How to plan a girls trip?

I’ve been on several girls trip in which I have encountered the good, the bad, the fun, and the ugly. So here is my advice to keep you sane when personalities clash, and there are too many opinions.

First, have you ever wanted to plan an all-girls trip, and the invite always starts with 20 people, but once it’s time to pay only five people will confirm. LOL. The planning stage is the hardest part, so many decisions, how much do I want to spend, where do I want to stay, and what is the purpose of the trip.

I don’t plan for everyone who says they are interested, I plan for those who pay. During the planning stages, choose your form of communication so that everyone is on the same page. I use a free app called GroupMe; it allows everyone to be involved during the process and also a way to communicate throughout the trip.

Planning Stage

Create a budget, including how much everyone would like to spend on the entire trip; this includes air travel, lodging, food, nightlife, tours, and events. To make the voting process easy when selecting a destination, allow everyone to choose two places they would like to visit. Most votes win, and it’s just that simple. I have found this method to be quicker in eliminating too many options and opinions to finalize a destination. Next, your group needs to decide if you would like to book with a travel agent or book it yourselves.

Mock Travel Guide

Select your desired state, city, or country.
Select dates for the trip
Preferred means of travel: train, car or airplane
Choose a hotel or Airbnb (Click on the link for a free credit to stay) I prefer Airbnb because they are ideal for a girls trip, you can rent out an entire home and have all of the space you need.
Here is a sample of what a girls trip itinerary should look like (trust me, you will thank me later).

Mock Activity Guide
Day 1-3 (weekend trip)

• Breakfast/brunch (try local and tourist)
• Museum tour /sightseeing tour/ beach/historical learning facts about the place/ spa/ yoga or dance class/ shopping/ free walking tours/ shopping/ relax and read a book/ nature trail (during this time select one of the following)
• Lunch ( try something local)
• (activity)
• Dinner
• Sisterhood time (optional) depending on the purpose of the trip, dedicate a day or time strictly for bonding. Let it out girl, tell your friends what’s going on (celebrate a milestone, ask questions, gossip, encourage each other and enjoy the company of your girls. (challenge: No cell phones, social media, or television allowed). I cherish moments like this because it makes the friendship stronger.
• Nightlife ( visit one night with the locals and then visit where the tourist go)
  This mock guide is helpful when you are trying to accomplish so much in a little amount of time.

Keep in mind when you are planning for a “girls trip” that everyone has an agenda. Some may want to party as soon as they land, others may want to get some sleep or have some quiet time. You may even have those who follow everything on the itinerary but don’t get mad if someone doesn’t want to participate in everything.

When traveling, I’m mostly down for everything that’s in my budget. I remind myself of this each time I go on a girl’s trip; I am going to have fun regardless. Once you get over this, trust me everything will be smoother, and each person would have met their girls trip goal.

My girls trip experiences have been epic in the past, although we all have different personalities, we are willing to step out of our comfort zone and expose ourselves to new things. So I aim to have an adventure filled with laughter, memories, and more.

The goal of a girl’s trip, in my opinion, is a time to relax, reflect on life, catch up, gather encouragement and inspiration from others.