Royal Baby Fever Has Us Thinking That Baby-Moons Are the Hot New Travel Trend

Now that Kate Middleton’s expecting again, we’ve all gone baby mad and spend time checking out her maternity outfits and sympathising with her morning sickness. The Duchess of Cambridge spent some time on a holiday in the Caribbean back at the beginning of the year, and no doubt she’ll slip in a bit of pampering me-time again before the little one is due.

It’s a great idea to go off on holiday before your baby is born to enjoy some peace and quiet before the storm, so to speak (just make sure that it’s safe for you to fly). With that in mind, we declare baby-moons (right alongside mini-moons) the new hottest travel trend—and here are our tips for making the most of yours.

When it’s your first time, a holiday that’s all about the new parents-to-be is ideal. Make sure that you have plenty of lie-ins, indulgent spa days, and great food. When the baby is born, you’ll find yourself snatching naps when you can and hoovering up your children’s left over fish fingers for dinner. Travel light – it’s the last time that you’ll be able to. With a baby you’ll find yourself hauling buggies, toys, snacks, drinks and a changing bag with you – and that’s just for a trip to the supermarket. So simply pack a backpack with a change of underwear and your best slinky evening dress (you probably won’t be seeing that for a while either) and go somewhere glamorous.

If you can’t fly, no problem – just decide on a few days in a luxury UK hotel, perhaps a theatre or cinema trip and certainly a fancy dinner, because the embarrassment of having your darling cry all through the good bits of a show or sitting them on your knee while you attempt to eat a five star meal elegantly just doesn’t don’t make for a great evening out. Sorry.

The Scarlet Hotel in Cornwall is a good choice, because it’s adults only – not in an X-rated way, just as in “your last chance to be child free” way. The Gilpin in the Lake District is good too – it’s not child free, but offers a great location for striding across the countryside during the day, and relaxing in front of a log fire at night, both things that would be interrupted by small children. Finally, try the true romance of the “country house on rails”, the Royal Scotsman Sleeper Train. Wonderful food, wonderful views, and you can stay in bed all day if you please, all alone.

If you already have children, don’t worry – just pick a destination with plenty for children to do and, provided it’s supervised, you can still sneak off for a couple of hours for a couple’s massage or special maternity treatment at the spa.  Or, more likely, spend time going over the birth plan again or whether you have the right kind of cot for the new addition.

Whatever you choose to do and wherever you choose to go, enjoy yourself and have a relaxing time.