The summer is coming to an end and although I believe June-August is the best time to take a vacation, it’s definitely not the only time to take a trip. To be honest, the summer is actually one of the most expensive times to travel and from my experience it’s when people are most likely to bring their children with them. If you’re anything like me, you like to spend some time without kids in the vicinity and a ladies only trip is an excellent way to do just that.
Two gal pals and I are planning to take a trip later this year and I’m beyond looking forward to it. I’ve been on my fair share of girls trips, some great and some not-so-good. This doesn’t make me an expert on trip planning, but I do have five tips that will help you plan an epic getaway with your girls:
Gather the right crew.
Pick the right friends to go on vacation with you. I know from experience that it’s important to travel with people who want to do similar things. I’m personally a semi-boring traveler, I just like to relax and eat. If you want to party hard and dance the night away, I’m not your gal. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve gone to Las Vegas with gal pals and had a blast, but it wasn’t because of the time we spent in the nightclubs. Buffets, shoe shopping and roulette were pretty much the highlights of my trip.
Picking the right group to travel with can make or break your trip (and/or your friendship). It’s important to communicate with your friends while planning about what you’re expecting to do on the trip. That leads me to the next tip…
Plan in advance.
Make reservations months in advance if possible especially if you’re traveling to another country. The more time you have to prepare for your trip, the better. Research different places and figure out where you and your friends can have the most fun.
When I say plan ahead I’m not just talking plane tickets and hotel fare… Excursions and other fun outings can be planned in advance as well. If you’re planning a last minute trip, that’s cool too. Look up deals on activities in the area you’ll be traveling to. This makes you have more to look forward to and can also save you money in the long run. Speaking of money…
Share the financial responsibility.
Consider everyone’s finances when traveling with a group. Traveling is expensive so don’t expect one person to be responsible for putting all expenses on their credit card with the promise of receiving cash back when the trip takes place. That’s just plain inconsiderate. If one person offers to put an expense on their card, take the initiative to tackle an equally important expense or pay your portion as soon as possible. Your friend would greatly appreciate it.
Look up groupons to offset some of the costs and if you owe a friend money because they covered some portion of your trip, pay up promptly.
Ask “Girl, what are you wearing?”
Plan a day (or night) where your entire group wears the same color or similar print. It’d make for an epic photo opp, trust. Think Solange Knowle’s wedding photo where everyone was in formation in fab white outfits. Some people opt to get shirts made or wear tutus. Your options are endless and dressing up as a group is a great way to turn some heads on your vacation.
Capture the memories.
Bring a camera along to document your trip and capture the memories you and your friends create. Take plenty of pictures and record fun moments. Come up with a unique hashtag that the entire group can use when posting on social media. Not only will nosey people like me click your hashtag and wish they were there, but it’s cool to look back on your trip once you’ve returned back to reality.
Those are my five tips for planning a girl’s getaway to remember. Is there a suggestion you’d add to the list? If so be sure to share it in the comments section.
