There’s just something about piling into a car with your best girls, too many snacks, a playlist loaded with power ballads, and that electric feeling of “no boys allowed” in the air. Call it a girls’ trip, a friendship recharge, or a well-deserved break from partners, kids, and work emails. Whatever you name it, a girls-only getaway is basically medicine for the soul (and, let’s be honest, for the group chat).
Some of my most memorable weekends haven’t happened with a romantic partner, but with my besties. Here’s why I swear by the annual girls’ trip, and why I think every woman needs at least one in her calendar, no matter how busy life gets.
There’s no one to impress and nothing to explain. Want to spend three hours talking skincare routines, venting about your ex, or plotting out your entire future with tarot cards and margaritas? Your girls are here for it. On a girls-only getaway, “too much information” doesn’t exist and judgment is left at home with the dirty laundry. (And, if you all decide the only “hike” you’re taking is to the nearest bakery? Absolutely acceptable, and please pick me up a pain au chocolat. Hang on, I'm getting my flip-flops and coming with you.)
Maybe you’re the one in your relationship who always plans, tidies, or organises. On a girls’ trip, chaos is part of the fun. Someone always forgets a phone charger; someone else inevitably brings six pairs of shoes for two nights. Nobody cares. When you’re with your best mates, you can be your silliest, messiest, most gloriously authentic self. Matching pajamas and sheet masks at 2am? Not just accepted, encouraged.
Sometimes, a girls’ getaway turns into an impromptu support group. Confessions are made. Laughter is loud. Tears flow, but so do the good vibes. Somehow, you leave feeling lighter, stronger, and absolutely convinced that you can take on the world (or at least your inbox on Monday). There’s magic in the honesty that only comes out when you’re two days deep into the same shared experience, and maybe a bottle of prosecco.
On a girls' trip to Bali, trying to buy cheap yoga pants in a market, a friend and I were brought to hysterics by the stallholder's insistence the pants I needed were "King Kong size". She didn't have words for XXL, and rather than being insulted, we thought it was hilarious. For the rest of the trip - and honestly, for years afterward - we lived on that story. The cheap pants (of course I bought them) barely lasted until the end of the trip before falling to pieces, but years later, all I need to say to my friend is "King Kong pants" and we're both back there in the market, howling with laughter.
Shared adventures create bonds. Whether it’s skinny dipping under the stars, discovering a new brunch spot, or getting lost in a town you can’t pronounce, these are the stories that end up in the group chat for years. You’ll laugh about that questionable spa treatment or the dance-off with strangers for the rest of your lives.
Dating can be thrilling, but it can also be draining. Sometimes you need time with your friends to remember who you are outside of coupledom, motherhood, work, or whatever “role” you usually play. Your friends knew you before your first heartbreak, your big promotion, or your questionable fringe, and they love you regardless.
Don’t let anyone convince you otherwise: Booking a trip with your friends is self-care. You’ll come home sunburned, sugar-high, and probably with a suitcase full of inside jokes, but you’ll feel lighter, brighter, and more yourself than ever. So if you need an excuse to plan a little escape with your favorite women, consider this your official permission slip. Group chat is waiting. Prosecco is chilling. You deserve the getaway.
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