Travel Tips for Expecting Mums
Take your bun on the road!
Here at TNN, we believe that everyone can travel, including women with a bun in the oven. But those pregnancy health concerns can sometimes be a scary hindrance to those vacation plans. Here are some tips from Dr. Michele Hakakha and Dr. Ari Brown’s Expecting 411 that will hopefully quell some fears before you roam.
Is it safe for me to travel while pregnant? Are all forms of transportation safe?
We don’t recommend hot air balloons or camels, but most conventional modes of transportation are safe. If you have a “high risk” pregnancy or are carrying multiples, your doctor may have a different restriction date in mind, so ask him or her for recommendations tailored to your specific health profile. Here are some general guidelines:
- You can travel by plane up to your 36th week — but check individual airline policies, which may vary.
- When flying, get up and walk around frequently, stretch your legs and feet while in your seat, and wear Ted support hose to keep the blood circulation in your legs robust.
- For cruises, the last acceptable time frame is 23-27 weeks, depending on the cruise line.
- If you are going by bus, train, or driving, stay within 1 hour’s distance from a hospital. Camping in a remote area, for example, is not advisable. You can travel by car right up to the end of your delivery date, but try to stay within an hour’s drive from your doctor or delivery hospital.
How can I stay healthy while pregnant and traveling?
- If you are going to the mountains, swimming in the ocean, or walking around a new city, watch for signs of getting short of breath. If you feel tired, stop!
- If you’ll be out in the hot sun, drink extra water, stay out of the direct sun during peak hours, and pack plenty of sunblock, hat, and sunglasses.
- Always keep a bottle of pure water with you. Avoid plastic bottles with #7 on the bottom — these may contain Bisphenol-A (BPA), which may have adverse effects on fetuses.
- Avoid unpasteurized delicacies, raw fish or meat, and in international destinations, water and fresh fruit and veggies.
- Keep a stash of healthy snacks with you on road, plane, and train trips so you can avoid getting famished and then seeking relief in convenience food, hotel snacks, and junk food binges. Healthy snacks might include: yogurt, small containers of unsweetened rice pudding, almonds and walnuts, apples, carrots, almond butter on whole grain bread, cheese and whole grain crackers, hummus and veggie dippers, and cherries, berries, and red grapes.
- When ordering from restaurants, don’t be shy about “special ordering.” Pregnancy is one of the few times when waiters will give you a break. Keep your food choices healthy — grilled fish or poultry, whole grains such as rice, steamed vegetables, and salad will give you and baby exactly what you need to stay energized.
- Take frequent pit stops for bathroom and leg stretching.
- If you are driving and have room for an extra suitcase, bring one filled with favorite pillows — such as a body pillow designed for pregnancy back relief — so you’ll be comfortable no matter where you rest your head.
- If you’re sightseeing, such as seeing art treasures in a museum, take advantage of couches and seats and appreciate the art from a sitting position from time to time. This will keep your back from aching later on.
- Wear practical shoes and comfortable clothes.
What are potential health hazards for you and your unborn baby while traveling or visiting spas?
- These are okay: bug spray, airport x-rays and scanners (it takes 2,500 exposures in one year to get a harmful dose), sunblock (wear #20 or higher), spray-on tans, massages (but no electric or warming blankets, massage of the inner or outer ankle bones, or the webbing between thumb and finger, and no essential oils), facials (but no Retin A, Accutane, or large amounts of salicylic acid), manicures and pedicures in a well-ventilated room, chemical peels (but only superficial peels that use glycolic acid, TCA, or lactic acid), and hair highlights (but not full hair dying where chemicals touch the scalp).
- These are NOT okay: Mudbaths, paraffin wraps, seaweed wraps, hot tubs, saunas, tanning beds, hair jobs (perms, relaxers, Japanese hair straightening), laser hair removal, electrolysis, bleaching creams, and BOTOX.
Do you have any more tips before I go on vacation?
Purchase travel insurance. It’s a small investment that can save you big time. Your unborn baby doesn’t care that you’ve planned this family reunion for more than a year. She is on her own time schedule, and might decide to attend the reunion uninvited.
Another Opportunity for Travel Writers
Want to blog about travel but don't know where to start? I've got the perfect contest for you!
We’ve got wind of another contest for the adventurous travel writers out there!
Blog Your Way Around the World is an adventure blogging contest for those looking for that extra boost to their blogging material cache. All you need to do is write 400 words explaining why you’re the best blogger around to inspire others to get out there, post it to the website, blogyourwayaroundtheworld.com, and then get you friends, family, and anyone else you know to vote for you. Social media like facebook and twitter are not only allowed, but encouraged! The entry with the most votes by the end of December 31st, 2010, wins.
Wins what you ask? Oh just eight once in a lifetime excursions for two from the seven members of the Adventure Collection, a partnership of premier travel companies. Go Heli-hiking in British Columbia with Canadian Mountain Holidays. Or zip-lining, surfing and wildlife viewing in Costa Rica with Off the Beaten Path. Or even polar bear viewing in Churchill with Natural Habitat Adventures!
Oh yeah and then there’s the $8,000 airfare credit to help you get from excursion to excursion. And don’t forget the gear package filled with all your adventuring supplies from companies like Ex Officio, Teva, Smith Optics, Eagle Creek Travel Gear, Outdoor Photographer, AFAR Magazine and Gaiam.
There are a few small catches however. The winner and guest have to finish their traveling by December 31st, 2014. Oh yeah the winner has to blog about each adventure, before, during, and after. Adventure blogging for an adventure blogger? Tough cookies, right?
The prompt for your blogging essay is pretty wide open so there’s no excuses! Entries vary between pleas and proofs, to ruminations on the nature of travel writing, to experiences from specific trips. So let your creative juices flow, polish up your favorite post, or just plain old beg for your chance to blog around the world!
Orbitz in on the No Oil Guarantee- Extends ’til September
A Gulf Coast Vacation with an Orbitz.com guarantee? Whats have you got to lose?
Yesterday we reported on this Oil Free Guarantee that’s becoming popular throughout the Gulf Coast as a way to boost tourism. Now companies like Orbitz.com is getting in on the action with their own version of a guarantee.
Orbitz announced recently that it has extended the ‘Open Beach Guarantee’ for hotel stays through September 30, 2010. Under the Guarantee, travelers who make a standalone hotel booking on Orbitz.com at one of the 240 participating hotels along the Gulf will be eligible for a full refund for unused hotel nights if a government agency closes or declares a beach dangerous within 20 miles of the property.
Orbitz continues to provide real-time travel updates for Gulf Coast travelers through its oil spill resource center. Travelers can find daily updates from the Orbitz Care Center team, detailed trajectory maps from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), local volunteer opportunities, links to government and tourism websites, and details on the Open Beach Guarantee, including a full list of participating hotels.
And as always, websites like Alabama Tourism’s thebeachfacts.com are a good source for daily updates too.
Update on the Gulf- July 26th, 2010
Some hotels along the coast are promising against beach sights like this, or your money back.
The BP Oil spill is still leaking across the Gulf Coast’s many industries, including tourism. Many hotels have been offering up No Oil guarantees to shore up their businesses. Steve Huettel of the St. Petersburg Times reports:
From the Panhandle to Sanibel Island, Gulf Coast hotels are trying to reassure wary tourists with a simple promise: If BP oil slimes our beach, you don’t have to pay.
Only it’s not that simple. And some lodging experts say the no-oil guarantee is more public relations than shrewd crisis management.
More than 200 hotels, motels and condo rental firms on Florida’s west coast are covered by some sort of oil-related policy through the end of July. They carry names such as the Natural Beach Guarantee, the 100% Oil Spill Guarantee and the Zero-Risk Vacation Guarantee.
Details vary widely. The deal for 28 properties promoted on the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Area Convention and Visitors Bureau website promises a free first-night stay if customers “arrive to find our pristine beaches affected by the oil spill in any way.”
The No-Oil Guarantee at Plaza Beach Resort in St. Pete Beach — up to three free nights at no charge — applies as long as oil washes up in front of the hotel during your stay.
The Sirata Resort on St. Pete Beach won’t give away free rooms. But if oil is anywhere on St. Pete Beach or oil-burning operations degrade air quality below federal standards, guests can cancel reservations up to 6 p.m. on their arrival date or leave early without a penalty.
To read the rest of Steve Huettel’s story, click here.
Peace Corp Contest Generates Awareness
The baby of JFK, the Peace Corps celebrates its 50th birthday this year.
The National Peace Corps Association, a nonprofit organization supporting Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) and their community, announced the launched of a contest for the best short video on YouTube in honor the Peace Corps’ upcoming 50th anniversary.
Called “My Piece of the Peace Corps,” the contest invites people to submit one- to two-minute videos about how the Peace Corps, or a Peace Corps Volunteer, present or returned, has changed their lives.
Erica Burman, director of communications for the National Peace Corps Association and returned volunteer herself, said the idea behind the contest is to generate awareness about the Peace Corps’ upcoming 50thanniversary.
“We expect the videos to be as diverse as the people who serve in the Peace Corps,” said Erica Burman, who served in The Gambia. “A video could be about a high-school teacher whose stories from overseas inspired you, or a Volunteer whose service taught you new skills, or maybe a Returned Volunteer who continues to be a community leader here at home.”
The contest will culminate just in time for the celebrations at the University of Michigan in October where the idea of the Peace Corps first began fifty years ago. The hope is that the contest will inspire people to reflect on this important anniversary, whether or not they’ve served in the Peace Corps.
Those interested should upload their videos to NPCA’s contest group on YouTube between July 1 and Sept. 30. Submissions must be less than 120 seconds and cannot have been previously submitted to another contest. Further contest rules and details are available online. Winners will receive $500, $1,000, or a grand prize of $2,500.
“Like the Peace Corps, YouTube has brought the world closer together,” said Burman. “It’s only natural that we would use this new technology to showcase the ways that Peace Corps Volunteers and Returned Volunteers have affected tens of thousands of people around the world.”
TNN Returns from Thailand
Hello Dear Readers,
After two days of planes, planes, and more planes, the luckiest editorial assistant intern in the world has touched down in the US. Jetlag combined with a nasty souvenir of a cold has unfortunately screwed up our schedule, but promises, regular blogging will resume tomorrow.
Until then, please enjoy a picture of my new boyfriend Peter. He’s a tourist chauffeur by day, painter by night, and all around saucy sweetheart. Cheers.
Noppakhao (Peter for short) the Elephant Painter and Mr. Charisma of the Elephant Krall Village in Ayutthaya's Elephantstay program.