Babymoons are on the rise, but will you be covered by travel insurance?

Babymoons are known for being a great way for parents to relax before bringing a child into the world. And fair enough, too. It’s normal to be a little nervous before jumping into parenthood, especially for the first time.
 
New research is showing that babymoons are still as popular as ever. In fact, the data shows that one in five expectant parents squeeze in one last holiday as a couple before their baby is born. However, the findings, which came from a survey of over 2,000 parents with kids under 12, also revealed that 22% of parents head away in their third trimester.
 
Could this be potentially dangerous?
 
If we break the stats down even further, the majority of mothers (16%) only travel domestically and stick to Australian soil. However, one in twenty (5%) do travel overseas, which is a huge amount of pregnant mothers that are flying internationally after the 28-week mark.
 
Most major Australian airlines actually impose date restrictions for when expectant mothers are allowed to fly internationally. Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin all require medical certificates after 28 weeks, and will typically cut you off from flying completely at 36 weeks. These explicit restrictions can raise a whole range of issues when it comes travel insurance.
 
In fact, many soon-to-be parents may not realise that because of this, most travel insurers won’t cover you for travel for the entire length of your pregnancy, with some cutting off cover as early as the second trimester. Typically, the cut off dates for travel insurance range from 18-32 weeks. More information on the pregnancy restrictions of a number of travel insurance brands can be found here.
 
Most travel insurers also won’t cover you for pregnancy-related complications if your baby was conceived via IVF. And just like IVF babies, many insurers will exclude cover for twins or multiple pregnancies because of the increased risk. The cost of travel insurance with cover for pregnancy is also typically higher due to the risk factors and the airline restrictions that are usually in place.
 
The findings also showed that travelling while pregnant is most popular with young mothers, with the figures showing that almost one in four (24%) under-30-year-olds holiday before their due date, compared to just 16% of those mothers aged over 40.
 
At the end of the day, babymoons are a fantastic way to relax and have a bit of fun before your baby arrives. But whether you’re looking for a weekend getaway or an overseas holiday, just make sure you’re covered by travel insurance, in case anything goes wrong.


Bessie-Hassan-(002).jpgBessie Hassan is an insurance expert at finder.com.au and a mother of two.