Investing in Yourself: The Girls' Trip

For years, I had heard about my brother, who is some years older than me, and his high school buddies meeting once a year for a long weekend guys' trip.  One year it was in Vegas, another it was skiing in Colorado, and another was the sunny shores of Florida.  Then, I heard that Nancy, my sister-in-law, did the same sort of thing with a group of her friends - an annual girls' retreat of sorts. 

Fast forward a bit to around this time last year.  My friend and I were gabbing on the phone when it hit me: "We should totally go on a girls' trip this year," I told her.  "You know, like Nancy does."  Her response was an immediate and enthusiastic yes.  And so our girls' trip was born.

Taking a trip with some friends may not seem at first glance much like investing in anything, but I am here to say that such a trip can reap great benefits  (think relaxation and total freedom to be you without interruptions) in your life.  While it does take some advance planning, getting such a trip to work out does not take a degree in rocket science.  Here are some general guidelines to make your trip a reality.

Starting Out

First things first, when the idea for a girls' trip hits you and you have a friend or two that show interest, decide who the invitation to said trip should be extended to and extend it.  The idea for our trip started in January with a tentative target date of late May or early June.  This gave the four of us (with very different schedules and lives) time to align the stars and take the trip from idea to reality.

Where To?

When you nail down a time that will work for everyone, throw out some ideas of where to go.  For us, it involved me coming from Buffalo, New York, and my friends striking out from the Kansas City, Missouri, area.  While our initial ideas included a cruise, a Vegas weekend or renting a beach house somewhere, our frugal and practical natures won us over when my friend offered up a family cabin nestled in the hills outside of Nashville, Tennessee.  It was about the same traveling distance for all of us, plus we could have it for free.  In short, it was a no-brainer.

Itinerary

It might help to have a discussion or two ahead of time regarding things to do when on the trip.  If anyone has been to your destination before, as had my friend, they can share their expertise and tips on what might be fun for the group.  You also might want to get a feel for your groups' needs.  Meaning, do you all just need a break (think massages, lots of eating out and general lounging-around time), or is the group looking for some excitement (dancing the night away after a day of whitewater rafting)?  Deciding on what kind of a trip everyone wants and needs before getting there can help eliminate the old what-do-you-want-to-do-I-don't-care-what-do-you-want-to-do debate that can needlessly eat up precious time.

Expenses

A little prep before hand in the cost category never hurt anyone, either.  Decide who will hold the room or put down a needed deposit.  If your group will have a shared expense like a rental car and/or gas money, devise a system now on how and when this will be paid for. 

Budgeting Ideas

If you have money to throw to the wind on your trip, then more power to you.  But it just wouldn't be one of my posts if I didn't say a few words about saving a few dimes.  Though none of us involved in the girls' trip are destitute, we all do come from hard-working, blue collar, midwest families who know the value of a dollar.  So having an offer for four nights at a cabin totally free of charge was an awesome way for us to stretch our vacation dollar.  We split gas money, and I nabbed a totally sweet deal ($80) on a flight to meet the gals in St. Louis.  Bottom line?  You don't have to head to an exotic local and spend tons of money to have a great time with great pals.

Final Thoughts

Our girls' trip was a total success.  I came back to my every day life very relaxed and refreshed from the time spent in the awesome company of my three oldest friends.  They do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder, and I believe this is true; returning to my hubby and girls was the icing on the cake.  The girls' trip: yet another way to invest in yourself that will reap long-lasting benefits.

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