Call Your Friends. Pack Your Bags. You Need a Girls' Trip!

There’s no denying that I’m a bit obsessed with travel. In fact, I am still unpacking from a recent five-day girls’ trip to Austin. But I had an “a-ha!” moment on this most recent vacation, so I’m sharing it. The laundry can wait.

Taking a long weekend girls’ trip has become our annual tradition. This year, there were 10 of us—mothers, daughters, cousins, friends. Everywhere we went, people asked where we were from. (Austin’s a super friendly city, y’all!)

One woman, in particular, when I told her we were on our annual family girls’ trip, commented, “I wish I could do that.” And it stopped me in my tracks. Because she can.

And so can you.

We started out planning small family gatherings to celebrate milestone birthdays; those first girls’ trips didn’t extend past the Twin Cities. One year, my aunt threw out the idea of going on a beach trip, and before we knew it, we were drinking mimosas in Charleston, South Carolina.

Since then, we’ve gone on a pedal pub tour of Nashville and a hot air balloon ride over the deserts of Arizona. This last girls’ trip had us riding Segways around the Texas Capitol building. But it’s not just about exploring a new city or trying fun restaurants instead of cooking in our own kitchens. It’s about reconnecting as a tribe of women—stepping away from our daily responsibilities, reliving our shared history, and getting caught up to speed on our current lives.

Maybe you have a group of high school friends that you haven’t seen in years. Maybe you lost touch with your BFFs from college. Or maybe, like me, you are blessed to come from a long line of strong, independent women who share a love of adventure, trying new things, and seeing new places. Regardless, isn’t it time to give them a call?

Not only do these girls’ trips make me feel closer to the women in my life, but they also give me a renewed appreciation for the loving family waiting for me at home. My husband gets some daddy/daughter time with our girls; they miss me, and I miss them. True, there is the aforementioned laundry that awaits me upon return. But it’s a tiny price to pay—taking a few days away gives me a new sense of gratitude for all the blessings under my roof.

With flight miles, VRBO, and TripAdvisor, planning a girls’ trip has never been easier. You are limited only by everyone’s availability and your imagination. But the quote is true: “Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer.” So maybe start small, but make the calls. Leave the kids and hit a waterpark in the Dells. Go wine tasting in Door County. See a show in Chicago or St. Paul. 

It’s not necessarily about where you go. It’s about who you take along with you for the ride.

Original post by Laura on 2/27/20