babymoon hiking trip!

January 31, 2012 12:12 PM

Where should we go on our babymoon?

My sweetie and I would like to take a trip some time in the period from mid-Feb to the end of March. (I'll be 24 weeks at the end of March.) We're looking to do some long walks/hikes on terrain I'll be able to handle at that point. I've been feeling great, so I anticipate that I'll still be able to handle pretty vigorous walking for 4-5 hrs/day, though I don't want to do full-on backpacking. Ideally, hiking would be combined with beach time! Would prefer warm weather, but can deal with cooler spring temperatures if the location is right.

We're willing to consider anywhere in the world, but would prefer not to have super-long flights, so Asia is probably out. (We'll be flying from the East Coast of the US.)

posted by yarly to travel & transportation (10 answers total)

Puerto Rico- rain forest, caverns, beaches, the romantic night out in Old San Juan. Best time of year to go although it may be hard to find a place now so you should get to it if you're interested
posted by saraindc at 12:23 PM on January 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

I was about 20 weeks when my severe pelvic girdle pain/Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction set in out of nowhere and I could barely walk. Like, it takes me a day to recuperate from grocery shopping. So, whatever you plan, make sure that there's a plan B that involves relaxing on the beach/in the pool etc.
posted by arcticwoman at 12:32 PM on January 31, 2012 [3 favorites]

Hawaii! I know at least three couples who had very happy Hawaii babymoons. (I know that's a fairly long flight but all these couples were Massachusettsians.)
posted by mskyle at 12:45 PM on January 31, 2012

Not to put a damper on things, but another consideration when considering flight length is the higher risk of deep vein thrombosis during long flights and during pregnancy. So 3-4 hours to PR might be greatly preferably to 10 hours to Hawaii.
posted by Mr.Know-it-some at 1:06 PM on January 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

What about South Florida or the Keys? I am thinking of hikes in the Everglades where the topography is flat as a pancake. I agree with Mr. Know. Stay closer to home.
posted by Seymour Zamboni at 1:25 PM on January 31, 2012

Kauai or Maui are the best, breathtaking islands for hiking and beachgoing. If you're a serious outdoors person (which it sounds like you might be) Kauai has better hiking.

My understanding is that deep vein thrombosis is greatly reduced by wearing compression socks, but I am not a doctor, and I don't even play one on TV.
posted by cnc at 1:59 PM on January 31, 2012

We did our babymoon in Hawaii (Oahu and Molokai), flying from the East Coast. It was beautiful and allowed for a very flexible trip, depending on how you're feeling at that point in the pregnancy. I loved snorkeling especially, did not feel at all encumbered by the pregnancy for that. We also split up one day so that my husband could do a really rugged hike and I could relax by the pool. Deep-vein thrombosis did not even occur to me and was not mentioned by my very cautious ob-gyn.

Best thing about the beach while pregnant is hollowing out a hole for your belly so you can lie comfortably on your tummy! It rocks.

And congratulations, yarly!
posted by palliser at 2:43 PM on January 31, 2012 [1 favorite]

It's 10 hours to Istanbul, and then a very short flight to get to the Aegean and Mediterranean regions of Turkey.
posted by troywestfield at 5:57 AM on February 1, 2012

Turkey is gorgeous and fascinating and the home of the world's greatest cuisine, but I thought I'd throw out there that I got a wicked case of "Turkish tummy" while touring the Aegean coast (cured by cipro once I got back home), and that kind of illness can be a lot more dangerous in pregnancy.
posted by palliser at 6:46 AM on February 1, 2012

Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm leaning towards Hawaii, but we'll see.

Best thing about the beach while pregnant is hollowing out a hole for your belly so you can lie comfortably on your tummy! It rocks.

I love this!
posted by yarly at 10:33 AM on February 1, 2012