{"id":808638,"date":"2026-07-18T17:45:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-18T17:45:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/808638\/"},"modified":"2026-07-18T17:45:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-18T17:45:20","slug":"cant-believe-its-in-aus-travel-ban-backfires","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/808638\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Can\u2019t believe it\u2019s in Aus\u2019: Travel ban backfires"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By the time it came to booking a babymoon, I had absolutely nothing left in the tank.<\/p>\n<p>It had taken us two years to fall pregnant, and we\u2019d only seen those two magical pink lines after five gruelling IVF cycles, four egg collection surgeries and two devastating failed embryo transfers. <\/p>\n<p>Even once we\u2019d finally got the result we\u2019d longed for, my pregnancy was far from smooth sailing. <\/p>\n<p>Just a few weeks after being told, \u201cCongratulations, you\u2019re having a baby,\u201d I started experiencing morning sickness. <\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m talking couldn\u2019t keep food down, relentless nausea 24-hours a day, and unexpected gagging without even a moment\u2019s notice.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"poster-img\" src=\"https:\/\/content.api.news\/v3\/images\/bin\/ec81a29f8e35e2b0dd69ec6e1251af7e\" data-sctrack=\"op-poster-img\" alt=\"Is this Australia's most exclusive picnic?\" fetchpriority=\"high\"\/><\/p>\n<p>So by the time I came out the other side at around the 18-week mark, it\u2019s fair to say I was exhausted.<\/p>\n<p>But still, I was determined to try and hit some of the usual milestones, including the romantic last getaway before two become three. <\/p>\n<p>Alas, as with everything else on my road to motherhood, there was just one hitch. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cYou can\u2019t really holiday outside of Australia because you\u2019re now 40, and it\u2019s an IVF baby, which means you\u2019re a \u2018high-risk\u2019 pregnancy,\u201d my obstetrician explained. <\/p>\n<p>It goes without saying that my doctor enforcing an international travel ban on us was a small price to pay for the safe and healthy arrival of our baby girl, but it did mean bidding farewell to my visions of heading somewhere warm and exotic, and babymooning at home. In the middle of winter. <\/p>\n<p>Of course, we are very fortunate in Australia with our <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/travel\/australian-holidays\/remarkable-disappearing-island-experience-like-no-other-in-queensland\/news-story\/c7e017080e4f0858e1b2868c57ed759c\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"www.news.com.au\" data-tgev=\"event119\" data-tgev-container=\"bodylink\" data-tgev-order=\"c7e017080e4f0858e1b2868c57ed759c\" data-tgev-label=\"travel\" data-tgev-metric=\"ev\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">endless coastlines and world class tourist destinations<\/a>, but I have to admit, my heart had longed for a tropical island getaway like the Maldives or Fiji. <\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019m not alone. Australian residents took a whopping 12.5 million overseas trips last year, according to the <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.abs.gov.au\/media-centre\/media-releases\/9-new-facts-travel-and-australia\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"www.abs.gov.au\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Australian Bureau of Statistics<\/a> (ABS) with around 3 out of 5 travelling for a holiday.<\/p>\n<p>In reality, all I wanted was to get away and forget what day of the week it was. Preferably with a mocktail in hand. <\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s when my algorithm did its thing, and served me a <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reels\/DOZieIZE5c7\/\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"www.instagram.com\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">video<\/a> posted by a then pregnant Tanya Hennessy, captioned: \u201cPOV: You\u2019re pregnant and need to sit and do nothing for a week.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The clip showed a luxury oceanside villa, crystal blue water and a beach that rivalled just about any Maldivian island resort.<\/p>\n<p>So imagine my shock when I realised the stunning spot was a remote island at the northernmost point of the Whitsundays, just a 2.5 hour flight from Sydney. <\/p>\n<p>After spending an hour or so trawling <a class=\"body-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.news.com.au\/topics\/tiktok\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"www.news.com.au\" data-tgev=\"event119\" data-tgev-container=\"bodylink\" data-tgev-order=\"tiktok\" data-tgev-label=\"topics\" data-tgev-metric=\"ev\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">TikTok<\/a> videos of this hidden jewel, I\u2019d booked our flights, and locked in a 5-night stay at the InterContinental Hayman Island. <\/p>\n<p>By the time we arrived at the end of May, I was even more tired and ready to relax than I had been at the time of booking.<\/p>\n<p>Luckily, the \u201ctake-it-easy\u201d pace of Hayman starts as soon as you boarded the private charter yacht that takes you from Hamilton Island Airport to the five-star resort, about an hour\u2019s boat ride away, with drinks and snacks served as you cruise across the turquoise Coral Sea. <\/p>\n<p>When we checked into our Pool Ocean View Suite, there was even a bottle of non-alcoholic bubbles waiting for us along with some sweet treats and a handwritten card that was so heartfelt, my partner James bought it home and it\u2019s currently stuck on our fridge. <\/p>\n<p>The room was absolutely gorgeous, kitted out with a four-poster bed, his and hers sinks and wardrobes, and sprawling balcony with an even better view.<\/p>\n<p>For the next five days then plan was to do precisely nothing. <\/p>\n<p>Every morning we\u2019d enjoy a slow wake up, head to the amazing buffet breakfast, and then I\u2019d plonk myself on one of the many different sun lounger spots around the island while James went off on some organised activity he\u2019d signed himself up for the night before. <\/p>\n<p>One morning he went and fed the fish, another afternoon he was gone for three hours on a sand dune tour, he even went stand-up paddle boarding \u2013 all while I read my Kindle and sipped on a virgin margarita by the pool. <\/p>\n<p>In the afternoons, we\u2019d come together for lunch, and maybe even a nap, and would take in the sunset before getting ready for whatever dinner plans we\u2019d made that night. <\/p>\n<p>One of the things I enjoyed the most about the holiday was the food. After months of not being able to eat normally, my nausea was finally gone, and there were plenty of delicious options on Hayman. <\/p>\n<p>We booked a private beach dinner one evening, which saw us being served five delicious courses under the moonlight and stars as the waves lapped just inches away. <\/p>\n<p>The evenings on the island were a little chilly, but the restaurant had us covered, lighting a small log fire on the beach to keep us warm. <\/p>\n<p>Another evening, we had an Alfresco dinner at the island\u2019s Italian restaurant, which was held in a private hut in its gardens, completely secluded from any other guest. We literally didn\u2019t see a soul all night except our lovely server. <\/p>\n<p>The six-course meal was literal heaven, James and I haven\u2019t stopped talking about the homemade butternut and safe ravioli we ate that night. It was unbelievable. <\/p>\n<p>Of course, I indulged in a 60-minute pregnancy massage one morning too, which really helped alleviate the lower back pain that had started to creep in. Even for the heavily pregnant, Hayman was incredibly easy to get around. <\/p>\n<p>At the end of our stay, we were both a lot more rested, and vowed to return one day when we could enjoy a glass of champagne or two (mocktails are great, but there\u2019s nothing quite like sipping on a glass of French liquid gold when you\u2019re in paradise). <\/p>\n<p>Our trip has also reopened our eyes to how wonderful it is to holiday at home, right here in our backyard, as it is so easy to forget how beautiful and vast Australia is. <\/p>\n<p>Even when I was doing my TikTok research ahead of the trip, the overwhelming comment I\u2019d see on videos was always: \u201cI can\u2019t believe this is in Australia.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>There really is so much to see and do here, that not being able to travel internationally for our babymoon turned out to be the biggest blessing in disguise, and we can\u2019t want to take our little one to as many beloved and forgotten Aussie gems as possible once she\u2019s here.<\/p>\n<p>This writer received a complimentary room upgrade at InterContinental Hayman Island<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By the time it came to booking a babymoon, I had absolutely nothing left in the tank. It&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":808639,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[383183,383210,383225,383195,96448,383289,383262,383203,383200,383213,383243,383277,380597,383194,383196,383272,383295,383254,383301,383270,383198,383217,383281,383185,383208,383219,383209,383228,376594,383273,381022,383236,3131,378211,383237,383218,376919,383294,383282,383245,383258,383202,64,112970,63,383257,383238,99,119966,383265,383274,383234,383184,383201,383181,383268,1295,383186,369123,383189,8852,383267,383180,383297,191,17358,383255,383280,47573,383244,45755,383261,21512,383279,9051,83464,46357,383251,383211,381736,383223,383230,383232,383264,383205,383222,383302,383235,377271,383224,383191,383197,383290,383283,383276,383288,383227,383296,383284,46677,129824,383182,383271,383190,383248,383250,383212,383206,383249,11499,670,380255,383286,383269,383293,383188,383252,381869,215379,383231,383299,383226,35371,383285,383204,383278,383240,383187,288453,383253,117951,383246,383266,383287,383216,383239,383256,383260,383298,383300,383292,383215,383263,383291,380911,376539,383229,383259,98734,383233,383247,383241,383275,383193,383207,170927,383220,383192,381028,383214,383221,383242,16962,383199],"class_list":["post-808638","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-business","tag-high-risk-pregnancy","tag-s-boat-ride","tag-s-notice-veuve-clicquot","tag-disappearing","tag-96448","tag-5-travelling","tag-a-2-5-hour-flight","tag-a-5-night-stay","tag-a-baby","tag-a-babymoon","tag-a-beach","tag-a-bottle","tag-a-day","tag-a-four-poster-bed","tag-a-handwritten-card","tag-a-holiday-in-reality","tag-a-luxury-oceanside-villa","tag-a-mocktail","tag-a-moment","tag-a-nap","tag-a-private-beach-dinner","tag-a-remote-island","tag-a-sand-dune-tour","tag-a-slow-wake","tag-a-small-price","tag-a-then-pregnant-tanya-hennessy","tag-a-tropical-island-getaway","tag-a-tropical-paradise-right","tag-a-video","tag-a-virgin-margarita","tag-a-week","tag-a-whopping-12-5-million-overseas-trips","tag-abs","tag-absolutely-nothing","tag-an-even-better-view-for","tag-an-exclusive-experience","tag-an-hour","tag-an-international-travel-ban","tag-an-ivf-baby","tag-another-afternoon","tag-any-maldivian-island-resort-so","tag-around-3","tag-au","tag-aus","tag-australia","tag-australian-residents","tag-booking-luckily","tag-business","tag-congratulations","tag-crystal-blue-water","tag-delicious-options","tag-drinks-and-snacks","tag-every-morning","tag-everything-else","tag-five-delicious-courses","tag-five-gruelling-ivf-cycles","tag-food","tag-four-egg-collection-surgeries","tag-goforit","tag-hamilton-island-airport","tag-hand","tag-hayman","tag-his-and-hers-sinks-and-wardrobes","tag-holiday-outside","tag-home","tag-island","tag-it-desktopit","tag-its-thing","tag-james","tag-just-a-few-weeks","tag-last-year","tag-le-picnic","tag-lunch","tag-maybe-even","tag-months","tag-morning-sickness","tag-motherhood","tag-my-algorithm","tag-my-doctor","tag-my-heart","tag-my-kindle","tag-my-nausea","tag-my-obstetrician","tag-my-partner-james","tag-my-pregnancy","tag-my-road","tag-my-shock","tag-my-visions","tag-no-one","tag-non-alcoholic-bubbles","tag-one-evening","tag-one-hitch","tag-one-morning","tag-our-baby-girl","tag-our-backyard","tag-our-endless-coastlines","tag-our-flights","tag-our-fridge","tag-our-pool-ocean-view-suite","tag-plenty","tag-pov","tag-precisely-nothing","tag-relentless-nausea-24-hours","tag-smooth-sailing","tag-so-trawling","tag-some-organised-activity","tag-some-sweet-treats","tag-sprawling-balcony","tag-stand-up-paddle-boarding","tag-statistics","tag-sydney","tag-that-night","tag-the-take-it-easy-pace","tag-the-18-week-mark","tag-the-afternoons","tag-the-amazing-buffet-breakfast","tag-the-australian-bureau","tag-the-clip","tag-the-end","tag-the-fish","tag-the-five-star-resort","tag-the-food","tag-the-holiday","tag-the-intercontinental-hayman-island","tag-the-intercontinental-hayman-island-resort","tag-the-island","tag-the-maldives-or-fiji","tag-the-many-different-sun-lounger-spots","tag-the-middle","tag-the-moonlight","tag-the-most","tag-the-next-five-days","tag-the-night-before","tag-the-northernmost-point","tag-the-other-side","tag-the-pool","tag-the-private-charter-yacht","tag-the-result","tag-the-romantic-last-getaway","tag-the-room","tag-the-safe-and-healthy-arrival","tag-the-stunning-spot","tag-the-sunset","tag-the-tank","tag-the-things","tag-the-time","tag-the-turquoise-coral-sea","tag-the-usual-milestones","tag-the-week","tag-the-whitsundays","tag-the-whitsundays-so","tag-this-hidden-jewel","tag-those-two-magical-pink-lines","tag-three-hours","tag-tiktok-videos","tag-travel-ban","tag-tropical-island-getaway","tag-two-devastating-failed-embryo-transfers","tag-two-years","tag-unexpected-gagging","tag-what-day","tag-whatever-dinner","tag-winter","tag-world-class-tourist-destinations"],"_links":{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