What you need to know before planning a Girls Trip.

May 8, 2018
7 min read

It's no surprise I am in love with the world and traveling. My love all started when I was a little girl exploring different countries with my parents. Now I travel with my own little family and friends. Looking back, some of the most exciting trips have been with my closest girlfriends. It all started with "The sisterhood of the traveling pants" which I became completely obsessed with. It started to resonate in my real life. Every friendship has an evolution and it felt like my friends and I would travel at vital points in our lives. Some were through the most difficult times, others through some of the most amazing and best times. One thing stayed the same, it was us traveling and going on a journey to grow and soul search together. Sometimes, it has been spiritual journeys looking for answers and coming back with more, others its been to remember who we are just to find we are the same but have grown so much. It always looks so good in pictures, but behind those pictures are real stories and memories that only my sisterhood knows. It's harder to achieve than the pictures you often see. With each trip I have learned something different and hope I can make the next trip even better. This made me put some things together to make your next girl/Guys trip an unforgettable one, not a sour one. Hopefully this can inspire your next getaway with your girls/Guys.

1. Know who you are traveling with

I know, I know....this sounds cliché especially when this is a list of things you should know before traveling with your friends, However, just like relationships you might think you know the person until you go away with them or start living with someone. It's the nitty gritty stuff that even the best of friends sometimes don't know about each other. It could be sleeping habits, one person might be up at 5:00 a.m. and want to start their day while others are sleeping in until noon and miss the included breakfast with the hotel package. Some might love to keep going throughout the day while others need to rest and take cat naps. Some people are picky eaters or are ocd about their rooms, even hotel rooms or airbnb's. There are some friends who are worry bugs and high strung so certain stressful situations might be worse for them than other friends. All of these little things you might not know about someone can start aggravating people and end in arguments. to avoid this, get together and talk about every little thing that might concern you, and this includes sleeping arrangements and habits.

2.Money, Money, Money

Yes, I know it can be uncomfortable for some, or others might think it's TMI but from my experience with girl trips or any kind of trips financial stress is one of the reasons to put a rift in your plans. I have learned that communication with your friends is key to feeling comfortable and stress free during your awesome adventure. Make sure you talk about a budget and how much money everyone is planning on bringing. Also, talk about what your comfort levels are and how much you are willing to spend on things. Not everyone has the same amount of money to spend on fancy dinners and excursions, however, others should not feel limited while on vacation. Therefore communication is clear so that everyone is clear with others expectations and plans. one night you can go with someone else to that fancy dinner while others go to a less expensive place and meet up after. This eliminates the awkwardness and uncomfortable feeling for everyone. Talk about excursions, dinning, accommodations, and transportation so everyone is clear on what each person is comfortable spending.

3.What people really want to do or like to do

This one is like # 1 where it sounds obvious you should know what your girlfriends/family like to do, however, you would be surprised how many people have "horrible" girls trips because people don't agree on what they want to do or feel left out. You may think you know your best friend because you enjoy the same things and have been through everything with her.......until you are in Costa Rica and realize she doesn't want to do any zip lining or hiking because she hates the jungle and is afraid of monkeys or until you are planning a snorkeling trip the next morning just to find out she is a beach person but not an ocean person! lol Knowing these things will allow you to make compromises and an itinerary everyone can agree on before you are in paradise doing the things you don't really want to do.

4.Location and Dates Anyone?

I can't tell you how important it is to make sure everyone is happy with a location and date of trip. For a short domestic girls trip allow at least 3 months to plan and for an international trip you should have at least 6 months to plan a trip especially if it is your first. This will allow for people to request time off work or other life arrangements they need to make. It will also give you a good time frame in which to plan your finances for the trip if you haven't already. It also makes sure you have enough time to buy plane tickets and get the best deals according to when you buy and what time throughout the travel season. You want to make sure you do research on the weather and low and high seasons of the places you are planning to visit. Knowing in advance when you are traveling eliminates stress from not knowing when you will buy tickets and find accommodation. It's the first big step in committing to the trip. Also, a lot of places have early booker deals that can save your girls some money. Making sure everyone is happy on a location is also key for it saves resentment.

5.Who plays what role

Figure out who is good at certain things. We all have those friends that are better at planning events and committing to things. We also have those laid back friends that say they are up for anything and leave it in others hands. Whatever your friends are like, assign roles according to what people are best at. You might have a friend that loves to "plan" things but never has things in place or an itinerary ready when you are ready to meet. Obviously not the best planner, therefore appoint tasks. Look, Girl trips look like a lot of fun once you are 100 likes in on an IG post but it takes a lot of work and planning to get to that point. One person needs to be the booker, who reserves accommodations and restaurants/transportation. Another needs to make sure she communicates with people to put together an itinerary and have flight arrangements and schedules easily accessible. Maybe another is responsible for directions and photography on the trip. Work together to figure out these roles so everyone feels like they contributed to the success of the trip.

6.Don't invite too many people and keep it consistent

It's very simple. The more people you start inviting on your girls trip the more work you have. It doesn't necessarily mean that the more people going, the more help you have. Wrong! Most accommodations have a limit of people that can stay in a room or house and adding more people will force you to get 2 rooms or 2 houses which sounds more like a headache when you have to split everything but put it on one credit card. The more people you will have to chase for money, dates, yes or no answers, and more opinions. Once you have gone on more trips with the same girls it is also more comfortable because you have already learned what not to do from previous trips. More people mean more personalities and arguments. Keep it at an even 4 or less than 4 and you will be golden. It will be easier to split everything 4 ways and sharing is perfect with an even number.

7.Go with Spontaneous People

By spontaneous people , I mean people that are really up for anything. It is not the person who says they are spontaneous because they go to Taco Tuesday on a whim after work. I mean, it's the people who will travel to Zanzibar with you when you originally planned to go to the Bahamas! You have to be flexible because sometimes things don't happen the way they were planned and as a traveler my destination choses me, I don't chose the destination. It is also nice knowing that the people you travel with are down to do whatever and wont hold you back.

8.Plan your wardrobe!

No one likes to be left out! How would you feel if you were going to a day club in jeans and a tube top and your friends are in their boho rompers and strappy sandals? Or going in for a picture wearing a bathing suit with pizza designs while your friends all color coordinated in Lala Land primary colors? You definitely want to look good for your pictures and feel confident just like your friends. When all your friends feel good and happy, then you feel good and happy! Besides, you may only get that tan with those colors below the equator.

9.Leave your Ego home.

This one should be a given, right? Harder than you think when you get 4 strong minded, beautiful,and sassy women under one roof plus 4 margaritas later. If you do get into an argument, be the bigger person and let it go, like Elsa! It's not worth ruining a friendship or the rest of the trip for others because you get in a tiff with your bestie. You can deal with it later but not in paradise.

10.Sharing is Caring

Plan ahead to share certain items. You are girls and everyone can agree they will have to get ready at some point throughout the trip. This means a lot of the same items will be used. Try to eliminate taking things your friends will take and try to fit everything in one checked bag to cut cost or split cost. This will save a lot of room in your bags and sometimes money.

I hope this list can help you start thinking about that next trip with your friends or family and if you have any questions don't hesitate to reach out and ask! The next trip for the sisterhood of the traveling pants is next year and we are thinking of 3 different destinations. If you have any of your own ideas please share with me and visit my IG page @wanderlustmommy_. Now, Go Wander.