Girl, Pack Your Bag :: Tips for Your Next Girls Trip!

We all have our tribe and belong to a group text that gets us through the day –  or the week – but sometimes that isn’t enough. Let’s face it, as moms and wives we NEED a break! A real break. Not just an hour massage or brunch with the girls, but a real escape from reality. For a lot of moms, escaping away with their friends is that escape. But what makes a good girls trip great? What ensures that you don’t come back from a girls trip more drained and exhausted than you were when you left? How can you make the most of your time away with your closest friends? Girl, pack your bag and go! Here are my tips to make your next girls only getaway the best one yet.

Keep it small.

A friend of mine did a girls trip during Mardi Gras with 13 women, and it didn’t go as well as she planned. It’s easy for cliques to form within a large group, some people to feel left out, and the potential for drama goes up exponentially the more people you have on your trip! I recommend keeping your girl getaway to six people or less. It’s just enough for a party, but not so many that it becomes Mean Girls part 2.

Plan ahead, budget, and make accommodations accordingly.

One thing that can make a girls trip go wrong is not planning ahead on exactly the kind of trip you want to do, how much each of you is able to spend, and what are the deal breakers for each of you. Have a trip planning session to talk about the financials because what you can afford determines where you are going. Once the budget for each of you is agreed upon, then decide where you want to go and what kind of escape you’re seeking. What you don’t want to happen is for one of you to expect white sandy beaches and warm sun and someone else in your group prefers to party in Vegas. Money can be one of the most contentious issues when on vacation with friends. When some friends have more money than others to spend, it can make things awkward. That’s why it’s important to map out restaurants, hotels, transportation, and activities ahead of time so that a budget can be agreed upon for all. Make sure you outline expectations ahead of time and listen to each other’s needs to ensure everyone has a good time and no one feels disappointed.

Unplug

It doesn’t make sense to go on vacation and keep your eyes glued to your phone the entire time. I mean, what kind of escape is that if you do that all the time anyway? It’s also disrespectful to your trip mates. When making your trip plans, set aside a time during the trip for social networking or phone calls, etc. You and your friends should only be on your phones during the designated “plug in” times on the trip. Bring a real camera or use one person’s phone for pictures and put the others away. Live in the moment and honor your time together with your focused attention. If you spend all your time on the phone while you are on vacation, you will not feel like you had a vacation at all afterwards.

Make Memories

The best way to make a trip with your girls memorable is to do something you’ve never done before. Find something that is new for all of you and go on the adventure together. It could be zip lining, rafting, a dance class, bungee jumping, or a tarot card reading – anything! But it has to be something that is NEW for everyone on the trip. Things move so fast on vacation it is easy to get lost in the shuffle and forget all the amazing things you do together, but if you make sure at least ONE thing is a new adventure for you all – that’s a memory that will last forever.

When it comes to girls trips, the big elephant in the room is – it’s really not about the trip. It’s about the bonding, the sisterhood, the opportunity to re-connect with your tribe – the trip is just the gravy on top! When you have an opportunity to getaway and do it with the friends you value most, it can be soul soothing and rejuvenating, especially if you take heed to the tips above.

Got a girls trip planned for this year? Or do you need tips on the best destinations for a girls trip? I’d love to hear from you! Hit me up in the comments!

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