Maternity Travel Tips: The Secrets to Traveling During Pregnancy

I had a handful of travel plans already in place before I got pregnant, and the closer I got to those trips, the more nervous I got about the whole thing- How would my body react? Would I be so exhausted from the flights that I couldn’t recover once I got to my destination? Was it safe? How could I make it easier and less stressful?

I started searching for advice online and I was frustrated to find that most articles simply suggested traveling during your second trimester. Ummm, not helpful.  When your best friend is getting married and you are the Matron of Honor and your husband is the officiant, not going isn’t an option. I wouldn’t miss that for the world! So, I wanted actual advice on how to make it happen. Since I didn’t find much help out there, I wanted to share my own advice after flying in both the second and third trimesters. 

My first flights while pregnant were a breeze, as I was only 20 weeks when we went to the Bahamas for our spring break babymoon.  I didn’t notice any issues or things that felt different than normal. My trips to Austin, Texas for a bachelorette party and Denver, Colorado for the wedding however, were the ones that worried me as I would be traveling at 30 and 35 weeks. I have good news: I survived! And you can, too. Here are my tips for making your travel plans as seamless as possible:

1. Don’t book flights too far out. Daniel and I are very firm believers in waiting until about 3 weeks out to book flights. Here’s why: If you book several months ahead, those flight times can change several times before your departure date. This is annoying and adds unnecessary stress in tracking those changes. Save yourself from the changes and just wait a little longer to book. 

2. Don’t book flights with tiny layovers. My biggest factor in booking my Austin flight was layover time and airport location because I was traveling by myself. I know for a fact that there would be no way I could haul my 30 weeks pregnant ass across the Atlanta airport and on the plane train if my flight ran late and I had to run to catch the next one. There’s no way I could do that alone and heavily pregnant when “hustle” is no longer in the vocabulary. Without someone there to help me carry things and without the ability to run across an airport if I had to, I knew it was important to me to NOT have the minimum layover time in a larger airport. Now, you can’t control everything and of course, some of my flights DID run late and my connections became stressfully small. My advice if this happens: Use your airline app if you have one so you know your gate location before you even get off the plane. This way, you can skip looking at the boards and get right to heading toward your new gate.

3. Book an aisle seat. The best way to avoid cramping, aches, pains, and swelling is to move. Roll your ankles while seated and walk when that seatbelt sign is off. So, book an aisle seat so you can walk the plane a few times without disturbing others. Plus, you’ll certainly need to use the restroom so it helps with easier access to that, too. 

4. Buy compression Socks. I wore these when I flew to Austin in June and to Denver in July. They helped keep me from swelling up. I did still swell quite a bit going to Denver, but I know my socks prevented it from getting worse. Along with walking the aisle to keep your blood moving and drinking water, these will help. Mine are an Amazon steal and they are way cuter than I ever thought compression could be. Cute ones with tons of color options linked HERE and HERE. 

5. Bring your reusable Water Bottle. Not even a pregnancy hack but really a life necessity, I always bring an empty water bottle with me to the airport so I can fill it up once I get through security and have plenty of water on the flight. I love THIS ONE and THIS ONE. Both options come in several fun colors. Water is a huge part of keeping swelling down and so important to staying hydrated while pregnant! Plus, my beautiful friend got married at the top of a mountain at 11,640 feet up so constantly drinking water became even more essential.

6. Give yourself extra time. Thankfully, Daniel and I were able to fly to Denver a day early to give us both some time to recuperate before wedding festivities began. This helped me SO much, as flying wore me out at 35 weeks en route to Denver. Plus, it gave Daniel a day to adjust to the higher altitude. Fun fact: My doctor told me that pregnant women actually adjust better to altitude change so I did totally fine with that.  I did need the rest time though so if you have the opportunity to get to your destination early, I highly suggest doing it. 

7. Pack snacks. Most planes offer snacks but I was thankful to have some apple chips and granola bars in the purse, too. When you fly throughout the day, you often end up missing a meal or two until you get to your destination and as a pregnant person, I knew I would be hungry while flying and would need more than just the provided plane snacks. 

8. Prepare for nausea. I didn’t think this would be an issue in my third trimester and I was wrong. I got extremely nauseous on one of our flights home from Colorado and it took every ounce of effort I had in my body to keep from throwing up. Thankfully, I had packed my ginger chews and anti-nausea band. Shop some ginger snacks HERE or HERE (the first link is to the ones that were my faves- I hate ginger flavor and these really weren’t bad at all for someone who doesn’t like that taste) and anti-nausea band HERE. I wore the band while flying and also when we went boating on Lake Travis in Texas. I wasn’t sure if the boat would trigger any motion sickness so I prepped for that with the band.

9. Consult your doctor. My doctor knew about these trips and knew that I didn’t have an option in going, so we prepared. I was 35 weeks going to Colorado, so we booked an appointment the day before leaving so that the doctor could double check and make sure I was okay to fly. As I wasn’t dilated or having any issues, we were a go. My doctor sent me with a permission slip in case the airline asked me to provide one, which they can do. It was a note that essentially said I was medically cleared to fly and gave the specific dates. I kept this, plus a copy of all my prenatal records, in my purse. I didn’t need them thank goodness, but the prenatal records were in case I needed to get to a hospital while traveling. My doctor also went over all signs of labor and talked through when I should seek medical attention. Preparing is key.

9. Don’t stress. This is easy to say and hard to do. BUT, if you can get yourself to relax and enjoy, it’ll help you ease your mind and body as you travel. I was SO flipping excited about both of these trips so I kept my mind on the amazing time I was going to have with my friends and the beautiful wedding I was thankful to be a part of and that made all the difference.