Sometimes you just need a girls trip. No matter what stage of life you’re in, there’s nothing more rejuvenating than some time away with girlfriends. Take a long weekend away from college stresses, go celebrate your 30th birthday, or leave your spouse and children at home. While couples’ trips, multi-generational family travel, and solo travel all have their own appeal, there are times in life when a girls trip is what’s really needed.
Getting away with your closest girlfriends allows you to let down your guard in a special way. There’s no need to worry about the dynamics between couples or generational misunderstandings. You don’t have to answer to “mom” or “honey”– you simply get to be yourself around the women who know you best. Girls trips are the perfect time to let loose and have fun, discuss life’s ups and downs over a glass of wine, and empower each other through the trickier parts of life back at home.
Things to consider
There are a few important things to consider when planning a girls trip to help optimize your time away. For starters, the Troupe travel planner helps you and your girlfriends easily vote on your favorite destinations and accommodations, and share info and notes on everything trip-related. Troupe helps make planning the trip together a part of the fun. Use the website to collaborate on everything trip-related and get excited together in the weeks leading up to your getaway.
In addition, it’s important to consider where you’re going. To do this, think about what’s most important to you on your girls trip. Do you all want to be in the same house so you can spend plenty of quality time together? Or maybe you want a vacation full of adventures together to look back on for years to come.
Once you’ve decided what’s most important to you as a group, it’s time to start planning. And there’s nothing more important than the destination. That being said, take a look at some of the best girls trip destination ideas with things to do, see, eat, and more.
Suggestions to optimize girl time together
Regardless of where you go or what you do, there are a few universal ways to make the most out of your girl time away from home.
Here are some suggestions to consider when planning your girls trip together:
- Prioritize quality time. Play games, stay in and chat, or try a new activity as a group.
- Minimize phone time. Perhaps all phones go away after 6 p.m. or you leave them home when out exploring.
- Take time to really get to know what’s going on in each others lives.
- Use a trip planner app like Troupe to iron out all the details before you leave so you can focus on enjoying vacation.
Girls trip ideas and destinations
The only thing more important than who you travel with is where you decide to go as a group. Once you’ve decided the important values to you on your girls getaway, you can narrow down destination ideas and let your group members vote on their favorites.
Here are some of our favorite ideas for girls trip destinations, no matter what you’re looking for.
Cabin getaway in the mountains
This is a great option for a girls trip on a budget because most of us live within driving distance of a mountain range. Renting a large cabin on Vrbo or Airbnb is also often cheaper than paying for individual hotel rooms as a group.
On top of being affordable, a mountain getaway is also perfect for a friend group looking to really spend some quality time together. Stay in by the fire and play games together. Cook meals together or try out new cocktail recipes. Go hiking, biking, or skiing, and enjoy the outdoors as a group. There are so many fun things to do on vacation in the mountains.
If you don’t mind flying, some of the best mountain destinations for a girls trip are Lake Tahoe (California/Nevada), Telluride (Colorado), Blue Ridge (Georgia), and Banff (Alberta, Canada).
Tropical beach vacation in the Caribbean
If you’re going for more of a sunshine and sea kind of vibe, you have your choice of destinations in the Caribbean. From the beaches of Riviera Maya in Mexico to the pristine sands of islands like St. Lucia, Aruba, Jamaica, and Turks and Caicos, there’s a Caribbean destination to suit any kind of girls trip mood.
A girls trip to a tropical destination is great because it allows you all to really relax, spend quality time by the water, and enjoy all the wonderful activities that come with being at the beach. Go out of your comfort zone together and try deep-sea fishing or ziplining. This is one of our favorite girls trip ideas since it allows you to decompress– both physically and mentally.
Don’t want to leave the United States? Enjoy a beach vacation on Florida’s Gulf Coast by planning a trip to Marco Island.
Take a city break
Similar to a mountain getaway, spending a long weekend in a big city within driving distance is one of the most affordable and practical girls trip ideas. Trips like these are more likely to happen since there’s less that goes into planning for them and you can be more spontaneous with travel dates. City breaks are great for girls trips when you want to have adventures as a group. Go see a play, take a street food tour, or reach the top of the city’s best viewpoint.
For a more planned out big city getaway, some of our favorite places to explore are Mexico City, Paris, and New York. All three cities have the perfect combination of delicious restaurant options, world-class museums, and cute, wander-able neighborhoods.
Ready to start planning your girls trip? Allow your group to vote on their favorite destinations by using Troupe’s group travel planner. Forgetting something? Don’t forget to check our group trip planning checklist. Looking for somewhere to go for the holidays? Check out our favorite Thanksgiving destinations. Our favorite 21st birthday destinations are also great for girls trips!