How to plan an amazing Girls Trip!

Traveling with friends can be done in any stage in life.  I highly encourage it, actually. Like any relationship, friendships take nurturing and there is no better way to create lasting memories than to travel.

That’s my biased opinion, anyway.   

Planning this recent Girl’s Trip for one of my dearest friends reminded me of all the good that comes from traveling with friends — as well as the potential pitfalls.

Let’s be honest for a second… traveling with multiple woman is sure to have it’s moments.  But you don’t have to shy away from creating lifelong memories just because you know that a group of females require a little extra love and attention. 

Here are a few ways you can set yourself up for success.

Destination

In my experience, the best girls trips are in destinations that allow for relaxing and adventure without being completely surrounded by couples on their honeymoon or smack in the middle of families on vacation.  Don’t get me wrong, some of my favorite honeymoon’s I’ve planned to date have been in Bali, but it’s a destination that can fit a lot of different molds if you plan it right.

Think about the group of friends that will be traveling together, and decide on a destination that will work best for those personalities. 

This group of women wanted to experience some adventure, but they also wanted to lay by the pool and sip a drink with an umbrella. They wanted beautiful scenery, and they also wanted amazing meals. It was up to me to find a spot that worked well for all of that. 

My friend chose Bali (with some encouragement from me) because she wanted a “bucket list” type trip for her 40th birthday. Could we have fun in Mexico? Sure. But this trip was one for the books, and I wanted to give her something that went beyond what she had experienced before.

We spent the first half of our trip by the beach in Seminyak, which is definitely a more lively and fast-paced location. This allowed for beach time, shopping, and eating at some fabulous restaurants before moving on to Ubud and seeing a totally different side of Bali. In Ubud we were able to experience culture and adventure, while also creating space for much needed relaxing. 

Activities

One of the best things about traveling with a group of your friends is experiencing things together.  Think of what makes that destination special and find activities that the group will enjoy and will give you a bonding experience. 

We absolutely loved our day trip to Nusa Penida. We hired a private boat and crew for the day which allowed us to have the day unfold in a way that worked well for us. It ended up being an experience far better than we had hoped for.

Another favorite was spending the day in a small village and learning about Balinese life. It was special for all of us and allowed us to bond not only with each other but with the Balinese people as well. 

Flow

The flow of a vacation is always important, but can be even more so when you are considering a group of friends and people with different personalities and energy levels. It was important for me to have planned activities, but also create space for people to have time to do what they wish.

I created an itinerary that outlined my vision for our time in Bali with some planned activities, and then plugged in ideas that were more suggestions — giving people the option to participate or not.  If you felt like you needed another afternoon of shopping instead of heading to the beach, that was no problem. 

I’m the type of person who likes being around people for a time, but I also need space to recharge on my own. I also really appreciate time on vacation for reflection and so I made sure to allow for that for myself and for others. There are other people who really enjoy being on the go the entire time and want to make sure they are doing as much as possible and that’s ok too.

This vacation fit the bill for each of us and that was the biggest reward for me. Believe me — I know planning travel for multiple people can be stressful. But that’s why considering getting someone to do the heavy lifting for you is such a fantastic idea. Imagine if your best girlfriends, or the few couples you now do life with could travel to amazing places together and everyone just had to say I’M IN and show up and enjoy themselves?!  

That’s what I can offer you with my services!  Contact me to chat more about it. And if you are traveling with your friends, with your significant other, or just with yourself, make sure you capture those memories! A great way to do that is with Flytographer -- and you'll get $25 off with this link! Some of these fab photos are from our Bali shoot!