Bye bye before baby

Babymoons may be the hottest new trend in travel after honeymoons

It’s still two for the road for couples considering one last fling with solitude through a new travel trend that is coming into its own: Babymoons.

For couples that have already had their honeymoon and are headed into “familymoon” country, a last hurrah before the big day comes should be as simple as, well, giving candy to a baby.

At least that is what Ramsey, N.J.-based Liberty Travel discovered last year when it surveyed some 800 travelers and learned 59 percent of new parents had taken a special vacation, or “babymoon, ” that included an overnight stay away from home.

Market research from Liberty Travel and Babycenter.com indicate expecting couples are traveling. More than two million babymoons are taken by U.S. parents-to-be each year: 43% of those couples are looking for rest and relaxation; 41% take this trip as a final couples getaway before baby makes three.

Babymooners prefer non-strenuous, non-scheduled activities (62%), although when asked, 59% said they were interested in shopping, and 48% wanted to get in some sightseeing during this getaway.

Surveys also reveal the average babymoon takes place during the second trimester and lasts for two to four nights, typically in the eastern or western United States.

Certainly, word is out about this new vacation concept. What was that extended holiday to Namibia taken by Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt but a leisurely babymoon? What was it that Britney Spears and Kevin Federline were doing in Scottsdale as they hit shops, spas and restaurants just before Sean Preston’s birth?

While word is out, however, words of caution still prevail.

Can you travel if you are pregnant?

Only your doctor can answer you with certainty. Woman with high risk pregnancies, late in their terms or carrying multiple births should avoid traveling too far from the hospital. In most cases, however, traveling while pregnant is perfectly safe. Check with your doctor and check with the airline or cruise line. Many carriers ban the boarding of pregnant women who are past a certain number of weeks of gestation.

What is the optimal time to babymoon?

Although pregnancy can be full of surprised the best time to travel is the second trimester when the nausea period will have passed, but the discomfort of the third trimester has yet to begin.

Babymoon Do’s

Do drink loads of water while traveling and sightseeing. Your body and baby need for more water than normal to stay hydrated.

If you are flying do get up and walk every half hour if possible and flex and extend your ankles frequently to prevent blood clots. Also, wear your seat belt under your belly. And do keep drinking that water!

Do travel with a companion. While you may be on vacation, you’re still you and that means your heartburn, your leg cramps, and those frequent bathroom breaks are part of the plan. A companion help handle any emergencies, assist with the baggage and offer sympathy for those pains … and ferret out the closest bathroom just when you need it most.

Babymoon Dont’s

Don’t plan too ambitious an itinerary. Keep things open and simple and pliable for plenty of rest.

Don’t bring your old tennis shoes or walking shoes. Chances are you won’t be able to get your swollen feet into them.

Don’t let the bugs bite. Mosquitoes may be everywhere but bites are avoidable by wearing proper covering and bland colors. Stay indoors at dusk and dawn when the buggers are swarming. Don’t wear perfumes or strong smelling moisturizers and avoid using insecticide with cancer-causing DEET.

Don’t ride a bike, ski the black diamonds, go SCUBA diving or rock climbing. Consider doing that bungee jump at a later time. Any activity with the danger of impact is verboten.Why babymoon?

This may be the last moment of peace you and your partner have for yourselves alone, as a couple with the freedom of being that couple, for the foreseeable two decades. It’s a moment of rediscovery that is best facilitated in a soothing and calming place.

Babymoon Packages

Miramonte Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, CA in Palm Springs Desert Resort, offers a “Spa for Two” package. Couples enjoy a stay at the resort, a day of solitude at THE WELL Spa and have two 60-minute treatments per day, per each night of their stay. Rates are $369 to $409 inclusive per night. Customize this refreshing escape into a babymoon holiday with the addition of a 60- or 75-minute Bella Body treatment. While seated comfortably, a warm gauze is applied to the mother-to-be’s torso and smoothed to conform to her Goddess shape. This heirloom sculpture is then presented as a take-home gift and three-dimensional snapshot of the woman’s fleeting transformative beauty during this special time of her life. The treatment costs $150 for a one-hour session, $160 for 75 minutes. Add the husband, who gently and intimately wraps the gauze, and the cost is reduced to $130 and $140. Call (800) 237-2926 or visit www.miramonteresort.com.

St. Regis Resort, Monarch Beach, in Dana Point, Ca offers the perfect pampering package with the “Last Hurrah.” For their last days of solitude the package puts couples in an ocean view room and adds an “Aromance” couple’s massage or a pregnancy massage for her and a one-hour massage for him at Spa Gaucin, the resort’s European-themed spa. The pre-baby getaway also includes a special DVD selection of baby movies such as “She’s Having a Baby,” “Nine Months” and “Baby Boom,” that can be enjoyed in comfort and privacy. Lastly, for those late-night appetites a special “cravings” menu brings the ultimate in comfort foods to the fore with Fried Chicken and French Fries, Peanut Butter & Jelly, Macaroni & Cheese, Angus Beef Burger, or a Warm Chocolate Cake and Ice Cream Sundae. Rates start at $735 per night. Call (949) 234-3200 or visit www.stregismb.com.

Amore by the Sea in Victoria British Columbia has a babymoon package in a two-night minimum stay. For $200 per night for two, it brings plenty of value: a one-hour aromatherapy facial for Mom-To-Be and a deep tissue workout for soon-to-be-Dad, plus chilled, sparkling cider, an amenity basket of soaps and lotions, a large box of chocolates and a Canadian teddy bear for the baby. Call (888) 828-4397 or visit www.AmoreByTheSea.com.

Rosario Resort & Spa, a turn-of-the-century mansion on Orcas Island in Washington, 80 miles north of Seattle, has a two-night babymoon, which includes a $20 dining credit, use of the Avanyu Spa fitness facility, a bottle of chilled Martinelli’s and a half-dozen homemade cookies, two 50-minute massages (with prenatal massages available) and all resort taxes and fees. Prices are $439 to $689, depending on room and season. Call (866) 801-ROCK or visit rosario.rockresorts.com

For more information on babymoons or travel packages visit www.babycenter.com or contact Liberty Travel at (888) 900-1290 and ask for Babymoon Packages.