Author Topic: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?  (Read 12093 times)

naners

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Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« on: January 09, 2016, 08:00:41 AM »
DH and I are considering a babymoon in late April, at which point (fingers crossed!) I will be six months pregnant. We will have about 10 days in total and live in NYC. We thought of Europe, but that's a full day of travel plus jet lag when you get there. Also thinking of some of the smaller Caribbean islands - Guadaloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia.

Any suggestions? We like outdoors and food. Other desiderata include decent health care in case of baby-related emergencies, no malaria, not high incidence of dengue.

Thanks!

Khaetra

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2016, 09:40:11 AM »
LOL!  Man you need a facepunch of epic proportions.  Baby moon.  What a joke.

« Last Edit: January 09, 2016, 09:44:25 AM by Khaetra »

naners

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2016, 10:57:01 AM »
Guys. People on this forum travel all the time. We expect not to be able to travel for several years after the baby is born so this is a last hurrah (on top of our usual 50% savings rate). No one was giving facepunches when another poster recently asked for suggestions for their 10 day trip to Europe. I guess it's the term babymoon you're taking offense to?

thingamabobs

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #3 on: January 09, 2016, 10:58:31 AM »
What about driving up to Maine? Or down to the Carolinas?

naners

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #4 on: January 09, 2016, 11:14:51 AM »
What about driving up to Maine? Or down to the Carolinas?

Thanks for the suggestion! Late April in Maine will probably be a bust, but Carolinas sound nice! Any specific recommendations? Also we don't have a car (srsly guys, you're facepunching the wrong gal), but could potentially rent after a flight.

cavewoman

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #5 on: January 09, 2016, 11:21:11 AM »
I do take issue with the word babymoon, but that's totally my issue.  I think a last hurrah trip is a great idea.  I'd personally want to do it a bit earlier in my pregnancy, but that's maybe because I love roadtrips and I'm not sure how much fun that would be at 6 months. 

Is this your first?  I'd go somewhere relaxing.  For me that would be domestic.  Carolinas sound nice.  I really love Savannah, GA, but I've only stayed with friends so I don't have any specific ideas. 

For 10 days, as a last hurrah, I would enjoy sitting on a porch of a house I didn't have to clean and sipping iced tea next to my partner while watching the wildlife/trees/water/whatever.

(I just realized I used last hurrah twice.  I don't really like that one either, lol.  Maybe... "the last great escape before your little one's great escape"?  that's a little long but I like it.)

lbmustache

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2016, 12:29:04 PM »
LOL @ the rude responses. Had this been phrased as, "we would like to take a vacation," I doubt you'd get those responses.

As dumb as the term baby moon is (not critiquing your use of it, just in general), I am all for the "last hurrah," before a baby is in your lives. FWIW, my parents did travel with me as a toddler around the world!

Where have you been? Are you open to staying in the U.S.? San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, or even Hawaii would be fun locations for a babymoon. I think a trip to Europe is best when you have time to explore a bunch of different countries there.

Japan (Tokyo/Kyoto) is awesome, as is Singapore - although Singapore would be less than a week IMO, it's such a small place. Maybe Canada (Vancouver, Toronto)?

MsPeacock

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2016, 01:04:30 PM »
I found that at the 6 month mark I felt pretty good, but was not up to anything too strenuous (like walking all over a city to sight see). Your lungs are getting squished by then, and you have a ton of extra fluid in your body, possibly prone to your back hurting and legs/feet swelling up. No trip before baby #1, but went to Jamaica when I was 4 months pregnant with baby #2. It was a bit different than what you are planning since I already had a kiddo with me. Anyhow, a beach vacation was perfect - could lounge around as much as I liked, but take in swimming, kayaking, snorkel, no need to dress up for anything, etc. as I liked. I don't have any specific destination recommendations, I think there are a lot of good choices.

Long flights suck as you get later in pregnancy. I moved from HI to TX when I was ~34 weeks w/ my first baby. I had to stand up and move around every hour during the flight and drink gallons of water (which also necessitated getting up to move around). I couldn't get an aisle seat and sat next to some idiot man who refused to get up when I needed to get out so I had to climb over him. Yes, so much better to make a hugely pregnant woman climb over you rather than standing up to let her out! A round about way of saying, choose a destination with a relatively short flight.

I would recommend trip insurance is the very unlikely event that things go medically ary if traveling while pregnant. And, of course, follow the recommendations of your OB!

Khaetra

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2016, 01:33:37 PM »
The term "babymoon" just invokes some strong feelings.  Had you said vacation while being pregnant I would've thought nothing of it.  Sorry for the facepunch and enjoy wherever you go!

sandandsun

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2016, 01:37:02 PM »
What about driving up to Maine? Or down to the Carolinas?

Thanks for the suggestion! Late April in Maine will probably be a bust, but Carolinas sound nice! Any specific recommendations? Also we don't have a car (srsly guys, you're facepunching the wrong gal), but could potentially rent after a flight.
Carolinas is great that time of year- with 10 days I'd hit the Asheville area, then over to the NC coast... beach rentals will still be super cheap that time of year (500/week if you look and aren't picky about granite countertops :), but the weather will be warming and you'll have the place to yourself, besides the year-round locals...

smella

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2016, 01:45:52 PM »
hey naners! I live in NYC and am pregnant, due in august. :)

As for traveling, I've done lots of traveling in western europe for v. cheap. Haven't spent too much time in eastern europe, but its even cheaper. I would recommend Greece out of ethnic pride, but April is too early in the season to enjoy the islands.

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2016, 02:23:00 PM »
I'm about 6 months pregnant, and we just spent about a week in Hawaii with my husband's family over the holidays. Hiking was a little tough but fun, and being in the water was amazing--even though I'm not super huge yet, it felt so good to float around and have less pressure off my joints (especially after the previously mentioned hiking). Basically, I think your island vacation ideas sound perfect--really relaxing, you can set the pace, and a lot of the stuff you want to see and do will be in the water. No specific suggestions, though (on the west coast).

CindyBS

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2016, 05:51:48 PM »
I took a baby moon with my DH 13 years ago and it was really good to reconnect before our lives were going to be turned upside down.  I fully support it - also for people who think it is too much $$ - keep in mind all vacations for the next few years will limited.

I would recommend against anywhere altitude is an issue, such as Colorado or Yellowstone NP.  As the previous poster mentioned, your lungs get squished and if your body is not used to high altitudes you will most likely feel out of breath and run down. 

If you are looking for something Europe-ish without the big trip, Montreal is very nice and parts of the city are quite old.  When we went we stayed in a B and B that had been built in the early 1700's.  I have not been, but have heard Quebec City is also quite lovely and is similar to Montreal with French culture, old city and architecture, etc.

Merrie

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2016, 08:48:54 PM »
We had a weekend for a babymoon, so we drove about an hour and stayed in a bed and breakfast in a charming area of the state with lots of national parks to check out, canoeing, etc. We took a 3 mile hike and then realized we had no easy way back, so it became a 6 mile hike. That was a little much at 34ish weeks pregnant. I wouldn't recommend it.

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2016, 10:06:58 PM »
Montreal plus a few days in a cottage in the attentions would be beautiful. I think.Montreal museums are bilangue.

If not, Ottawa has great museums and is very tourist friendly. You could then go to gatineau park.or drive to the east gate of Algonquin.

Camping and outdoorsy stuff is possible with a baby. My parents started me at 3 months old, but it will be really different during the toddling years, and it might be nice to sit by a lake without being hyper vigilant one last time.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2016, 10:19:54 PM »
I did a cruise at 23 weeks and it was fabulous. I think 24 weeks is the cut off for being allowed on a ship. I hiked and paddle boarded. From 21-24 weeks were the best of the pregnancy, I was super sick up until the 21st week. Then my pregnancy went bad at 25, but I think typically you have some time before discomfort really sets in. So a vacation at the time you plan sounds awesome.

If you go somewhere in the carribean make sure your travel insurance has excellent evacuation coverage, and that it would cover the baby if born. (I don't know if it all does- typically a baby is only covered by mothers insurance until birth and then needs it's own) med evac can cost hubdreds of thousands in severe circumstances.

I'd try to stay in north or Central America. Your blood clot risk is higher so I wouldn't do a long flight just for the heck of it. But I wouldn't limit myself because I was pregnant unless a doctor tells me too. I have a 2 week camping roadtrip planned for July and I hope to be pregnant again by then.

And I'll weigh in as hating the word babymoon :)
« Last Edit: January 10, 2016, 07:18:13 AM by iowajes »

webguy

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2016, 10:49:01 PM »
I'd never heard the word "babymoon" but think it's funny! Not sure why it pisses some people off?? My wife and I rented an apartment in Playa Del Carmen in Mexico for 3 months when she was pregnant so I guess we should call that our babymoon! Loved it there. So relaxing!

Doubleh

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #17 on: January 10, 2016, 07:25:22 AM »
I must admit to also disliking the word babymoon - I think because it sounds rather entitled special flower etc. But I do love the idea of this and am planning something similar - although likely just a long weekend - before our second arrives this summer and while our daughter gets some quality grandparent time. One thing we have learnt is that time together as a couple, provided you have good quality child care eg grandparents available, is a great investment in your family as a whole.

Only thing I'd question that has come up so far is the idea that you won't have holidays for the next few years. Our little girl is 2 1/2 and so far has travelled with us to Seattle, Caribbean, Morocco and Greece, all relatively frugally and has loved the experience. Her first transatlantic flight was at 6 weeks old and she was fine. Just look at arabelspy or go curry cracker to see some truly awesome travel with kids!

naners

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #18 on: January 14, 2016, 01:47:10 PM »
Thank you so much for the replies everyone! Especially nice to hear all the thoughtful suggestions after two initial unfriendly comments (one of which has subsequently been deleted, lol).

We are on the east coast, so Hawaii is still pretty far. And I've been to Montreal before, plus in April it's pretty hit or miss (speaking as an expat Canadian!). Ditto for Ottawa.

In the end we booked a trip to Grenada in the Caribbean. It's not a mega cheap destination, but we'll do Airbnbs, and it has a mix of beaches, light outdoor exploring, and food/agriculture related cultural things that we are psyched for. Also there are direct flights from NYC, there is a medical university in case things go wrong, and I get the impression it's not wall-to-wall resorts. Happy to report back if anyone wants to hear what it was like!

Thanks again all!

lbmustache

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #19 on: January 14, 2016, 01:49:33 PM »
Woohoo! Have fun!

onlykelsey

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #20 on: January 14, 2016, 01:54:58 PM »
What about Austin or somewhere on the Gulf of Mexico?  Lots of direct flights.

Distshore

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #21 on: January 15, 2016, 04:36:21 AM »
We did a much-longed for trip to the UK, driving from London to Glasgow.  We loved Yorkshire passionately and can see going there and staying for a much longer time.  I was 5 months pregnant.  Unfortunately I couldn't drink the beer, but the tea and scones with clotted cream absolutely made up for it.  And the cheese.

Roadtripping and shorter hikes (<5 miles) were ok, but if you roadtrip, don't hire a Fiat 500.  Those seats are way too small for pregnant backsides.  Oh well, now my husband owes me one.

Have fun and enjoy your babymoon!!

JJNL

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #22 on: January 15, 2016, 05:04:17 AM »
You could also try the Dutch Caribbeans: Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao or St. Maarten. You'll be in the Caribbean, but you will also have good health care, subsidized by the Dutch government. Unfortunately, I've never been - but friends of mine visit Bonaire a lot to go diving, they love it and their pictures look amazing.

MKinVA

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #23 on: January 15, 2016, 05:23:45 AM »
Okay I hope everyone heard the travel restrictions for pregnant women travelling to the caribean, central america, and south america. There is a mosquito causing an encephalitis type birth defect. It's showing up particularly in Brazil. Go to Charleston.

fitfrugalfab

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #24 on: January 15, 2016, 07:01:30 AM »
Congratulations! Not sure why people are taking such offense to the word babymoon. I hear that just as often as I hear the word honeymoon.

MandalayVA

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #25 on: January 15, 2016, 07:12:31 AM »
I would VERY STRONGLY suggest that you have the number of the nearest hospital on hand, as well as your medical insurance card.  One of my sisters-in-law is a neonatal intensive care nurse at a hospital near a popular tourist destination in Florida, and at peak seasons (at best once or twice a week otherwise) there are a lot of women on "babymoons" who are admitted to give birth, almost always prematurely.  She's in an online group with other NICU nurses and told me that pretty much everyone who works near a tourist destination sees the "babymoon birth wave."

Friar

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #26 on: January 15, 2016, 07:19:42 AM »
The term "babymoon" just invokes some strong feelings.

I agree. It conjures up the same revulsion in me as "push present".

That said, there's nothing wrong with a pre-my-life-is-not-my-own-anymore holiday!

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #27 on: January 15, 2016, 07:22:29 AM »
Zika hasn't been found in Grenada yet. But I agree- I'd monitor it closely.
I'd also ask your OB and what to do for insect repellent.

Dengue and Chikungunya have been really bad in the Carribean lately, and pregnant women generally aren't supposed to use high concentrations of DEET; from what I've been told, the low concentration sprays don't do much at all to stop the mosquitos.

justajane

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #28 on: January 15, 2016, 07:30:36 AM »
I would VERY STRONGLY suggest that you have the number of the nearest hospital on hand, as well as your medical insurance card.  One of my sisters-in-law is a neonatal intensive care nurse at a hospital near a popular tourist destination in Florida, and at peak seasons (at best once or twice a week otherwise) there are a lot of women on "babymoons" who are admitted to give birth, almost always prematurely.  She's in an online group with other NICU nurses and told me that pretty much everyone who works near a tourist destination sees the "babymoon birth wave."

Yes, I was going to come on here and say this. It's unlikely but possible that you could have medical complications or premature labor. Be sure you understand your insurance and how it would work in the Caribbean, as well as possibly buying appropriate medical travel insurance. 

mm1970

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2016, 05:53:16 PM »
Guys. People on this forum travel all the time. We expect not to be able to travel for several years after the baby is born so this is a last hurrah (on top of our usual 50% savings rate). No one was giving facepunches when another poster recently asked for suggestions for their 10 day trip to Europe. I guess it's the term babymoon you're taking offense to?

Yes.  It's the term babymoon.  This idea that soon to be new parents deserve a baby moon, a fabulous vacation.

I've had a couple of friends who got engaged in a fabulous exotic expensive place, then their honeymoon had to be better OF COURSE so it wouldn't be a let down, then BABYMOON.

I didn't have a baby moon.  (We tried to go drive up to San Fran for a weekend, but it ended up being too close to the due date.)  That was #1.  I guess we did go camping when I was pregnant with #2, but it was 28 degrees out (seriously), and my 6 year old had head lice (we didn't know that at the time) soooo....not fun.

If you want to go on vacation, go on vacation.  I object to the term babymoon.  I don't know why.  Maybe I'm ridiculous.

Enjoy the Caribbean.  We honeymooned in the Caribbean years ago, and I enjoyed it immensely.  Were thinking, actually, of going back for our 20th this year.  However, decided it wouldn't be worth it with 10 and 4 year old  boys, and besides, my niece is graduating from HS.  So back to upstate NY it is.
« Last Edit: January 15, 2016, 05:57:39 PM by mm1970 »

naners

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #30 on: January 19, 2016, 08:03:16 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions all. I did check out the insurance/health care situation before booking. There is an international medical school there, St George's, so that should be a safe bet for any problems. The island is not big so it wouldn't be difficult to get there quickly from just about anywhere. My insurance covers me for emergency care while abroad so that's set. We did think about the various mosquito born diseases. The really bad one (Zikva) has not been reported in Grendada yet, and I will just need to be careful about using insect repellant for the other two. The EPA doesn't suggest any restrictions on use of DEET in pregnancy. 

JustTrying

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #31 on: January 19, 2016, 09:30:14 PM »
I'm glad you made a decision! We're planning to go to Thailand when I'm around 20 weeks. We chose it for the low cost and the fact that they have good hospitals there. Unfortunately, due to some pregnancy complications, I now get to find out a few days before we are supposed to leave (at my 20 week ultrasound) if my doctor is going to let me go! If the problem hasn't corrected itself by that ultrasound, my doctor won't want me on the long plane ride (she wants me to be able to get to a doctor quickly in case of problems, which wouldn't be possible on the plane). I'm a bit sad about the potentially cancelled vacation, but glad we purchased trip insurance! We decided that if I can't get on a plane we'll drive down to California to visit some of the national parks!

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #32 on: January 20, 2016, 06:49:03 AM »
I'm glad you made a decision! We're planning to go to Thailand when I'm around 20 weeks. We chose it for the low cost and the fact that they have good hospitals there. Unfortunately, due to some pregnancy complications, I now get to find out a few days before we are supposed to leave (at my 20 week ultrasound) if my doctor is going to let me go! If the problem hasn't corrected itself by that ultrasound, my doctor won't want me on the long plane ride (she wants me to be able to get to a doctor quickly in case of problems, which wouldn't be possible on the plane). I'm a bit sad about the potentially cancelled vacation, but glad we purchased trip insurance! We decided that if I can't get on a plane we'll drive down to California to visit some of the national parks!

Will your trip insurance cover that? I know the one I purchased wouldn't have. Basically the only thing it would have covered for trip cancellation was if I delivered the baby.  (But it would have gotten me home if there were any complications.)

I hope all is well!

MsSindy

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #33 on: January 20, 2016, 01:03:03 PM »
Didn't read the responses, so not sure if anyone mentioned this, but I'd vote for Puerto Rico - we go every year and love it!

 - No passport
 - direct flights that are cheap and short travel time (~$350 from PHL, NYC is about the same I think)
 - beautiful beaches - stay in Condado, no Old San Juan
 - use AirBnB and stay in a condo so you can cook some home-made meals (eating out for 10 days would be a drag)
 - you can sight see or relax - hop to another island if you want

JustTrying

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #34 on: January 20, 2016, 09:08:38 PM »
I'm glad you made a decision! We're planning to go to Thailand when I'm around 20 weeks. We chose it for the low cost and the fact that they have good hospitals there. Unfortunately, due to some pregnancy complications, I now get to find out a few days before we are supposed to leave (at my 20 week ultrasound) if my doctor is going to let me go! If the problem hasn't corrected itself by that ultrasound, my doctor won't want me on the long plane ride (she wants me to be able to get to a doctor quickly in case of problems, which wouldn't be possible on the plane). I'm a bit sad about the potentially cancelled vacation, but glad we purchased trip insurance! We decided that if I can't get on a plane we'll drive down to California to visit some of the national parks!

Will your trip insurance cover that? I know the one I purchased wouldn't have. Basically the only thing it would have covered for trip cancellation was if I delivered the baby.  (But it would have gotten me home if there were any complications.)

I hope all is well!

Yes! I double-checked the trip insurance after my doctor said the trip might be a no-go. I was worried that maybe they'd refund my trip but not my husband's portion (since he doesn't have a medical condition that should keep him from going), but it even allows for a refund if your "travel partner" gets sick. I just need a note from the doctor!

naners

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #35 on: January 21, 2016, 10:17:28 AM »
Enjoy your trips everyone! We didn't get travel insurance - we never get it so it hadn't really crossed my mind. Not super worried about being out the airfare, which is only around $1k (and we could probably just push the travel dates back a long, loong way), but medical evacuation insurance might be good to have. I'll give it some thought. lowajes, what insurance company did you go with?

I was also thinking about the concept of a push present, which does irritate me. I'd be into the push present of index funds :) Although I suspect all I'll want will be the unattainable push present of sleep.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #36 on: January 21, 2016, 11:34:24 AM »
Enjoy your trips everyone! We didn't get travel insurance - we never get it so it hadn't really crossed my mind. Not super worried about being out the airfare, which is only around $1k (and we could probably just push the travel dates back a long, loong way), but medical evacuation insurance might be good to have. I'll give it some thought. lowajes, what insurance company did you go with?

We just went with USAA- it's easy and the cost isn't high enough to bother comparing- there were different plans available.

I will note we only got it for me, not my husband. We were really just worried about coverage for evacuation.  So it was kind of "funny" when he ended up getting a sinus infection on our trip and had to go to the ship doctor and get an antibiotic prescription. (But even out of pocket that was cheap compared to US healthcare.)

Other than when I was pregnant, the Galapagos is the only place I've ever gotten trip insurance for.  I weigh the risk of self insuring.  (This summer we are going to Canada and I hope to be pregnant again. I won't buy trip insurance for that. They have hospitals I'll trust.  But Belize or Honduras, like our trip last year? I'd want to get back home!)

I used to work for a place that gave me AD&D insurance- oddly enough, it included general travel insurance in the policy.

garion

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #37 on: January 21, 2016, 12:00:48 PM »
Seriously, to emphasize again, monitor the zika situation closely! It is popping up in new countries every day.
« Last Edit: January 21, 2016, 12:04:12 PM by garion »

JustTrying

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #38 on: January 21, 2016, 07:31:03 PM »
I don't usually get trip insurance either, I've never needed it in the past and I'm not really a very cautious person in general. However, I got it this time because I was pregnant when we booked the trip. Thank goodness! I'm really sad about potentially canceling the trip, but it would be waaaay more sad if I would be out the money we paid for it!

okits

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #39 on: January 21, 2016, 08:01:19 PM »
Enjoy your trips everyone! We didn't get travel insurance - we never get it so it hadn't really crossed my mind. Not super worried about being out the airfare, which is only around $1k (and we could probably just push the travel dates back a long, loong way), but medical evacuation insurance might be good to have. I'll give it some thought. lowajes, what insurance company did you go with?

I was also thinking about the concept of a push present, which does irritate me. I'd be into the push present of index funds :) Although I suspect all I'll want will be the unattainable push present of sleep.

Sleep is possible to purchase via hiring a night nurse.  :) Or obtained the Mustachian way, by the second parent also getting up with the baby at night.

Primm

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #40 on: January 28, 2016, 01:48:04 AM »
Thanks for the suggestions all. I did check out the insurance/health care situation before booking. There is an international medical school there, St George's, so that should be a safe bet for any problems. The island is not big so it wouldn't be difficult to get there quickly from just about anywhere. My insurance covers me for emergency care while abroad so that's set. We did think about the various mosquito born diseases. The really bad one (Zikva) has not been reported in Grendada yet, and I will just need to be careful about using insect repellant for the other two. The EPA doesn't suggest any restrictions on use of DEET in pregnancy.

Congratulations on the impending arrival! And now I'm going to throw cold water on your suggestion...

Travel insurance or health insurance? And are you 100% certain that medical costs in a foreign country for a condition you knew about before you left are covered? I'm a NICU nurse in a popular tourist destination. Let me give you the worst case scenario.

You go into labor at 24 weeks. For reasons beyond your control the baby is born and needs intensive care. 24 weeks is at the lower limit of viability, so often these little guys are in hospital until after their due date. That's 16 weeks from when bub is born.

Your insurance refuses to pay up because you had a "pre-existing condition". You can't argue that you didn't know about it, so they don't cover your costs. You're out at a minimum $2k a day for intensive care fees, plus all the add ons like specialist fees etc.

You need to stay with bub while they're in hospital. There's no coverage for emergency accomodation through your insurance, because again, pre-existing condition. You have to leave work early, and hubby has to go home to work, because you need at least one income. You're stuck in a foreign country paying exorbitant rental fees on a property that you hate, but it's conveniently located to the hospital.

Bub goes through the swings and roundabouts of an extreme premmie. You go along for the ride on the emotional roller coaster, but without the support of your husband (he's at home working, remember?) or any family. When bub is finally stable enough for a medical evac you wait for days to weeks for the appropriate transport to be available, because you're not considered an emergency due to the fact that bub is in hospital and being looked after.

So, to sum up, you're looking at $2k x 100 days for bed fees, 12-14 weeks of missed income for you, a couple of weeks of missed income for your husband, and the extra expense of running a second household in a different country.

It won't happen to me, you say? Want to know how many times I've seen a version (close enough to be slightly scary) of this scenario? About 10-12 times a year. And that's just in my own hospital.

Just some food for thought...


naners

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #41 on: January 28, 2016, 08:53:57 PM »
Primm, thanks for the suggestion. I called my health insurance company to ask about emergency coverage out of country but I didn't specifically ask about pre-existing conditions. I will double check that. Travel insurance is a non-starter, it basically all excludes pregnancy. We may still decide to self insure on this one but good to know risks in advance.

[/quote]

Congratulations on the impending arrival! And now I'm going to throw cold water on your suggestion...

Travel insurance or health insurance? And are you 100% certain that medical costs in a foreign country for a condition you knew about before you left are covered? I'm a NICU nurse in a popular tourist destination. Let me give you the worst case scenario.

You go into labor at 24 weeks. For reasons beyond your control the baby is born and needs intensive care. 24 weeks is at the lower limit of viability, so often these little guys are in hospital until after their due date. That's 16 weeks from when bub is born.

Your insurance refuses to pay up because you had a "pre-existing condition". You can't argue that you didn't know about it, so they don't cover your costs. You're out at a minimum $2k a day for intensive care fees, plus all the add ons like specialist fees etc.

You need to stay with bub while they're in hospital. There's no coverage for emergency accomodation through your insurance, because again, pre-existing condition. You have to leave work early, and hubby has to go home to work, because you need at least one income. You're stuck in a foreign country paying exorbitant rental fees on a property that you hate, but it's conveniently located to the hospital.

Bub goes through the swings and roundabouts of an extreme premmie. You go along for the ride on the emotional roller coaster, but without the support of your husband (he's at home working, remember?) or any family. When bub is finally stable enough for a medical evac you wait for days to weeks for the appropriate transport to be available, because you're not considered an emergency due to the fact that bub is in hospital and being looked after.

So, to sum up, you're looking at $2k x 100 days for bed fees, 12-14 weeks of missed income for you, a couple of weeks of missed income for your husband, and the extra expense of running a second household in a different country.

It won't happen to me, you say? Want to know how many times I've seen a version (close enough to be slightly scary) of this scenario? About 10-12 times a year. And that's just in my own hospital.

Just some food for thought...


[/quote]

ZiziPB

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #42 on: January 29, 2016, 07:40:16 AM »
Primm, thanks for the suggestion. I called my health insurance company to ask about emergency coverage out of country but I didn't specifically ask about pre-existing conditions. I will double check that. Travel insurance is a non-starter, it basically all excludes pregnancy. We may still decide to self insure on this one but good to know risks in advance.


I think the "pre-existing condition" that Primm spoke about would apply under any potential travel insurance.  Your pregnancy is a pre-existing condition and therefore not covered.  Pregnancy complications would be covered under your regular health insurance policy - but, and this is a big but, the question is whether the policy would cover expenses incurred abroad.  Most do not, as far as I know.  So I think you are on your own unless you can find insurance that will cover you (not likely).

And just to clarify, if you are not getting third party insurance, you are in effect "self insuring" - i.e. you take on the risk and are prepared to cover all losses yourself.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #43 on: January 29, 2016, 07:46:02 AM »


I think the "pre-existing condition" that Primm spoke about would apply under any potential travel insurance. 

You really have to check the specific insurance. The travel insurance I purchased did not consider pregnancy to be a medical condition, and the trip could not be canceled due to "pregnancy".  Any covered condition would have been "complications due to pregnancy"; which were not pre-existing (for me at least, as I had no complications when the insurance was purchased).   However, it was really only catastrophic coverage; trip cancellation because the doctor didn't recommend going wasn't going to be covered (and we totally recognized that risk)- I would need to be admitted to a hospital, for instance; but anything that happened ON the trip was covered.

But for me, the lost cost of the trip was nothing compared to the price to care for a pre-term infant in a foreign country, or the cost of medical evacuation. Those were the things we were insuring for.

ohana

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #44 on: January 29, 2016, 07:48:58 AM »
In April?  And avoiding Zika, and having good health care?

How about the desert southwest?  Or St Simon's Island, GA or Hilton Head (though may be buggy by then).

Have fun!

Primm

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Re: Mustachian babymoon suggestions?
« Reply #45 on: January 29, 2016, 07:12:37 PM »


I think the "pre-existing condition" that Primm spoke about would apply under any potential travel insurance. 

You really have to check the specific insurance. The travel insurance I purchased did not consider pregnancy to be a medical condition, and the trip could not be canceled due to "pregnancy".  Any covered condition would have been "complications due to pregnancy"; which were not pre-existing (for me at least, as I had no complications when the insurance was purchased).   However, it was really only catastrophic coverage; trip cancellation because the doctor didn't recommend going wasn't going to be covered (and we totally recognized that risk)- I would need to be admitted to a hospital, for instance; but anything that happened ON the trip was covered.

But for me, the lost cost of the trip was nothing compared to the price to care for a pre-term infant in a foreign country, or the cost of medical evacuation. Those were the things we were insuring for.

Are you absolutely positive about the bolded part? Because I've looked after people denied because the pregnancy was pre-existing, and the cause of the preterm labor and delivery was congenital, so that even if the parents didn't know about the issue it already existed.

Just make sure you have EVERYTHING in writing is all. It's an expensive exercise if shit goes down and you find you're not covered.