Blog Post Four
Let’s Hear It for the Girls!
You know the best cure for those mid-winter blues?
A girls’ trip.
You know the best way to to show off some of those cute outfits that you bought for those special occasions that somehow don’t happen as often as you had justified in your head when purchasing? #girlmath
A girls’ trip.
You know how to fill that void of late night giggles, gossip and a little self-care?
A girls’ trip.
And lastly, you know what all of your friends are need in of?
A girls’ trip.
Let me start by stating I am not typically the planner in my group of friends. I am the friend who likes to be told when and where and who to send money to (fun fact, here in Canada, we don’t have Venmo…I digress). However, my husband and I have a great condo in a beautiful part of the country and for years he has been telling me to plan a girls’ trip so it’s time I pull my big girl pants up and take the reigns on party planning!
I sent an email out to some friends who have each been telling me that they want to do a trip for at least 2 years. Literally every text/phone conversation/visit home, our parting words consistently are “We need to plan a girls trip asap!” But, you know how it goes, despite the good intentions, most of the time these brilliant ideas fall into the black hole of countless other brilliant ideas and “to dos” that we call life.
Enough excuses, I (my husband) said. Send that email out. Don’t overthink it. So I did! And I’ve really been having fun with it. I’m enjoying the planning so far (wish me luck as we inch closer to the trip date) but I thought I’d share some tips that I read in preparation for planning my trip, as well as ones I’ve learned myself via other girls’ trips I’ve attended.
Let’s dive into how to plan a successful, fun, and obviously memorable girls trip!
Select a group of friends who know each other, and have a similar vibe: I think this is important because you want to have fun on this trip too, and if you are having to juggle very different personalities or friends that haven’t really spent anytime together, it might just stress you out…which is NOT the idea.
Provide a couple of options for dates, but no more than 2-3 and take the vote: Listen, the reality is that you probably won’t get everyone to agree to the same date. As we get older, our lives become more complex. Some of us have little ones that we are now responsible for, or fur-babies that can’t handle Mom being away for long, or VIP jobs! Regardless of you and your friends’ situations, understand that you may receive some no’s. Move on. All this means is that you will have to plan ANOTHER girls’ trip!
Set a goal for the trip: Do you want this trip to be activity driven (#allthethings) or rest and relaxation vibes? If you are planning lots of activities, maybe you plan on booking a cheaper hotel since you won’t spend much time there. My biggest tip here kind of feeds into #3, but it’s also very much tied to the overall goal or vibe of the trip. Please book a place that has enough beds for each attendee. Nobody, and I mean, NO BODY, wants to sleep on a couch or a blow up mattress. We are adults. Pay up for the extra bed. That said, this is a girls’ trip, not a solo trip, so it’s important that the goals of the trip are agreed upon upfront.
Set the a budget: This topic can be awkward to navigate, but it’s important to address. Set the budget early so that people know what to expect. For example, my girls’ trip is 3 full days and I’m planning quite a few activities (i.e. a driver to assist us for a day out on the boat, a driver for a tour of wineries, one nice dinner out, one lunch out, one craft activity, gas, food and drink for the condo). To prepare the girls, I listed these activities in the invitation email to gain an understanding of interest, and it all sounds like a go. Now, my next steps will be to gather up cost estimates and send it it out to the group early enough that they have time to budget appropriately, or voice any concerns they may have.
Be smart. Split costs: Set the group up on an app like Splitwise, which makes it super easy to settle up at the end of the trip. As the trip proceeds, people can input the costs and mark who in the group was party to that bill. Your amount owed/due will change throughout the trip depending on how many bills you pay. The nice thing is, you don’t have to do any of this calculation in your head or in some complicated Excel spreadsheet. The app does it for you! At the end, you can set up to pay or receive an electronic transfer and everyone goes home happy.
Keep the agenda simple and be flexible: No one wants a super strict schedule to follow when they are on vacation. My suggestion is plan one to two activities per day. Make sure you provide time for rest, clean up, and eat in between. The last thing anyone needs while on vacation is feeling tired and hangry (it’s also why I always pack a granola bar in my purse #girlscout). Since we have 3 full days, it allows me to plan one big activity per day - boating, wineries, and a hike/downtown shop all on separate days. This allows us to have time for people to wake up slowly, enjoy their cup of coffee while looking at the view of the lake and not feel like they need to fight for a spot in the queue for one of the two bathrooms (still stressed about this situation….).
Set a dress code: I’m not suggesting you need to have a themed dress code every day, but if you like that idea, it’s important to set the expectation ahead of time. To me, when I suggest setting the dress code, my intention is to provide some guidance on how many dressy outfits, athletic wear and gear, swimsuits and their partnered coverups are required so that we can all feel comfortable, cute, and prepared. Let’s be honest, we gotta do it for the ‘Gram, too! So be nice and provide a broad overview of what everyone should pack.
Have fun: Things may not go exactly as you had planned, but who cares. You are with your people and your main goal is to live in the moment and create some fun memories.
Best of luck planning your own girls’ trip! I hope these tips/guidelines help!
Xx,
Leigh
