13 Babymoon Ideas to Have the Best Pre-Baby Trip Ever

In September 2024, my husband, Colin, and I spent a week road tripping around Vancouver Island. And while that would have been a lovely trip at any time of our lives, it was extra special because it was our babymoon!

As a travel blogger since 2012, you know that one of the parts of pregnancy I was most looking forward to was our babymoon. I was full of so many babymoon ideas for where we should go, what we should do and how long we should stay.

The original plan (three weeks in Japan with our moms) didn’t quite pan out, but I wouldn’t change the babymoon we did go on for the world.

Because even though it wasn’t the most far-flung or exotic destination, we had an amazing trip and, most importantly, we got to connect about our big parenthood journey ahead.

Read on for my babymoon tips, including where to go for your babymoon, how to plan your babymoon, how to babymoon on a budget and my number one tip for all parents-to-be!

Disclosure: Some of the links below are affiliate links, meaning if you click through and make a purchase, I will earn a small commission at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your support!

What is a babymoon?

A babymoon is a trip that expecting parents take before their baby arrives.

Whether one or both of you are pregnant or you’re growing your family in another way, a babymoon gives you time to celebrate your little one on the way and bond as a couple.

Unlike a honeymoon (a vacation you take after the wedding), a babymoon happens before baby arrives.

How to choose a babymoon location

The first big babymoon idea you need to tackle is location: Where are you going on your babymoon?

While there are tons of places to go for a babymoon, you generally want to pick somewhere a little more relaxing than your typical vacations.

Colin suggests choosing a babymoon location that isn’t too far away, so you don’t have to take multiple flights, and that doesn’t require too much driving.

You also want to be comfortable and avoid getting overheated. You’re more at risk for heat stroke and sunburns while you’re pregnant. So trekking across the Sahara probably isn’t a great idea!

Choose a place that both you and your partner are excited to visit, where you can be comfortable and take it easy.

Still need some inspiration? Here are some popular babymoon locales you may want to consider:

Babymoon in Florida

Florida is, understandably, a very popular place to go on your babymoon. You can find sun in the winter, relax on the beach and, if you’re already in the continental US, it isn’t too far away.

My friend Paul and his wife had their babymoon in St. Augustine, Florida. They made this look like such a good option that I almost booked our babymoon here too!

Babymoon in Hawaii

With the great weather, fresh fruit and beautiful beaches, it’s once again very easy to see why Hawaii is a perfect babymoon location.

I haven’t been to Hawaii while pregnant but have visited Honolulu and Kauai pre-pregnancy and would have loved to go back for a babymoon.

The downside to a Hawaii babymoon is that it can be pretty expensive. And depending where you’re flying from, it can take a while (and a lot of money) to get there.

But the coastal views might make up for it!

Babymoon in Sedona

I visited Sedona with my family in October 2023 and loved this charming red rock village.

I see the appeal of a Sedona babymoon – nice weather, gorgeous scenery, good food and possibly only a drive or short flight away from home.

But some of the best parts of Sedona – like a jeep tour or longer hike – may not be an option if you’re pregnant. Though I’m sure there’s lots of baby-friendly things you can do, including a day trip to the Grand Canyon!

Babymoon in California

Have you noticed a trend? Lots of people want sun and sand for their babymoon destination!

And with Zika and flight concerns, many people prefer to go somewhere close by/domestic, which is why California is a popular option.

Living on the west coast of Canada, I’ve been to California many times. I think places like San Diego or Santa Barbara would be awesome for a babymoon.

A road trip down the coast, trip to the national parks, or city exploring in Los Angeles or San Francisco would be fun too!

Babymoon in Canada

Welcome to my home! While Canada isn’t the most popular place for a babymoon, allow me to make the case for my country.

Sure, you won’t find much sun or sand here, but you will find beautiful autumn leaves on the Cabot Trail, cool restaurants in Montreal, ocean views on Vancouver Island and mountain lakes in Banff.

Plus, if you’re coming from somewhere like the US or the UK, your dollar is going to go a lot further in Canada!

Babymoon in Europe

My dream babymoon location would have been somewhere in Europe.

I’m not much of a beach girl, so would much rather have spent a week or two exploring a cool European city, strolling down cobblestone lanes, and eating delicious food.

Alas, we decided Europe was a bit too far for us. But I can absolutely see the appeal of a babymoon sitting in the cafes of Paris, eating well in Rome, admiring architecture in Seville or getting historical in Bath.

13 babymoon ideas to plan the best babymoon ever!

Below I’m sharing my best tips for how to plan a babymoon that will be fun, relaxing and help you and your partner connect during this important time in your lives.

While some of the babymoon tips below reference a pregnant person, most still apply even if neither you nor your partner are pregnant or if you’re becoming a parent solo.

Regardless of how you’re growing your family, check out my babymoon ideas and book that trip!

1. Book your babymoon vacation for the right time

If you are pregnant, most people recommend going on your babymoon during your second trimester (apx 13-28 weeks).

This is usually the sweet spot in pregnancy – when you’re over the nausea of the 1st trimester but not quite as big and uncomfortable as the 3rd trimester.

However, every pregnancy is different! Some people don’t feel great in their 2nd trimester.

You know your body and your baby best, so make sure it’s a comfortable travel time for you.

You’ll also want to check with your care provider. They may advise you to limit travel or to stay local, depending on how your pregnancy is progressing.

I talked to my midwives about potential babymoon plans early on in my pregnancy. While they were supportive and provided some general guidelines, they also pointed out that things can change a lot throughout a pregnancy.

So even if your care provider says it should be okay to travel, they can’t predict what might come up for you and baby.

If you’re flying, check on airline restrictions. Some airlines won’t allow you to fly past a certain gestation and/or they may require a medical note.

Even if a note isn’t required, I’d recommend getting one from your care provider just to be on the safe side!

Whether you’re pregnant or not, here are some other things to consider when timing your babymoon:

• High vs low season
• Availability of accommodation and activities
• Cost of flights
• Timing of other events (e.g. holidays, baby shower)
• Time you can get off work
• Finding care for your other children, pets, home, etc.

We ended up going on our babymoon vacation around 20 weeks, so right in the middle of the second trimester.

This timing worked out perfectly, as I was still up for short hikes and exploring. It also ended up being right before some medical stuff that might have derailed a babymoon.

2. Choose an easy babymoon destination

This might not be the time for you to go on your most exotic, adventurous or challenging trip ever. I’m not saying you have to go to an all-inclusive resort, but I do recommend choosing an easy babymoon vacation.

Easy can mean a lot of things.You might choose a place you’ve been before that is familiar to you. You might choose a destination where you speak the same language or use the same currency. Or it could just be somewhere easy to get to (more on that in a second).

Over my years of travel blogging, I’ve learned the value of revisiting a place I’ve been before. That means I don’t have to do as much research or prepare for as much culture shock.

Especially when you’re pregnant, it’s nice to have one less travel challenge to deal with.

We decided to head to Vancouver Island for our babymoon. Coming from Vancouver on the mainland, this was an easy local trip – no passports, no flights, no security. We didn’t have to worry about sim cards, a new language or a new timezone.

And while we have been to Vancouver Island many times before, we were visiting some different areas that were new to both of us. That made an easy trip a little bit more exciting!

No need to play your babymoon on hard mode. Take it easy!

3. Make the travel as pain-free as possible

While planning your babymoon, don’t forget to factor in actually getting there. If you’re pregnant, you want to make the getting there part as comfortable and pain-free as possible.

You know I love to travel (hence, this whole blog), but even I was not looking forward to a long flight to a faraway place.

I was very happy we chose somewhere we could reach by car – no uncomfortable plane seats, no jet lag and lots of stops for snacks.

You know how you feel exhausted after a travel day even if all you did was sit on a plane? Now imagine doing that 20+ weeks pregnant. You’re definitely going to want as many comfortable perks as possible!

So make your travel days easier by…

• Looking for shorter flights or upgrading yourself to a nicer cabin or better seats.
• Wearing your compression socks and other comfortable babymoon clothing.
• Taking breaks if you have a long drive.
• Packing snacks and other comfort items, like your pregnancy pillow.

4. Stay somewhere comfortable

In addition to making your transportation comfortable, you also want to make sure you’re staying somewhere comfortable. This might be the time to indulge in some luxury babymoon hotels!

And honestly, you don’t even have to splurge to be comfortable. Look for things like comfortable and large beds, easy access to the room (aka elevator, not stairs), enough space, and temperature control.

Personally, I wouldn’t want to be in a sleeping bag in a tent on my babymoon! But I know some people love that kind of thing.

During our Vancouver Island babymoon, we did spend a bit more on slightly nicer hotels and resorts.

Being able to spread out with all of our stuff, have access to kitchen/kitchenettes, and have a huge king bed to sleep in every night were all amazing perks!

5. Do something relaxing

A big part of a babymoon is pampering yourself and relaxing. They say this is the calm before the storm – or at least a little break in the storm clouds – so enjoy it!

We actually booked a spa day at the Grotto Spa at Tigh Na Mara during our babymoon!

Colin went to use the mineral pools (unfortunately, my midwives thought I should skip this part) and then we met up for a couple’s massage.

After the massage, we enjoyed endless tapas in the spa’s dining room while wearing our big fluffy robes. Pure luxury!

The whole thing felt so indulgent. We’re not big spa people so it was really a treat to spend that time just pampering ourselves and relaxing. I could get used to it!

6. Set an easy itinerary with lots of breaks

If you’re someone who likes to go, go, go when you travel, it can be hard to slow things down on your babymoon. But I encourage you to give it a try.

Not only may you not be up to your usual pace of travel, but that’s also not really what this trip is about.

I’m the type of traveller who will pick a busy itinerary over no itinerary and a city break over a beach. I love to do trip research and find out all of the best things to see, eat and do in a place.

So it was definitely hard for me to plan a more low-key itinerary for our Vancouver Island trip.

But I’m glad I did! We weren’t totally sedentary – we did go on hikes, played mini golf, went shopping, etc. – but we also got to take it easy.

We went to bed early, spent a lot of time just enjoying nice views, and a few times came back to our accommodation in the middle of the day to just relax or take a nap.

So my babymoon tip would be to plan a pretty loose itinerary. Account for breaks and be prepared to take things slow.

Remember, you can always add in more sightseeing in the moment if you’re feeling up to it.

7. Do something that would be harder to do with a baby

I firmly believe you can (and should) travel with your children. And I intend to put that to the test when our little one arrives!

But that doesn’t mean it will be as easy as travelling as a couple or with other adults. Your trips will look different and you may have to make some sacrifices.

That’s why your babymoon is the perfect time to do something that you might not be able to do with a baby in tow.

If you’re pregnant, you probably won’t be able to go out drinking and partying, but there are other pregnancy-friendly, kid-unfriendly things you can do.

Maybe you love to golf and don’t imagine you’ll be hitting the links much in the first few months of baby’s life. Get out there with your best visor and putter on your babymoon!

(Can you tell I don’t golf?)

Even something like going out to eat late at night, spending longer than a baby would like at a museum, or sleeping in, can all be things you enjoy on your babymoon, then look back on fondly when you’re feeding a screaming infant at 3am.

8. Make intentional time to talk about parenthood with your partner

Sure, a babymoon is a convenient excuse to book a holiday (but really, who needs an excuse?).

But it can also be about more than that. Making the time to connect with your partner about impending parenthood is really important.

You and your partner have likely had tons of logistical and practical conversations about the baby: Who is going to take time off and when? How will you feed them? What stroller should you get?

(And if you haven’t had these chats, start having them!)

It’s less common – but, in my opinion, more important – to have conversations about actually being parents.

What are you scared of? What are you looking forward to? What do you want to do differently than how your parents did it with you?

Colin and I had a really amazing conversation during our babymoon. We were watching the sun go down at Terrace Beach in Ucluelet and spent time talking about some of our feelings around parenthood.

As first time parents, this was really good for us to do and encouraged further conversations.

Our conversation happened organically but if it hadn’t, I would have asked Colin if we could chat about our parenthood journey. Don’t be afraid to actually put this on the babymoon agenda and have these chats with your partner.

It might feel a little awkward at first, but I think you’ll both be better parents for it.

9. Do some baby homework

A babymoon isn’t all fun and games, there’s homework too! But don’t worry, it’s fun homework. Or at least not as boring as 12th Grade Data Management…

I’m talking about doing some homework to prep for baby. This could look like reading parenting/pregnancy books, taking courses or listening to podcasts.

You don’t have to become a baby expert, but it can help you feel more prepared if you educate yourself ahead of time.

This type of homework can bring you and your partner together. It gives you an opportunity to learn about things and then discuss how you’d like to apply them to your family.

Colin and I brought a parenting book along on our babymoon. Actually, we each were reading our own parenting books (he read one for fathers and I read one for mothers), and then read a more practical, hands-on one together.

Each night, Colin would read a chapter or two out loud and then we’d discuss it. So we’d read the chapter on bath time and chat about whether we wanted to do a bath each night, the kind of towels we’d buy, etc.

While I encourage you to do some baby homework on your babymoon trip, be realistic about what you can get done.

Yes, it might be easier to finish reading that baby book when you don’t have the distractions of work and home, and you may be more excited about it, but you’re still on vacation.

You don’t have to pass up seeing the Louvre in Paris just to finish reading a book.

PS: Another good homework task? Working on your baby registry!

10. Buy something for your baby

I’m not a huge souvenir person, in that I don’t usually spend a lot on souvenirs or buy large items, but I do like to have a little token to remember each trip.

For me, that usually looks like a postcard and a magnet.

But for our babymoon, we wanted to make sure we had some extra special souvenirs. We wanted some vacation swag for our baby!

We ended up buying two onesies and a baby book, plus a stuffed animal that Colin won in a claw machine game (in only three tries!).

We went into the trip knowing we wanted a onesie, which made browsing through the local stores more fun since we had a goal in mind.

I’m so excited to dress our baby in the little onesie and think back to our babymoon trip. I’m sure we’ll bring them to Vancouver Island one day and I can tell them they first visited the Island in mommy’s tummy!

11. Take cute maternity/pre-baby photos

Another way to make your babymoon extra special is to take maternity or pre-baby photos. Your pregnancy is an exciting time and your babymoon is a special trip, so you should document it.

Even if you’re not pregnant, you can still take pre-baby photos. You can take photos with your sonogram pictures, holding a cute letterboard sign or even just photos of the two of you.

These photos can be a great way to share your baby news with friends and family, on social media, or just as a special memento for yourselves.

You can choose to DIY your photos or hire a professional photographer.

I love the idea of hiring a professional photographer to take your photos while on vacation, especially on your babymoon. It’s a great way to get really nice photos in a gorgeous location.

While Colin and I DIY-ed our babymoon photos, we did hire a professional photographer to take some family photos of us when we lived in Prague. They are some of my favourite memories from our time abroad!

If you’d like to get some great babymoon photos, check out Flytographer. You can browse photographers all around the world and easily set up photo shoots. Click here to get $25 off your first photoshoot with Flytographer!

For our babymoon, we took some photos down on a beach on Vancouver Island. I was actually really nervous to take these photos with other people around, but Colin was cool as a cucumber!

12. Plan an affordable babymoon

As a parent-to-be, I get that preparing for a baby can be really expensive. But your babymoon doesn’t have to be!

Here are my best babymoon ideas on a budget:

• Choose an affordable babymoon destination: Look for a place that’s cheap to travel to (find a flight deal) and with a lower cost of living. Or eliminate lots of travel costs by taking a train, car or bus to a nearby destination.
• Plan a shorter trip: You don’t have to take two weeks off work and pay thousands in hotel costs. Even a weekend away or overnight trip can make for a lovely babymoon.
• Go in the off-season: Travel costs can be seriously reduced when you travel in the off-season, plus fewer crowds to deal with! (Nice, France in winter, anyone?)
• Cook your own meals: Most of our accommodations on our babymoon had kitchens or kitchenettes, which allowed us to pick up groceries and make our own meals.
• Stay with friends/family: It might not be as romantic or private, but it will save you money!
• Choose cheap or free activities: Some of the best things we did on our babymoon – like scenic hikes, time at the beach and browsing markets – were all free!
• Put your babymoon on your registry: Who says you can’t register for some hotel or flight gift cards?

13. But still treat yourself!

Just because you’re keeping your trip affordable doesn’t mean you can’t treat yourself.

If you have the budget for it, plan for a splurge or two. That could look like a fancy dinner out, spa treatment or night in a nice hotel.

Colin and I budgeted for a fancy spa day, a seafood feast to celebrate our wedding anniversary, and a gorgeous room with a view in Sooke.

We reasoned that since we weren’t paying for flights and had borrowed his mom’s car, we could spend a bit more in other areas of the babymoon vacation.

You can also treat yourself without spending a lot of money. For example, just enjoying things like sleeping in and not walking the dog felt like a big treat on our babymoon!

Can’t afford the spa? Give each other massages! Don’t want to spend big on a Michelin star meal? Whip up something in the kitchen and eat it on trays in bed.

Wrapping up: My #1 babymoon tip

My #1 babymoon tip is to remember the purpose of your trip: The goal of a babymoon is to connect as a couple and celebrate your baby on the way.

Sure, you might get to travel to a cool place, see some interesting sights and eat great food.

But the whole point of this trip is intentionally spending time together. It’s not about ticking everything off your travel bucket list or posting the best photos on social media.

That’s why babymoons can come in so many shapes and sizes. You don’t have to lie on the beach in an expensive maternity outfit. You can have just as great a babymoon in a parka in Whistler or at a B&B in your hometown.

Of course, I’ll remember my babymoon to Vancouver Island for the awesome things we got to see and do: spotting wildlife from the beach, seafood dinners, scenic hikes, nice hotels, etc.

But my favourite parts of our babymoon will always be the little moments when we were really focusing on the purpose of the trip: Talking to Colin about becoming a dad, buying adorable onesies in Tofino, holding hands at dinner and reading from our baby book each night.

We could have done that anywhere in the world – we could have even done it at home! But it was nice to get out of our comfort zone and plan a trip where we could meaningfully focus on this huge life change coming up.

Plus, it didn’t hurt to have beautiful Vancouver Island as the backdrop!

If you’re planning your own babymoon, I’d love to know where you’re thinking of going and what you have planned. Leave a comment below!