Planning The Best Girls Getaway

It’s springtime and soon all of my teacher friends will be out of school for the summer.  After taking a fun spa trip last summer to celebrate my retirement, we have decided to repeat for friend Patti’s retirement this summer and most likely make these trips annual events in the future.  There’s never a bad time to get away with a group of gal pals or a mom/daughter 3-5 day mini trip.  Girlfriend getaways can be tricky since they involve different personalities of people who have little to no travel experience together.  The main thing to keep in mind when planning a getaway is to get input from everyone throughout the entire planning process.  Organization on the front end is important when balancing activity with relaxation in a short, 3-5 day trip.  There are a lot of things to consider such as destination, activities, restaurants, and accommodations. 

     

“What do we want to do?”  A lot of people choose the destination first, but shouldn’t the destination be based on the primary activity?  When booking our spa trips, we research the best spas in the U.S. and build our trip around one of those destinations instead of choosing the destination and then settling on the spa available in our selected location.

“When do we want to go?” Probably the toughest part of the planning process is choosing dates when everyone is available.  When I was working as a teacher and President of my teachers’ union, one strategy that always worked for me when scheduling for busy people was to give 3 possible dates.  That still seems to work.  

“Where shall we go?”  Based on chosen activities and dates, I like to repeat the 3-choice method.  Offer up 3 possible destinations and get input from your travel mates.  Everyone likes choices and it’s more fun for your travel mates to choose from 3 possible destinations than to ask them to come up with an idea.   

Once the destination and dates have been chosen, the planning gets much easier and a lot more fun!  Book your activities, meal reservations, and work out your travel plans.   I like to use a combination of Trip Advisor and travel blogs to help guide my options of restaurants and activities.  Although the recipe for a great getaway includes options, flexibility, and good planning, the most important thing is to relax and have a good time with precious friends and/or family.