Bed Rest Armchair Travel

Getting put on bed rest during pregnancy means even travel to the end of your driveway is banned, but there are many ways to be a bed rest armchair traveler.

I was put on bed rest during my last pregnancy, so I know sometimes a pregnant woman would be thrilled for permission merely to check the mailbox or hit the local grocery store, much less travel somewhere even more exciting.

This doesn't mean you can't still enjoy the benefits of travel during pregnancy-related bed rest or bed rest. You can:

• Bring the day spa home. Check with local day spas and masseuses, and find one that will come to your home. Or simply create your own home spa by indulging in great spa items like Lush's organic bath products, which you can conveniently order online. The morale boost of a facial, manicure or a long, relaxing soak for stiff, bed rest muscles (as long as it isn't too hot for the baby) cannot be overestimated for a pregnant woman on bedrest.
• Read a book set in a beloved destination. Peter Mayle's "A Year in Provence" is a wonderful choice. This list of recommended Fiction for Armchair Travelers features some fine choices.
• Plan your next trip. Sure, you can't go yet. That doesn't mean you can't make all the arrangements for baby's first trip, or your own baby-free babymoon. Just don't book anything before six weeks after your baby's due date, when baby care gets easier and travel is less trying.
• Discuss your last trip on a forum. Even if you're confined to bed, you can find hundreds of like-minded travel aficianados online. Get ideas and tips for traveling with the soon-to-arrive little one at my Family Travel Discussion Board or join in any of the other Outdoor Adventure Discussions Boards.
• View online travel photo galleries. There could hardly be more of a bed rest armchair activity than seeing captivating photos of your favorite destinations or spots you've always dreamed of visiting. Flickr photos tagged "travel" and Webshots' U.S. travel photo and world travel photo sites are good choices.
• Write a travel article. Have you always dreamed of being a travel writer? Well, now that you aren't at work, you have time to write a travel article about one of your trips, research travel markets and send out query letters. Consider writing a travel column for Suite101, even: the Outdoors & Adventure Section is hiring experienced writers for several topics.
• Organize your travel or honeymoon photos into an album or scrapbook. You surely have old photos from your last trip stacked in a box or wasting space on your hard drive. This is one time when you actually can do the scrapbook or photo album on your to-do list since the honeymoon.
• Create a budget to save for your next trip. Examine your budget, and find a way to open a special savings account for your first big family getaway. If you think you will never be able to afford it once baby arrives, think again.
• Buy some travel gear. Even if you can't use it, shop around online or in catalogs for great travel gear. You can even look for some baby-friendly travel gear (or, better yet, register for it).
• Buy a travel guidebook, especially if it's on something new, be it a destination you've never visited or a type of travel (such as a cruise or adventure travel) to try after the baby arrives
• Create a personal travel Web page. This could feature a journal, itinerary and photos from your favorite trips. Find out about some tools to make Web design easy.

While it can be discouraging to be stuck on bed rest, take advantage of this rare time to plan a trip, remember old trips or commemorate your travels. Shoot, if nothing else, spend an afternoon talking with your husband or your older children about your past travels, or travel dreams for the future.

Related articles:

• Travel During Pregnancy
• Plan a Babymoon Vacation
• Travel with Twins
• Flying With Baby
• Top 10 Reasons to Travel With Kids

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