Baby Momma Honeymoon

March 24, 2008 11:34 AM

I am planning our post-wedding honeymoon. As an added bonus to the post-wedding bliss, my wife just found out she is 6 weeks pregnant!!! We wanted to do a blowout honeymoon, but with the recent news, we are at a loss as to what we should do and where we should go. We know we are going to be very busy with children in 8 months, and because of this, we think we should take a trip that would be very unlikely with kids in tow. But, because she is pregnant, I am not about to offer up trekking in Nepal, or diving in the Great Barrier Reef. My baby needs her chill time.

Everyone is telling us to go to Africa / Asia, but I am concerned that any shots / medications she may have to take may be a no-no for a 6 week young baby-momma. Has anyone done a kick-ass Africa trip that allowed you to chill and not get shots? Anyone had a kick-ass honeymoon with your pregnant wife? We would like to go on a 2 - 2 1/2 week holiday sometime late spring - late summer. 15-17k budget. We will travel anywhere. What do we need to consider now that she is pregnant?

posted by jasondigitized to travel & transportation (14 comments total)

Why not go to Japan? You won't need any shots, you can do the trip for significantly less than 15-17K, and it would be a kickass trip.

Fly in to Tokyo, stay in Izu, travel to Kyoto and Nara, have a romantic weekend in Hagi, bullet train back to Osaka, take the overnight train up the Japan Sea coast to Aomori, tour around the Northeast, go to some hot springs, and do some shopping in Tokyo.

You can do all of this on a relaxed pace and have a nice honeymoon.
posted by KokuRyu at 11:41 AM on March 24 [4 favorites]

You might consider that she might not be feeling all that well. Morning sickness isn't just for mornings and it could be an issue for her well into the 2nd tri, even if it hasn't kicked in yet. Exhaustion and needing a lot of sleep are also very very common. I would talk to her doctor about what shots are permissible, first of all. If she's in a higher risk category (age, genetics, pre-existing medical condition) you might also want to make sure her doctor knows.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 11:50 AM on March 24

She needs to get the blessing of her doctor, but if she's going to be three of four months pregnant at the time, and is in good shape, she should still be able to do plenty of stuff. I would not rule out any option she's interested in unless the doc has concerns about any needed vaccinations.
posted by beagle at 11:53 AM on March 24

I'm biased, but Italy loves a pregnant mama! They will be thrilled to have you incinto ... Sicily is fantastic. Fly to Palermo, rent a car and drive the coast. Congratulations and good luck.
posted by thinkpiece at 11:57 AM on March 24 [1 favorite]

Italy is wonderful, but it's sufficiently southern that its water and fresh fruits can do funky things to your stomach, in a way that northern Europe does not, so I would avoid it for that reason. This may be a bit paranoid, but I figure it's better to play it safe. I think Europe would be fantastic, I would just stick to the richer, cooler parts.

With the exception of Japan, there's basically nowhere in Asia, and certainly nowhere in Africa, that you're going to be able to go without vaccinations or cause for concern from the food/water (South America is also out). Traveller's diarrhea is no big deal most of the time, but being pregnant changes things. This does not mean, however, that you can't have a fantastic, memorable honeymoon. It just means you get to do it in first-world luxury!
posted by Dasein at 12:06 PM on March 24

How about New Zealand? Spectacular scenery, food that won't do strange things to her stomach, no shots required, and the opportunity for just about any kind of activity you could want. It sounds like it'll be fall/winter when you'd be down under, but most of the country is still accessible and beautiful.
posted by bassjump at 12:32 PM on March 24

I think that to give you great advice it's best to tell us what you guys like to do. Do you like museums, the outdoors, art, music, sitting on the beach?

Your wife's condition (if she can't be doing much hiking) rules out seeing the Gorillas in central/East Africa but a safari involves sitting on your a** for 10 hours a day in a jeep. And with that kind of money you could stay at a nice lodge. Then you could take a flight over to Zanzibar for some beach time.

As for medications I'm not sure what you already have. I didn't get anything specifically for Africa because I already have an up to date tetnus, Hep A/B etc. You don't usually need yellow fever, although I had to show proof of it to visit Madagascar. I took doxycycline as an anti-malarial, but many people don't take anything. The thing with malaria is you get it or you don't and the pills just buy you a few extra days to get treatment. So if you want absolutely no medicine then you might be weary of much of Africa but don't let the CDC and State Department warnings get to you as they are overly cautious.

What about Northern Africa... Morocco or Egypt. I don't remember needing any special medication for Egypt, although you might do quite a bit of walking. You could combine it was a visit to Petra in Jordan or stay on the beach in Sinai.

If I were pregnant I'm not sure I would want to sit on a plane for the long flight to Africa or Asia. By the way, I've met many families taking their kids around developing countries and more than you'd think on year long around-the-world trips. Just because you have a kid doesn't mean you can't take then to interesting places.
posted by Bunglegirl at 12:38 PM on March 24

Hawaii...gorgeous but very relaxing. For that budget you can stay at some beautiful hotels like Hotel Hana-Maui....get massages (lots of places have pregnancy ones)...etc. It can be a semi-active vacation or just a luxurious time of relaxation. I can't recommend it enough.
posted by UMDirector at 2:19 PM on March 24

Hawaii for sure. UMDirector beat me to it, but yeah, it's got everything you need -- romance, adventure, adventure-for-the-less-up-for-hiking-up (helicopter rides, bus tours, boat tours, etc.), cool culture, great folks, surfing (OMG ur little one is going to have great balance!), pineapple etc., etc. No seriously, let's return to the pineapple. And fresh coconuts.
posted by zpousman at 4:13 PM on March 24 [1 favorite]

Well, I'm hesitant to call it a "condition," but regardless, being prego and traveling can be super tiring (did they mention that the first trimester is the most exhausting part?). It sounds like you two normally like a more active vacation (snorkeling in the Great Barrier Reef, trekking in Nepal), so maybe settle for something in between.

Spain is terrific: delicious food, plenty of "off the beaten path" places (gentle hiking in Asturias and Galicia) and yet you can get the museum/gallery/architecture culture in too (Barcelona/Madrid/Pais Vasco/Cantabria). Or good beaches (Cadiz/Malaga) or history (Granada/Sevilla/Santiago de Compostela). And it's not too bad of a flight.

Brazil might not be bad, not too much malaria in certain parts (look into Olinda in the Northeast) and some great places to relax. Not sure about the shot situation.

I think Jordan would be great. Never been, but it seems like there's a little bit of something for everyone there.

And what about some place like the Czech Republic? Beautiful cities, gorgeous lakes, easily navigable on foot or public transportation.

Stick with bottled water, avoid greens or fruits that may have been washed in icky water (I'd avoid water in Barcelona, for example, but Madrid water is fine), and make sure your meat is cooked and you should be ok.

Good luck, congratulations, and have fun!
posted by cachondeo45 at 4:46 PM on March 24

I don't think that pregnancy is that big a deal, but I would be cautious about the shots. But being only a few months along isn't really that big a deal. I climbed Mt. St. Helens at five months, and traveled to some remote places in Alaska at eight months, and it wasn't particularly trying. And I am not some super jock, just willing to sit when I need to sit, and anyone who doesn't like it can just go on ahead. The idea that a pregnant wife is a piece of crystal is going to limit you more than the pregnancy itself would. So, you're completely on the right track continuing to look for a blow-out adventure, and avoiding the shots.

That said, I'd suggest an ecolodge in Costa Rica. Adventurous, beautiful, safe, great food, with a lot of options from sitting on the veranda to all-day hiking to boat trips.
posted by Capri at 5:48 PM on March 24

Re Japan - you do have to be a bit cautious with onsens/hot springs as some of the bath temps can be way too hot for a pregnant woman.
posted by gomichild at 7:18 PM on March 24

I'd say wait until the second trimester, when the chance of miscarriage has dropped and your wife is likely to feel less nauseous and exhausted.
posted by stonefruit at 10:11 PM on March 24

For Asia you can also do Hong Kong. When I went two years ago, we didn't have to get any precautionary shots. It has a big city feel for luxury/comfort- marvel at the gaudy big city decor, or go to funky places like 10,000 buddha or temples. You can also take ferries or 30-45 min rides to nearby little islands (Lantau has a huge buddha, Lamma I think was the one that doesn't have any cars).
posted by Jimmie at 9:47 PM on March 25