Adoption Travel

Your Agency should be able to help you with this. Most Agencies have contacts with Apartment or Homestays.

You're best bet is to call the airlines that service your destination directly to find out which ones will give you a break in cost. Some will give you the advanced purchase price for last minute travel. Also check out priceline.com to bid on a price for a flight. Marriott's Residence Inn worked with my sister in giving her a cheaper price for her stay for adoption. However, whether or not this is Marriott policy, I don't know. Call around and explain your situation is the best advice I can offer. Good luck!

Duncan, Do you have more specific information about where you'll be traveling? Northwest (and some other airlines) offer some discounts and special offers for international adoption, and I have heard they may extend this to domestic travel. Also others have checked Priceline and some other services for these situations. Another thing I would suggest is to use or ask for miles/points from your families and friends accounts or your own. Also if you browse or search there were some other (timely) responses to this question. Good luck!

If you find that you need to book a flight or desire other travel assistance you may consider contacting Federal Travel's "Adoption Travel Services". Federal Travel specializes in adoption travel and may be of some assistance to you. You can e-mail them at: adoptravel@federaltravel.com or visit their web-site: [url]http://www.federaltravel.com/[/url] I stayed at a Mariott Residence Inn and they gave my husband and I a discount for staying since we were adopting.

Thank you everyone. I appreciate all the advice. :) Does anyone have suggestions on the ICPC? How to survive in a hotel room with a newborn till it is finalized? What to do about sterilizing baby bottles? Anything we can do to make that process smoother? The agency says 7-10 days for the ICPC but all the parents I talk to say 4 weeks. Yikes! Thank you! We appreciate all the help as we sort through all of this.

As for sterilizing, my husband and I boiled water and put the bottles and nipples in there for a few minutes. As for being in a room that long, well, I would sit outside (if it wasn't too hot - it was July), read, take turns going to the pool to get a break, watched soaps, and went for rides to explore Oklahoma since we were never there before.

Alot depends on the Agency. Most Agency's have only visiting hours between 9 in the morning and 5 in the afternoon where the Infant or child is allowed to be alone with you until the ICPC is finalized. To make the process smoother realize that this is not your Baby yet and cooperate. A lot of new Parents feel this is my Baby or Child I can do whatever! Taking this approach could be detrimental to your Adoption now as well as possible future Adoptions! Professionally, already I see a 'Red Flag' if you are Adopting from the Marshall Islands. Legally, this would be considered an International Adoption instead of Domestic Adoption. International Adoption takes about 4 weeks if you are telling people that you are Adopting from the Marshall Islands? Then I can see where they are getting this idea from?

First, check around to see if there are any extended stay hotels or short-term corporate apartments in the area you're staying. Many are less than or comparable to regular hotels AND they have kitchens or kitchen areas. When you get there explain your situation - Extended Stay America gave us the weekly rate even though we weren't sure how long we were staying because DS was so darn cute and they liked helping an adoptive family out. Even if you stay in a regular hotel, tell them you're adopting. In many cases they'll give you deals on the room and even help you get laundry, sterilization, etc. As for airlines, if your child is less than 14 days old when you fly you will need a physician certification that they're OK to travel. This is an FDA regulation. Some airlines require that the infant be even older - AirTran wants minimum 6 weeks of age and almost stopped us from getting on our connecting flight (my comment 'well, he's 2 hours older than he was in Houston'). Call the reservations centers to be sure and to make sure you get all clearances. They may also offer you a deal too. Southwest offers a 1/2 price ticket for child in carseat too, as do some of the others if you don't want to carry as a lap child. HTH. BTW In my experience, ICPC is usually 2-3 weeks from relinquishment, though it can be faster. Regina

Hi thereWe had to stay in a hotel for almost 2 weeks with our newborn baby daughter. I was able to be the one to bring her "home" from the hospital. Home for us was a hotel room in Maryland. It was a very special time for me. I got to really bond with my daughter. We got a hot pot and did all the bottles and nipples in there. We stayed in a room with small refrig. and a microwave. All this helped. I had brought with us a portable craddle and a baby swing which really helped in the motel room. My daughter slept in the craddle. You get to spend a lot of one on one time with the baby. You are so happy and so much in love with this new life that it is very hard to take a break. After all if you are adopting this has been a long time comming. But do give your self a break when you can.For me the hardest part was wanting to get home to our family and freinds and show off this beautifull baby. We did send pictures, and talked every day but you just can't wait to get home.Good Luck and enjoy the time you'll have with your new baby.

I've been told I will pick the baby up from the hospital and have the baby with me from then on. I'm not clear on Agencies and visiting hours-- I've never heard of that in any of the research I've done or from any adoptive parents I've talked with. Don't international adoptions go through BCIS and not ICPC? I'm confused!

what is going on, as it seems there are two disconnected discussions occurring here; I guess I missed the reference to the Marshall Islands. Nonetheless, we were awaiting ICPC for 35 days, which is certainly not the norm. However, through that experience, I can share with you what we did and would do again. We would not stay in a hotel room with the A/C shutting off and on every 15 minutes; one night was all it took . Look for corporate apartments in the area; they can be found in the yellow pages. Prices are comparable to hotels, but they are so much more convenient. Residence Inn Marriott does have a standard discount for adopting families, but it is much higher than what we paid for our really nice 2 bdrm apartment. We had everything that we needed, full size washer/dryer, dishwasher, VCR, etc. However, I wouldn't worry about sterilizing bottles. Buy the ready to use formula in 3 oz glass bottles. The hospital will give you a supply of sterilized, individually wrapped nipples, if you ask nicely. Bring your stroller with your infant carrier. Baby Bjorn cannot be used until baby is 8 lbs; our angel was not even 6. Most airlines do not provide special rates for domestic adoptions. While it is more expensive, I would purchase a seat for the babe. You install the base just as you would in your car. It is safer and more comfortable for everyone. We intended on buying a portable crib upon our arrival, but the hospital kindly loaned us a nursery "crib". In reference to agency hours, I believe that Julianna is confused and referring to states that mandate foster placement due to a lengthy wait before signing parental rights or lengthy revocation periods. Even in the case of a revocation period, such as 10 days, the child is most likely in your care. ICPC process cannot begin until the first business day following the end of any revocation period. You will be directed to stay in touch with your agency or attorney each day during your stay. We were fortunate that husband and I were there for the length of our stay. It was a wonderful bonding opportunity, and we enjoyed every minute. Best of luck.

Ah! That makes much more sense! Thanks! Consent will be signed within 2-3 days of birth and is irrevocable on placement, so we should begin the ICPC process within just a few days (not counting weekends, of course). Everyone tells me 4 weeks plus is unusual for ICPC but that is also the wait most people had. Has anyone had theirs go through in just 1-2 weeks? Obviously the wait isn't important when your babe is in your arms, it's just helpful to have an idea of what to plan for and expect. Thanks everyone!

I stayed in an extended stay hotel and had everything that I needed. The laundry was very close. ICPC clearance took one week from the birthdate. You do not have to stay inside a hotel room. Use prepared formula especially while you are traveling. The idea with ICPC is that you can not leave the state. You can go sight seeing in state and travel around the area. Do not cross state lines and let the agency know how to get in contact with you. Just to make traveling lighter, I bought groceries and diapers after I got in town. The hospital provided formula for several days. They are also gave us some stuff for cord care and a pacifier. You will need to bring an infant seat, some baby clothes and receiving blankets for swaddling a newborn. I also had small bottles of infant bathing and lotion products. I also had changing pads and burp cloths, but I could have left these at home. I hope this helps. Virginia