Becoming a parent changes your life. The one you had before is a far cry from the one you will have in the future, full of responsibilities around the full-time care of a newborn baby. With this in mind, more and more couples are joining the growing trend of going on a 'babymoon', the last trip as a couple before the birth of their child; a custom already established in the United States and in Northern Europe and in which Mallorca is one of the star destinations.
"The concept was born similar to the honeymoon trip. Couples take the opportunity to relax away from home and spend time together before the baby arrives," explains Ilonka Moljin, CEO of BabyMoon Travel, a Danish online travel agency dedicated exclusively to organising stays for expectant couples. Among its portfolio of destinations, Mallorca stands out, with particular success among tourists from Northern Europe. "They are usually couples in their 30s or, sometimes, friends who surprise their pregnant partner with a surprise trip. They choose quiet, urban or nature destinations, and enjoy their stay with spa treatments or low-risk, low-impact activities," adds Moljin.
The ideal time to go on a babymoon is in the middle of pregnancy, a period of greater tranquillity for the woman, with the discomfort of the first trimester already overcome and without the heaviness and tiredness of late pregnancy. The businesswoman stresses that "being pregnant is not synonymous with being ill", so that, unless the pregnant woman is warned by a doctor or feels unwell, it is possible to travel normally. However, the itinerary and activities are personalised and adapted in each case, depending on each woman's pregnancy. "Obviously, it is a period with certain health restrictions that we always take into account," she stresses. Ilonka emphasises that this is a type of tourism with medium-high purchasing power (on average among her company's clients, a night in a hotel in Mallorca in the middle of the season is around a thousand euros) and is seasonally adjusted, as the dates depend on the number of weeks of pregnancy.
In northern countries it has already become an established custom and is beginning to penetrate more and more in Spain. On social media, photographs and videos of pregnant couples travelling abound, under the hashtag #babymoon, something that influencers have joined.
"It was truly a wonderful week, full of delicious seafood, dips in the sea, reading by the pool and lots of relaxation before the baby was born," blogger and influencer Julia Berolzheimer wrote after returning from her babymoon in Mallorca.
"It's so nice to take some time just the two of us before one of life's biggest changes. After finding out I was pregnant in December, it seems like we've been in a mad rush to get everything ready before the baby arrives. All engines have been running, working, learning, growing and planning. So it was a pleasure to take some time for ourselves and slow down," she said.