Conceptionmoons- the Romantic Trip to end all Romantic Trips

The travel industry is abuzz with the new must do vacations: conceptionmoons and babymoons.
A conceptionmoon is relaxing, romantic getaway you plan with the hopes of conceiving on the trip. A babymoon is the trip you take once you are pregnant, before the baby comes, as sort of your last hurrah as a couple.


While there is a clear upside to baby and conception moons (fab trip), there are also many detractors.


Babycenter.com did a conceptionmoon survey and reported that 40% of respondents got pregnant on their conceptionmoon. What I find most astounding, and maybe this is because I have an irregular cycle, is how people were able to plan their trip in advance around their ovulation. They found couples typically spent $1700 for the trip, but felt it was worth it after an average of 8 months trying to conceive.


I came across a blogger who was outraged by Babycenter’s study. First, she pointed out that it was sponsored by Clearblue Easy and second, she felt it perpetuated the myth that if you just stop stressing, a baby will be magically implanted in your uterus.


A couple weeks ago, I saw on CNN, that a resort was offering couples who conceive at their resort a free stay the following year.


This post is quite timely for me. In April, when we found out that I lost a second pregnancy, would likely need surgery, and might have to wait up to 6 months to conceive afterwards, we decided to plan a big trip. For the last year, we had put travel plans on hold, because I assumed I would be pregnant and didn’t want to be on a cruise, doing something adventurous, or being too far away from home. When we got this bout of bad news, I told my husband that I needed something to look forward to instead of dreading those 6 months.


We decided to go on a big trip and go all out. We are going to Italy for 10 days in October. We are starting in Florence, then Venice, and ending in Rome. I cannot begin to tell you how excited we are. We figured we wouldn’t be able to take a trip like this for years. We wouldn’t feel right about leaving kids with our parents for 2 weeks and we wouldn’t want to take kids to Europe until they were at least ten and could appreciate it. Even still, it will be a second honeymoon for us.


I have already explicitly told him that I think he should re-propose to be on a gondola in Venice. I keep saying it and saying it and I think he thinks I am joking, but no, I am not. I am that sappy and needy.


Even if conception and baby moons are just the latest ploy from the suffering travel industry, what’s the harm? Worst case scenario, you don’t end up pregnant but have a fantastic trip.
As for my trip, I am looking at it like a babymoon. This will be the last big trip we take before having kids. It would have been great if it coincided with my fertile period, but it won’t. I will find out in Italy if I am pregnant. If I am not, it will be an easier blow to take when I can go wine tasting in Chianti or eat unpasteurized cheese to my stomach’s content. Plus by the time I get home, I will have only one more week to wait to try again. Of course, I would much prefer to come back with a bambino on board.