Every pregnant Mama (and Dad!) deserves one last trip before the baby comes. Here's why the Hawaiian Island of Maui is your best option.
Photo by Love + Water Photography
When I recently told family and friends that we were taking a babymoon, I was initially met with a lot of questions and a quite a bit of skepticism. First, many people had never even heard of a babymoon. It’s true—the idea of a babymoon is more of a recent craze—and chances are, if you’re talking to someone over 50 they’ve probably never heard of it (and certainly never took one for themselves). But a babymoon is in fact a real thing. If you haven't heard of one, it's basically considered one last trip that you and your partner get to take without your baby. It's a time to relax, pamper yourself before the baby comes, and spend time connecting with your partner. After all, it's the last trip you'll probably take for a while that's just the two of you! For me, it was just another excuse to travel.
Second, I was met with a lot of concern about my health. Primarily this was because of the Covid-19 pandemic, but I also got a lot of questions about the travel while pregnant in general: “Is it safe to fly that late in your pregnancy?” (Yes, I was 30 weeks), “But won’t you be uncomfortable?” (Every woman is different—I felt GREAT at 30 weeks, and actually didn’t feel it impacted my trip. I even played 18 holes of golf!) and “Are you sure you want to be someplace that hot?” (Uhm, Hawaii isn’t that hot. In fact, it was particularly cool when we went and it was actually warmer back at home in Camarillo).
So yes, we took safety and health into account when we chose Hawaii (Maui specifically) for our babymoon. The typical far-flung destinations that I crave were off the table. While we toyed with the idea of going to places in Mexico or the Caribbean, we felt that because I was pregnant, we probably should be at least a little safer than we normally are. So we chose Maui for safety as the primary reason, but there are other great benefits as well.
Here are the top 3 reasons why Maui is the Best Place for a Babymoon:
1. It’s Safe
This is probably the main reason we chose Hawaii for our Babymoon—especially because we chose to travel during a pandemic. Not only is Hawaii in the U.S. (so our insurance would work, and we wouldn’t need to purchase additional travel insurance), but you also benefit from the US healthcare system. I’ll be the first to admit that our healthcare system isn’t perfect, but the quality of the healthcare we receive in the US is much, much better than what you’ll find in many of the tropical destinations you’ve probably considered for a babymoon.
While the tranquil beaches of the Maldives might sound super dreamy for a babymoon, have you ever thought about what it would look like if you: a) got sick with Covid-19 or b) went into labor or had pregnancy related complications while stuck on an island that is—quite literally—in the middle of the Indian Ocean? Even if you get to a hospital quickly, the hospital in Male is likely not where you’ll want to give birth. Similarly, while other options like the Caribbean islands aren’t quite as remote or isolated, the health care isn’t as great, so you’re taking a risk traveling to those islands pregnant as well.
I chose Maui specifically because—while it might not have the BEST hospitals in Hawaii—it has a great healthcare system and does in fact have mainland-quality care facilities. Though the Big Island and Oahu obviously have the best hospitals (because of their size and population, respectively), personally, Hawaii and Oahu are my two least favorite Hawaiian islands. That leaves Maui, Kauai, Lanai, Molokai and Kaho’olawe. While Kauai and Lanai are beautiful, they are also more remote, with less options for hospitals. And Molokai and Kaho’olawe are, well… just not great options for travelers (Kaho’olawe is not even inhabited!). So that leaves Maui. And Maui just so happens to be my favorite Hawaiian island, because of its diversity in things to do, but also great resorts and incredible restaurants.
2. No Passport is Needed
Unlike most places in the Caribbean or the super tropical destinations like Bora Bora, Fiji and the Maldives, you don’t need a passport to go to Hawaii (if you’re a US citizen, of course). So if you don’t have a passport, don’t fret! You can still enjoy an incredible vacation without having to apply for a passport.
Not needing a passport also just means the travel is a little easier. You can fly out of the domestic airline terminal, don’t need to go through international security, and don’t have to go through immigration and customs when you get home. What it also means—which is important as of the date of this article—is that you don’t have to re-test for Covid-19 before coming home.
3. It’s Easy to Get To
Unlike the 27+ hours of travel to get to the Maldives or Bali (from the west coast), Hawaii is just a five and a half hour, direct flight out of LAX or SFO. That’s one flight, and a rather short one at that.
While I knew I probably wasn’t going to want to sit on a long-haul international flight while 30 weeks pregnant, I had no idea just how uncomfortable the flight would be until I did it. Even feeling as great as I did, the swelling of the feet and ankles while flying pregnant is no joke! I wore compression socks, yet my feet still swelled up like balloons and were super uncomfortable on the fight home. I cannot imagine how bad that would have been if I had to endure it for, say, 15 hours or so.
And to top it off, most women also have to pee pretty frequently as they near or enter their third trimester, so being cognizant of how many bathroom trips you’ll need to make while on a plane is also something to consider. While needing to make frequent bathroom trips is pretty tolerable on a 5-6 hour flight, it could get pretty obnoxious on a flight that’s quite a bit longer.
Importantly, one flight also translated to less Covid-19 exposure during travel. Because we were coming from the west coast, every Caribbean destination we considered required at least two flights, which not only meant longer travel but also having to navigate additional airports and more people. Picking a destination that could be reached by getting on one airplane was key for us.
And there you have it! Those are the top 3 reasons why Maui is your best bet for a babymoon!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this post. If you do choose Maui for your upcoming trip, refer to my Maui Destination Guide for tips on where to stay, where to eat and what to do in Maui.
Looking for a maternity photographer? I know the best one! Shawn and Adam of Love + Water are a husband and wife team that truly are the best at their craft. Check out my maternity photos below:
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