My tips for travelling abroad when you’re pregnant

Prague at 22 weeks, so many layers that the bump’s not visible!

Both Egypt and Morocco were warm holidays, with Egypt reaching 31 degrees on a couple of days. Prague was the complete opposite and the temperature reached a chilly -15 degrees on one day with a foot of snow! I’m glad I went there before I had a ginormous bump, as the cycle of drinking hot chocolate to warm up and then needing the loo was a bit much as it was, not to mention all the layers I was wearing to keep warm!

Egypt at 13 weeks pregnant, I think that bump is really just all-inclusive over indulgence

Although I’m no expert on the subject, I thought I’d write a post up about my experiences and a few tips.

1. Take your maternity notes with you, you never know if you might need them and it will be far easier to get the assistance you need if you have some background info to give to the medical staff. If you’re not staying in a hotel then it would be worth working out where the nearest hospital is and noting down a taxi number too, just in case!
2. If you are flying after 28 weeks you may requite a doctors note, I got asked on the way home from Morocco how pregnant I was… at 18 weeks! I didn’t have a doctors note but she did believe me luckily! During the flight get up and walk around the plane on your flight, it will help with the restless legs you might experience and reduce your risk of deep vein thrombosis too.
3. Make sure you have travel insurance that will cover medical expenses, I always use a comparison site to compare the options and then choose the one with a decent amount of medical expense cover, just in case I need it, spending around eight or 9 pounds may seem a pointless expense at the time but just think how relieved you’d be if you did end up having to claim! It goes without saying to check that maternity care if needed will be covered
4. If you’re staying somewhere warm then remember to stay hydrated by drinking bottled water. Avoid ice cubes when you can as they may be made of tap water.
5. Don’t overheat, wear a floppy hat or alternate sun bathing with relaxing in the shade, and remember to use a high factor sun screen because sun burn is bad enough when you’re not pregnant!
6. If you are going sightseeing then plan your day so you can take rest breaks, and depending on how pregnant you are loo breaks too! Pack comfy shoes, remember your feet may well swell in the warmer weather, especially if you are on your feet a lot!
7. Make sure you tell any guides that you are pregnant, just in case something happens. We went on a snorkelling trip in Egypt and as soon as the guy realised I was pregnant he was happy to drag me around holding onto a large ring so I didn’t get tired with all the swimming, so I could just look at all the fish underwater in peace! Unnecessary but I wasn’t going to say no!
8. Most importantly, relax! This may be the last pre wailing-baby holiday you have in a long time!

So, I think that’s it, please do add any more tips in the comments if you’ve travelled abroad when pregnant. If you’re interested in pregnancy but are having trouble getting pregnant, visit Fertility Plus, asthey offer treatments such as IVF.