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Bed Rest Armchair Travel

Jun 11, 2006 Kelby Carr

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.

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The copyright of the article Bed Rest Armchair Travel in Family Travel is owned by Kelby Carr. Permission to republish Bed Rest Armchair Travel in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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Comments

Jun 12, 2006 1:18 PM
Jennifer W. Miner :
What a great, informative article. I sure wish I'd had it to read when I was on bedrest, but that was over 7 years ago. Instead, I stared at the ceiling feeling sorry for myself. And watched waaay too much crappy daytime TV. I wonder if Vicki's alter ego Nikki ever let Dorian out of that basement dungeon. :)
Jen M.
http://luxuryresorttravel.suite101.com
Jun 12, 2006 6:00 PM
Kelby Carr :
Hahah! It's not a fun time! And I'll bet you didn't have a home wireless network with high-speed at the time. I might have killed someone otherwise!

How long were you on bed rest? I was for about two months. Two very, VERY long months!!!
Jun 12, 2006 6:15 PM
Jennifer W. Miner :
I was on bedrest from 24 weeks. :( the ob-gyn said I was having non-Braxton-Hicks contractions, and there ya go. At the time, I was working exactly across the street from the hospital I was to have my baby in, and I had this fantasy about finishing work one day, walking across the street, and having my baby. Yeah right!
Seriously, I could have made a much better use of my time if I had armed myself with this article. :)
Jen
http://luxuryresorttravel.suite101.com
Jun 12, 2006 8:42 PM
Jill Florio :
What's nice is this article isn't just for pregnancy bed rest - people get sick and need bed rest in both the long and short-term and could really get some great ideas from your article.

I know one of my tricks when I'm sick, is taking a bath and mask, etc, as you suggested. I actualy have some Lush products saved up for when sick - like the cinnamon and mint and calamine ones.
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