15 tips for traveling safely while pregnant
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If you are pregnant or plan to have a baby and wonder about the impact on your travel lifestyle, this article is for you.
I want to share with you my top 15 tips for traveling safely during pregnancy.
Disclaimer: before you plan any trips, while pregnant, you should ALWAYS check with your doctor if it’s safe. Every pregnancy is different, thus, discuss it with your doctor first, no matter what you find on the internet, or in this article.
Now with that out of the way, let’s get back to this article regarding tips for traveling safely during pregnancy.
Why am I writing this article?
There are a lot of misconceptions regarding pregnancy and traveling. Currently, when I’m writing this I’m 36 weeks pregnant. During this pregnancy I went on 3 trips (2 of them abroad), one by plane and the other two by car.
When I told people that I was going on a trip, I received reactions like: “But…you are pregnant” or “Are you sure it’s safe?”. Like I previously mentioned, there are a lot of misconceptions regarding this topic because there are still people who treat pregnancy as a disease.
Being pregnant shouldn’t stop you from traveling or doing the things that you love, but it’s a new chapter in your life. Yes, things are going to change, but that doesn’t mean your personal life is over (like I heard so many times…🙄).
Traveling is part of my life and even more so, my ultimate dream goal is to explore the whole world and never stop doing it. At the same time, I always knew that at some point I wanted to start a family with kids and all. For me, these two plans never excluded each other, but after I started to discuss this with friends and acquaintances I was disappointed by how some of them approached the subject. For most people, it’s either you have a family, or you travel and live a life without responsibilities.
Well, I’m very stubborn and I want to build my life in my own way even if that means being different or living without following stereotypes. And it’s not just me, there are so many travel bloggers that are doing the same. I myself am following family travelers who write about how they plan trips with their kids and live the life they choose to.
Therefore, this article is just the beginning, because I want to create an entire series where I write about my journey now that I’m entering another beautiful chapter in my life.
Here are my 15 tips regarding safety and pregnancy while traveling:
There is a reason why I put this tip first because it isn’t even a tip, it’s a must-do kind of thing. Like I said in the beginning, every pregnancy is different and if you want to take just one thing from this article, this is it. I’m not a doctor and all these tips are not medical related. But don’t worry, chances are you will receive a positive response. Now, you are good to go and can follow the next tips.
Based on your pregnancy stage and your overall well being, choose the proper way to travel: plane, car or train. Maybe you can’t stay in the car for hours and hours, or you are afraid to travel by plane. Either way, depending on the distance that you are traveling and the destination, make sure you choose the most comfortable way for you. Remember, comfort is the key. During pregnancy, a lot of things are happening in your body: maybe you are suffering from back pain, or have swollen feet, or you are getting tired a lot faster. Take all this into consideration if you are planning to go on a long-distance trip.
Here is my intake regarding each type of transportation:
a). by plane:
- if you are flying for a long period (more than 4 hours), make sure you take small walks every 30 minutes or so; blood clots are a serious and common problem during pregnancy and the best way to avoid them is to make sure you don’t stay on our butt for long periods;
- if you are afraid of radiation or if you don’t feel safe to get through the security check in the airport, address the people there; they will not force you to go through it, but they are going to check you by hand; you can ask for a security lady to do this, to feel more comfortable;
- make sure you have a bottle of water with you on the plane;
- check the airline policy regarding pregnant women, because some of them are going to require written notice from your doctor that shows you can travel; also, some airlines won’t let you fly towards the end of your pregnancy.
b). by car:
- make sure your travel companions are aware of all the potty breaks that you are going to need;
- if you are traveling long distance, make sure you stop and move your legs once in a while;
- have a bottle of water and snacks with you.
Before you leave for any trip, especially if you are going abroad, make sure you purchase a health insurance plan that covers medical problems during pregnancy. Before our trip to Tuscany, we were about to pay for insurance (the one we usually bought), but when we read their conditions, there was a clause that specified that the plan didn’t cover pregnancy. What should you take from this? Read the terms before you sign any contract.
As I mentioned before, if you travel during pregnancy, comfort is key. That means you should say goodbye to tight clothes or high heels. Depending on your pregnancy stage and the period when you are going to travel, you can pack proper clothes. Keep in mind that your belly is growing and what fits now, can become uncomfortable after a week. At the beginning of pregnancy you shouldn’t worry about this, but after 4 months or so you should start to change or adjust your outfits.
What worked for me?
- stretchy dresses were amazing: I looked cute in photos while feeling and being comfortable; bonus point: I can wear them after pregnancy as well;
- pants with a belly band are a great choice if you don’t want to say goodbye to jeans;
- stretchy T-shirts or sweatshirts; I am not a fan of large clothes or the pregnancy typical ones, and if you are like me stretchy clothes are the best; besides, you can wear them after your pregnancy is over
- cute and comfortable sneakers are perfect for long walks.
Nowadays, we live in times when face masks and hand sanitisers have become must-have items that we need to have on us wherever we go. Even so, during pregnancy our health is really important, therefore I highly recommend you have on your sanitisers so that you can clean tables or the space that you are sitting in. Also, it’s important to always have your hands clean, especially before you eat.
This is something that you are going to discuss with your doctor, but during pregnancy, we have some food restrictions that can be hard to be aware of while traveling. For example, make sure you drink only bottled beverages and the cheeses or milk you consume are pasteurized. There is a chance that you’re not going to have toxoplasma antibodies. In this case, you have to make sure you eat only meat that is very well cooked. Be extra cautious with beef burgers that are usually cooked rare or medium-rare.
During my second trimester, we traveled to Tuscany. I love Italian food a lot, but I had many food restrictions that it was a real struggle to eat at some point. I couldn’t eat some cheeses (like gorgonzola, brie etc.), prosciutto, bacon, pancetta (cured meats in general) or soft egg (bye-bye carbonara pasta – which is my absolute favorite pasta). As you can see, basically all the good foods that Italy is known for were not good for me. And I won’t tell you about the wine… I had to watch my husband treat himself to a delicious glass of wine every night, while I was drinking tea…Now that I think about it, maybe it’s not such a good idea to travel to Italy when you are pregnant 😂. Too many food temptations and you know me, I’m a foodie.
I was a little sad, but no worries, I will go back to Italy and eat everything I want (now I have an excuse, not that I need one 😁).
What should you take from this tip? Make sure you discuss with your doctor the food restrictions and research the most common dishes served in the country that you are traveling to.
I don’t know what you heard about this topic (because I heard a lot of variations), but staying active and moving during pregnancy is a very good thing and it’s highly recommended by most doctors. Traveling can be a great opportunity to get your exercise on in a healthy, natural and easy way, by just walking. I love hiking, reaching the highest spots for scenic overlooks and exploring cities on foot. So, during my travels, I did just that (minus the hiking). I even remember that on one of our exploring days in Florence we walked like 10 km in a day! At some point, my husband and I were “I think we forgot that I’m pregnant” 😂 because we forgot to stop.
That being said, yes it’s amazing to be active (your body will feel amazing after), but it’s very VERY important to take breaks every time you feel like it.
For this tip, I would suggest you plan your breaks by visiting the restaurants and cafes you have on your itinerary. Also, when you find benches, take some time and enjoy a snack and breathe in the air.
Did someone say snacks 😍?! Well, I have to start by saying that I love snacks in general, but during pregnancy, they were my lifesavers! And no, this is not an exaggeration of any kind. Maybe you have noticed (or just consider this, if you aren’t already pregnant), that during pregnancy you are going to get hungry more often.
In my case, even if I got hungry more often, I couldn’t eat big meals and because I had some bad morning sickness (that wasn’t only in the morning), snacks were the best choice for me. My favorite ones to have on the go were fruits. Therefore, every evening, before we returned to our room, we went to a supermarket or local market and bought fruits and biscuits. I find bananas, apples and nectarines easy to eat on the go. I made sure I cleaned them very well and put them in my backpack the next day.
This tip is more of a reminder for you to take into consideration when you make your luggage list. If your doctor recommends vitamins it’s important to also take them with you on your trip. They will help your body and baby to be strong and healthy.
This tip is more of a reminder for you to take into consideration when you make your luggage list. If your doctor recommends vitamins it’s important to also take them with you on your trip. They will help your body and baby to be strong and healthy.
I’m sure you know this, but staying hydrated especially in pregnancy is very important. My advice is to pack a bottle of water in your backpack when you go exploring or buy water every time you run out of it. In late pregnancy, dehydration can provoke “false contractions” also known as Braxton Hicks. So, it’s better that you avoid that.
We may laugh at this tip, but if you are in the middle of a city and need to go, knowing where the bathrooms are located can save your bladder from exploding :)). I took my potty breaks every time we stopped at a cafe or restaurant to eat or take a break, but if an emergency occurred, my husband was in charge of finding the closest bathrooms.
As you will see, you will get tired faster, so don’t waste your energy carrying a heavy backpack. If you travel with your life partner or a friend, I’m sure they will be more than happy to help you out. Also, while exploring places, keep your backpack with your minimum essentials: snacks, water and important documents.
Several museums and churches have security checks that look similar to those in the airport. In some places, they have signs which say that pregnant women can’t go through it. But, this isn’t the case for all of them. To make sure you are safe, tell the security guard that you are pregnant and they will not force you to through the machine.
Regarding this topic, my experience in Italy was a great one. People from security checks were very nice and understanding.
If you are worried that you don’t know how much walking is too much walking, or if you had enough nutritious food during a travel day, the answer that will always give you peace of mind is to listen to your body. If you are hungry and feel like snacks can’t save you, just stop from your exploration and enjoy a proper meal. If you are tired one day, give yourself a late morning bed. If your feet are swollen, ask your travel partner to give you a foot massage. After a whole day of walking, this will feel divine, believe me.
The point is, your body is going to tell you its needs every time, you only have to listen. Pregnancy is not the time to push yourself over the limit.
Maybe you are obsessed with planning or prefer spontaneous trips, but you already know that it’s hard to keep to an uptight schedule. There are many things that can happen while traveling (Oh, I have some horror stories for another time or article). This applies in pregnancy as well. When you sit on your couch and plan your trip you’ll not be able to predict how you are going to feel when facing the real thing. Therefore, make a schedule, or not, but keep in mind that changes may be necessary. It’s very important to remain flexible, and avoid disappointments.
For example, when we planned for our trip to Tuscany we initially wanted to see approx 15 cities or villages in 9 days (That’s a little crazy, right?!). In the middle of our trip we figured that it was too much for me (shocker!), so we cut approx 4-5 cities from our list.
When we went on our trip to Romania to visit medieval cities, we adjusted our plans on the road, to make sure I took enough breaks, even if that meant we didn’t have enough time to check the whole itinerary.
In conclusion, listen to your body, adjust your travel plans when necessary and enjoy every minute of it.
When is the best time to travel?
Every body is different and also every pregnancy will feel different even if there are some general guidelines that we can follow.
I will share with you my own experience, but this will not apply to every woman.
They say that the absolute best period to travel is during 2nd trimester for a lot of reasons. And I must say, this was true in my case. In my first trimester, the “morning sickness” was very bad. And by the way, I still don’t understand why it’s called like this, because I felt sick the whole day. To think about it, in the morning I felt better than the rest of the day.
Anyyywayyy….
We went on a trip to Lefkada, Greece when I was a month pregnant and even though it was such a great experience, I didn’t feel at my best. At some point I didn’t know what to eat anymore, everything made me nauseous and I felt sleepy and lethargic all the time. Also, after the trip, I read that the risk of losing a pregnancy is higher in the first trimester.
During the second trimester, we went on a trip to Tuscany for 9 days and this experience was much more different from the one in Greece. I felt so good and energized the whole time. We walked a lot, ate a lot of food and had an overall better state of mind because the “morning” sickness was gone.
This is why they say that the best time to travel is during the second trimester. This period is called the “honeymoon” of pregnancy because the nausea is gone and you don’t feel like sleeping the whole day. Also, your beautiful belly will be visible, but not big enough to make you feel heavy.
Regarding the third trimester, this is when things get a little harder because your belly is going to grow faster, chances are the sickness is going to be back (I am getting sick in the evening now) and you are going to get tired very very fast again. Traveling can get uncomfortable plus, many airlines won’t let you fly from a certain week.
Currently, I’m in my third trimester and I’m not in any mood to travel. These days everything is harder: walking too much, standing too much, even sleeping.
No matter when you plan to go on trips, discuss with your doctor first, he or she will give you all the recommendations you will need and if you are following them, everything will be great. Have your snacks and water with you, listen to your body, dress comfortable and enjoy every moment of your trip.
That’s a wrap on my 15 tips for traveling safely while pregnant.
I hope this article is helpful if you are pregnant or plan to have a baby and don’t want to cancel your travel plans.
Roxane, I loved your article and the overall topic. I can echo your suggestions a lot. And the overall msg: each pregnancy is different, yet for many women it doesnt mean any stop to traveling! I travelled a lot during my pregnancy with my Little One. I stayed for nearly a month in Israel during the second month. And then travelled Poland to India twice! I miss those days a lot 😍 All the best for 3 of you!!!
Thank you so much! I hope that this article can help other mother-to-be, because I know that most of them think that being pregnant means to have to stay at home. It was such a pleasure to write this article.
Thank you a lot for your feedback, means a lot to me! Great, that you also had an amazing time being pregnant and traveling.