Think boredom is a choice? Think again. We're all searching for things to do while playing it COVID safe, but searching for things to do in a pandemic while pregnant presents a whole new set of challenges; a set that Allie Hartwick is ready to take on.
Let's start this whole thing off by stating that I am aware there's a pandemic going on, and many are not in the position to travel, or travel safely. I'm also fortunate to have received two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine.
All choices I have made are mine, and mine alone. If you'd like to discuss them with me, let's chat about it.
Now, after following all rules, regulations and safety protocols, I hopped on a plane this weekend with my husband/baby daddy (and a few coworkers) to attend a wedding in Mexico!
After a year of no weddings and zero travel, this invite was too tempting to even consider turning down.
Normally, we wouldn't have planned an all-inclusive beach vacation for ourselves, so this was an excellent excuse to get some sunshine, float around in the ocean, and literally be waited on 24 hours a day.
I'd like to extend my sincere gratitude to the coworker and friend who chose this all-inclusive destination wedding, and encourage all of my engaged friends to do the same. Please.
Not only was this my first trip to Mexico (excluding a very brief layover in Mexico City on my way to Costa Rica eight years ago), this would be my first stay at an all-inclusive resort. Ever.
good morning sunshine, we've missed you in Denver!
My husband and I have our own travel style, much as every person and every couple does. We like to choose our own adventure, and opt for ecotourism. Trips usually involve a lot of work before, during and after, researching accommodations and activities that are locally owned and operated. Tourism is a major industry for many countries and communities, and we like to try our very best to support individuals who are busting their asses to keep that industry, and their own businesses alive.
Because of this overall preference, we have gotten to stay in some really unique places. A boutique villa resort on a barely trafficked peninsula in Costa Rica. A condo complex in Belize that puts a part of their profits towards an employee college fund. Fishing trips that were not only epic in catch, but introduced us to some fascinating people.
But as I mentioned before, these trips involve a lot of work. From what we're doing each day, down to where we're buying food, everything is up to us, and it's not always a swimming success. It can also get very expensive, especially when we let my impulses take over.
So were we ready to have everything arranged for us? Could we handle what we thought would be limited options for food, drinks, and entertainment?
Turns out, YUP!
I think one big attraction of an all-inclusive for many adults 18+ (that's the drinking age in Mexico) is the non-stop alcohol that's being happily handed your way. Back before I was growing a human, I'd estimate my vacation alcohol consumption accounted for a hefty percentage of our overall expenditures. From the time I crossed through security at the airport, until the moment we landed, I would usually have a drink in hand. Don't judge. I was on VACATION! An all-inclusive might have actually saved us a few bucks.
Drinking in the line to have my passport checked some time in 2019. I've got a beer baby going in this pic!
But this time, I'd be limited to virgin cocktails and the one glass of wine I allowed myself each day. Again, you might have thoughts on this, but it's really only the thoughts of my OBGYN that matter here, and if she's ok with it, so am I.
I was actually a bit nervous about this sober trip before our departure. Could I do this? Could I really lounge around the pool and the beach, go to a wedding, and stay up way past my bedtime without having a drink always nearby? This was new for me! I've been pairing my gatherings with a cocktail for sixteen-ish years (don't do the math). And would the resort be "worth it" if I wasn't drinking like it was my last day on earth from sun-up until sundown?
These worries, while valid, turned out to be purely ridiculous! It became clear very quickly, as I ordered my fourth virgin mojito, that it wasn't the actual alcohol I needed, it was just the act of sipping on something a bit fancier than water.
I would like to think some of my more impulsive and perhaps inappropriate actions were curbed by this lack of alcohol, but it turns out, I'm just naturally a person with very few inhibitions. It also wasn't really a struggle to be around a bunch of new friends and wedding guests who gradually became pickled throughout the course of each day (for some it wasn't so gradual).
What was truly wonderful, was having everything I could ever want at my immediate disposal. A massive message of gratitude and appreciation goes out to the staff at my resort. They had hard jobs and each person was working their ass off. Having been in the service industry, I know how hard the job is under normal circumstances. Add in a beach, patrons who don't speak your language, a certain entitled attitude many people pack with them on vacation, stifling heat and the concerns of a pandemic; the staff at this hotel deserves an award, and a massive paycheck.
I like to think I'm a fairly self-sufficient pregnant person. I painted the nursery, built the crib, assembled the stroller and still carry my own groceries. However, it felt awesome to sit back and do absolutely nothing for myself.
After this trip, I look at obscenely wealthy people, like the ones you see on reality shows, through a different lens. Having someone prep your food, drive you around, and clean up after you while you play in the pool is AWESOME! Yes, it's also entitled and obnoxious and so not a sustainable lifestyle for any regular person, but oh my god it's great to sample, even for a few days.
I'm thinking there should be some sort of pregnancy stay-cation available, where you can pay someone, or several someones, to just do everything for you for a week, while you eat whatever foods you can dream up and have fresh smoothies handed to you every ten minutes. The warm temperatures and ocean access were the cherry on top of this luxury sundae, but I'm pretty sure I could enjoy being waited on in any environment.
The wedding was a blast, and seeing a bunch of people in person after a year of interacting exclusively on zoom was next level incredible, but I'm 90% sure I would have loved this trip with nothing else to do and only the person I see every day to interact with.
I actually probably would have enjoyed doing this trip solo too. That's how incredible a full-service trip is while pregnant.
After a brain tickling nasal swab (that I actually enjoy) and a negative result, our long weekend away had to come to an end. We landed in a pile of snow, and instantly, I started looking up cheap beach vacations, hoping that maybe I could make this a regular thing until I'm not allowed to travel any more.
Here's to a new era, almost post COVID, and new adventures.
Sincerely,
Allie and El Niño
