Girls' Getaways Are the Ultimate Refueling

I went on my first girls' trip (post kids) a few years ago. My oldest friend & I went to Washington DC for three days.  We stayed at a beautiful old hotel on Embassy Row, wandered around the embassies, visited museums, ate sushi, checked out the remodeled Watergate, read, talked about our kids, talked about things other than our kids, and checked out an amazing bakery/coffee shop that a student of mine had recommended.  It was the perfect escape, & we're brainstorming for our next one.

Since that trip, I've gone on three trips with another girlfriend.  We hit up Epcot's Food and Wine Festival for my 40th, & while we were there, I mentioned that Key West was on my bucket list because I was afraid it wouldn't be there forever (darn you global warming).  We decided we'd have to check it out, & went back to Florida a few months later.  We did one day in Key West, 1 in Marathon, & a couple where she had a home in Palm Bay.  From that trip, we learned that Key West deserved more than one day, & vowed to go back.

​Here we are on that first Florida trip to Epcot-- we're about as far away as you can be from the big golf ball (it's that tiny blue circle in the background), which is also where the exit is...  When the Big Bad Voodoo Daddies finished their set, we RAN from this spot to the parking lot & somehow made our flight.  Still not sure how!

​My 40th b-day present to me from the Coach Outlet in Orlando~

A year & a half later, post-quarantine, we gave Key West its due & spent three days there (I highly recommend this affordable hotel, btw).  The food, the music, the relaxed atmosphere...I am madly in love with that town (it'll get its own post at some point). ​

 I'm also madly in love with girls' trips.  Here's what I've observed about girls' trips that make them uniquely rejuvenating:

1. Someone else makes half the plans. I know that all relationships have their own divisions of labor, but I think generally speaking, women do more of the vacation planning.  When you go away with another woman, someone else does half the work-- the hotel hunting, the restaurant research, etc. It makes it so much easier to be relaxed going into the trip, & if something doesn't work, less of the pressure is on you to feel bad or fix it.  
2. The packing is easier.  It's just your stuff.  Now granted, my husband can pack his own stuff & does, but I'm currently planning a Disney trip for our family of four & I'm already strategizing about the packing, the weights of suitcases, getting the right clothes clean to get packed, etc. When I'm just worrying about me, I fit everything in a carry on & off I go.
3. Perhaps most importantly, women know women's stress.  We're more intuitive about what another woman might need to really recharge on vacation. I think it's easier for another woman to understand the need for alone time even when traveling together, to appreciate slowly starting your day & having your morning coffee & reading your book.  To enjoy shopping for hours :). 

Now I don't mean to sell men short, & obviously there are exceptions, but this is my ode to girl trips, so of course I'm going to highlight what's awesome about women as travel companions. We rock, & if you haven't traveled with your gals yet, get to it!