Girlfriend Getaways - A New Trend in Group Vacations
A friend of mine called me the other day and said she was planning a trip to Italy. She and a childhood friend thought they would like to see Venice…and maybe Florence…perhaps rent a car. These are 2 women with full time jobs, busy active lives, one with growing children who are joining a burgeoning group of travelers- women on their own - The Girlfriend Getaway.
Rather then traveling with husbands and children or even with other couples more and more independent women are hitting the road. It isn’t quite “Thelma & Louise” but it sure isn’t “Donna Reed.” Women are booking trips at a rapidly growing rate and the breadth of their choices is staggering.
The travel business is loving it! Major hotel chains are offering a myriad of packages from spa weekends to cooking themed retreats- wine classes to shopping extravaganzas. These special trips can be independent jaunts where nothing special is planned or a pre planned package.
The independent packages usually offer a good price for accommodations at a centrally located hotel in a major city. They’re available in cities like NYC, Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando and others. They will usually come with breakfast included, upgraded room amenities and sometimes discounts in the hotel spa or fitness center. The Gaylord Palms in Kissimmee has a “Girlfriends Truth or Dare Getaway”, which offers the organizer of the trip an upgrade to a suite, the Sofitel Chicago has “Women and Wine Weekends” and London’s Rubens at the Palace hotel near Buckingham Palace offers improved lighting in their rooms, a foot spa and massage package for weary shoppers and also includes a room on a lower floor, double locks on the doors and an escort to the room for a cautious female traveler.
The pre planned packages may include a bit more. There are companies that package trips to New York City for shopping and theatre. These packages will include transportation from the airport to the hotel, usually a quick sightseeing tour and trips to some of the more famous stores. There is sometimes a dinner reservation included along with theatre tickets. You can add specialty sightseeing trips to that modern women mecca- the “Sex and the City” hotspots. With these packages you travel with your own group but your activities are planned ahead and usually pre paid. These city break packages are also available in Washington DC, Boston, Seattle and San Francisco among others in the US along with Paris, Rome, Vienna and Prague.
As All Inclusive Resorts grow in popularity they also are adding getaways for women. The beauty of the all inclusive is a simple formula: pay one price- eat- drink-relax- repeat! For a group of women traveling together it is the perfect blend of freedom and security. Most of the resorts are self contained. There is no need to venture beyond the boundaries- no car rental required. You are provided with excellent accommodations, good food, a variety of entertainment and no worries. Again, many of the resorts are adding incentives for their female guests including reduced prices on rounds of golf, yoga classes and spa treatments.
Women are also venturing into that bastion of family groups – the European Escorted tour. Many of the well known tour companies offer group discounts on some of their departures. The beauty of the escorted tour is that it allows mothers and daughters, sorority sisters or high school pals the opportunity to experience Europe without worrying about language barriers, currency exchanges or toting the luggage. Your days are planned, your meals coordinated and your only job is to relax, enjoy the scenery and each other.
To take the idea of women traveling together one step further - about six years ago a company called Gutsy Women Travel was started. These are escorted tours for women only. The company says its purpose is to allow women the opportunity to travel, reconnect with themselves and their friends and family members and form some lasting friendships with other women. Gutsy Women offers women of all ages, traveling alone or with friends the opportunity to visit Europe, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Greece, Peru and China among others. Their tours include traditional sightseeing and some not so traditional activities. You can attend a strudel baking class in Vienna, visit a Chinese refugee village in Thailand or have dinner with a local women’s association in China.
What happened to my friend and her Italy trip? The rental car seems to be out…Venice has been replaced by Rome….and now it’s a train from Rome to Florence….Anything’s possible!!
Tags: travel, girlfriend+getaways
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