One of the hottest new trends in travel is the girlfriend getaway where groups of female friends go away for a weekend or longer and have a great time doing something exciting like shopping, partying and maybe a little bit of high adrenaline activity such as white water rafting.
Women of all ages are going, with the average age between 25 and 65. The girls like to travel in smaller groups of 2 to 3. Today’s women are financial and culturally independent. They earn more and have more control over their lives and their finances. As a result they are spending more money on themselves by traveling more and enjoying their independence. And besides girls just want to have fun.
Some of the more popular types of getaways include shopping, adventure (working ranch in US, grand canyon, hiking, camping, trail walking) and of course, friendship building. Popular destinations include San Francisco, Los Angles, New York City, Houston and Phoenix.
If you are thinking of organizing a girl friend getaway, there are several things you can do that don’t need to cost a lot of money or take you far from home.
- Take a spa vacation at a local establishment or in a nearby city. Come back refreshed and revitalized.
- Stay at a beach house or cottage belonging to friends or parents of friends. This can be a relaxing break from your regular routine without having to spend a fortune. Get a group of friends together and go to the cottage or beach for the weekend.
- Visit your favorite shopping city on a weekend or during the annual sales. Not only will you have a great time away from home, you may come back with some terrific bargains. New York is wonderful place to shop and if you go during Presidents week in February, it is also much cheaper, there are less tourists and everything is on sale.
- Go partying in Las Vegas for the weekend. You don’t need to gamble to enjoy Vegas, there are shopping malls in every hotel, factory outlets and fantastic entertainment at all the hotels.
- Go on a soft adventure holiday. Try white water rafting or go hiking in the Grand Canyon. Women are more active and fit than ever and are willing to take risks, so why not organize a golf trip or sailing expedition or sky diving weekend or bungy jumping (ok maybe not bungy jumping) or another soft adventure. They can be a lot of fun, especially without the guys along to macho things up. There are several women’s adventure tour company’s that specialize in these kinds of trips and offer various tours throughout the year.
- How about a beach holiday in Hawaii, Mexico, or even Miami? Spend a week in one of the top beach locations soaking up the sun and enjoying local culture. Beach holidays are great ways to get away from it all especially in the winter months.
- Take a wine tour. Visit several wineries in an area and drink and dine your way through the holiday. May wineries offer free tasting that not only introduce you to the local vintages but provide you with an education in wine producing. But remember to be responsible, don’t drink and drive. Spend some time in the Napa valley, or go abroad to Italy, France, Argentina, South Africa or even Canada to sample some international wines. Most wineries now have first class restaurants attached to them so you can enjoy fine dining combined with great wines.
What ever you and your girlfriends decide to do for your getaway, you will come back with a strong bond of friendship and maybe even a great tan.
