Traveling During First Trimester Can Be Tough. Here’s What Helped Me.

When I saw those two pink lines pop up, my first thought wasn’t baby names — it was: Oh no, I have so much travel coming up.

As a travel writer, I can be on the road more than at home in some months. When I took the test, I had six trips planned and more in the works, and I needed to be on my game, but nothing prepared me for how brutal the first trimester would be.

I was quickly humbled when, at seven weeks pregnant, I hopped on a seemingly easy 4 ½-hour flight to Aruba. The nausea, bone-deep fatigue, and sensory overload made it feel more like a blur of motion sickness and mental math: Where’s the nearest bathroom? What can I eat that won’t make me sick? How long until I can nap?

As someone whose identity is rooted in movement and independence, I feared pregnancy might derail my career — or worse, my sense of self.

But instead, this trip taught me that travel didn’t have to stop. I just had to change how I do it. After a lot of research, these seven things helped me survive traveling during the first trimester and beyond.

Book an aisle seat

I used to be a window-seat loyalist, but the constant need to pee and waves of nausea don’t mix well with being trapped by a sleeping seatmate.

Now, I book aisle seats for the freedom to get up and use the bathroom as often as I need to, to stretch, or to escape the smell of someone’s airport sandwich.

Tell travel companions early to ease anxiety

Outdated advice says to wait until 12 weeks to tell people, but I was struggling, so I told my fellow travelers (even before some of my family) and immediately felt relieved.

Instead of pushing through silently, I had a built-in cheer squad. They hyped me up, celebrated with me, and gave me detailed reviews of all the Aruban wine and ceviche that I could only stare at longingly.

Pack a ‘nausea kit’ and keep it within arm’s reach

Pregnancy nausea has no sense of timing.

I carried a self-made “nausea kit” everywhere: sour candies (green apple Preggie Pop Drops saved me), all-natural Dramamine, a menthol inhaler, anti-nausea wristbands, and yes — travel barf bags. I didn’t use the bags because the other tools worked, but having them eased my anxiety.

Stop pretending you’re not exhausted

I tried to keep up with the group even though I was crashing. Eventually, I let go of the pressure to be “on” and participated in core activities, but rested when I could — even if that meant skipping the beach, the pool, or happy hour.

It helped that I had already shared that I was pregnant. I didn’t feel worried that the group thought I was antisocial, and I could nap without worrying that I was missing out on finding my next story angle.

FOMO is real, but staying healthy for yourself and your growing baby is more important.

Check menus and don’t skip the snack stash

Before heading out to meals, I checked menus online to see what I would tolerate best and what checked off all the pregnancy-safe boxes.

I also kept a stash of pregnancy-safe snacks in my bag — granola bars, pretzels, saltines, and dried edamame for protein — in case I couldn’t eat anything on the menu or got hungry outside mealtime.

Luckily, Aruba’s tap water is safe, which also gave me peace of mind. If you have the option, you may want to consider food safety when choosing travel locales in early pregnancy since you’re already feeling sick enough.

Wear the right shoes, even if they’re ugly

Your body is already working overtime — now’s not the time to break in new sandals or suffer through long walks in unsupportive flats.

After day one, which ended in swollen feet, I swapped style for Dr. Scholl’s sneakers and left all the cute pairs of shoes I’d brought with the best intentions in my suitcase.

Experiment to find what works for you, but try not to overpack

I packed extra books to read during downtime but ended up napping during every free moment. The mosquito-repellent bands I brought gave me headaches, and I didn’t see one mosquito on the island. My pregnancy pillow took up half the suitcase and never left it.

Try things out at home first to see whether it’s worth it. And remember: You’re not prepping for Everest (that is, unless you are!). You’re just trying to get through TSA or a long car ride without throwing up.

First-trimester travel can be gritty, humbling, and full of trial and error. But it also showed me I’m more adaptable than I thought. I’m not losing my identity as a traveler. I’m expanding it. And that feels like the best kind of preparation for what’s ahead.