. It was a phenomenal meal. She had, of course, been very good about not drinking alcohol for the entire pregnancy, so we still joke about the impact on our child of the glass of wine she had with that "last dinner of freedom."

  25. Ben Guest

    Congratulations! When I read the first few lines and before I realised it was you and not Ben writing this I thought for a second 'wow - I was way off about Ben!'

  26. Joey Diamond

    First off, congratulations!!! I've never been on a babymoon but if I were to go to one, I'd pick a resort for sure rather than a bustling city.

  27. Jen New Member

    Only 12-18 month of no sleep, I am jealous!

    For aruba with kids, I highly recommend one of the two marriott timeshare properties. Find a timeshare preview offer to see if you can get one of the stay 5 nights for $399 deals (or something like that). Or checkout redweek.com to see if you can rent a timeshare from an owner not using it.

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Susan N Guest

Welcome to the circus Travis! Congrats on your newest gift! -Susan

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Chris Member

Travis, I recommend one of the Marriott properties over the Ritz Carlton when traveling with kids. Marriott Stellaris is very good. It and the RC and the various Marriott timeshare places are all next to each other, so you can actually use the pools of any of them. I don't know you are "allowed" to do this, but it's easy enough to do as each of the properties is relatively open to the long beach that they all share on the back side of the resorts.

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Christine Guest

I bet I have the longest ago baby moon - my baby moon baby turns 30 this September! I was 7 months pregnant with a 14 month old son and we were moving. My husband surprised me with a trip to Cape Cod only because he had a friend who offered his condo for the trip because we were so poor and couldn't have afforded a trip. Thanks for bringing up a great memory!

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