#1 DECIDE ON THE SIZE OF THE GROUP
The size of your group and who will join your girls getaway, is arguably one of the most important steps to planning an unforgettable girls trip. This is the first order of business to getting your trip in the works.
The problem with girls trips is that people inevitably feel left out. That is why it’s important to establish who will go before you go further with the planning process. Your best bet to avoid any hurt feelings or leaving anybody out is to either go with a big group and invite all your girl friends you can think of, or make it more intimate and keep it small. Think two close friends maximum.
There’s always a risk of leaving people out and causing drama. To avoid this, keep the girls trip between your closest friends, or let everybody in your friend group go who wants to come. Pick a group size and stick to it.
The worst thing on vacation is drama, so choose the size of your girls group wisely and really think about what will make this trip the most memorable. Will it be more fun if your whole friend group goes, including those you’re not incredibly close to? Or will it be more enjoyable if it’s only you and your best friend? Choose wisely.
#2 DECIDE ON A BUDGET
The next step to planning an unforgettable girls trip is deciding on a budget. Planning a trip with friends is different than planning a solo or family trip. You need to take everyone’s budgets into consideration for the trip to go smoothly.
Once you decide who’s going, ask each person what their budget is. Everyone is going to have a different amount they are willing to pay or are comfortable with, and it’s part of the planning process to determine a number that works for everyone.
Be understanding of everyone’s different needs, different financial situations, and different vacation budgets. Once you have everyone’s budget, pick a number that will work for everybody. That way, you can start estimating costs as you search for possible destinations, accommodations, and things to do on your trip.
#3 DECIDE ON A TIME OF YEAR
The third step to planning an unforgettable girls trip is deciding when this trip will take place. Everyone has different work schedules, availability, and amounts of vacation time. If the girls trip is going to work for all parties, you have to make sure to plan well in advance.
Make sure everyone is available to go. Ask what months would be best to travel and try to come up with a time that will work for everybody.
Mark your calendars and give people time to take off work and make arrangements for whatever time of year you all want to travel. Pick a time of year and give everyone plenty of time to plan!
#4 DECIDE ON A DURATION FOR THE TRIP
The next step to planning an unforgettable girls trip is deciding the duration of the getaway. Once you’ve picked a time of year and determined everyone’s availability, you need to decide how long this trip will be.
Will it be a weekend trip? A week long getaway? Or several weeks of vacation and fun? Depending on you and your friends’ flexibility, stage of life, and budget, the duration of the trip can really vary.
Just make sure the duration of the trip works for everyone who plans to go before you decide on a place or book any accommodations.
#5 CREATE A LIST OF POSSIBLE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
Deciding where to go is one of the most challenging steps when planning an unforgettable girls trip. How do you pick one place that will make everyone happy? It’s tough, which is why you should try to all make individual lists of where you want to go.
Make sure the places you list are realistic with the duration of the trip. It wouldn’t make sense to go to Paris for a weekend getaway when the flight there and back would be longer than the trip itself. Whatever places you decide to list, make sure they’re realistic with the time frame you have to travel.
Start by listing seven places you want to go and list your priorities too. Do you want to sight see, shop, lounge in the sun, hike, party? Having a list of places and priorities will help you and your girl friends decide on a place that fits everyone’s interests.
#6 WORK TOGETHER TO RANK YOUR TOP THREE TRAVEL DESTINATIONS
Now that you all have a list of places and priorities, take a look at everyone’s ideas. Look for similar places on your lists and similar priorities. Does your friend list only places that are warm with beaches? Maybe their list includes major cities with lots to do and explore?
When comparing your lists, try to identify places with common themes. This will help you decide on a few places that will fit everyone’s interests.
Once you’ve crossed out some destinations, you can talk things over and try to come up with three places you all would be happy traveling to. Rank your top three places. Having three options gives you some flexibility incase the first choice doesn’t work out.
#7 DISCUSS EVERYONE’S NEEDS
Before you can book your girls trip, you need to take everyone’s needs into account. Discuss travel non-negotiables.
Does your friend or yourself require someplace accessible? Do you or your friend have a medical condition that could interfere with traveling a long distance? Is easy access to medical services in case of an emergency, a major concern?
Does everyone have a passport or are they willing to get one if you all decide to travel overseas? Is anyone going to have to work remotely while on vacation? How important is it to prioritize safety? These are all questions you need to ask yourself and your friends before you go ahead and book the trip.
#8 PICK SOMEONE TO BOOK YOUR STAY
The last step to planning an unforgettable girls trip is picking someone to do the booking. This is a big responsibility so make sure whoever takes this on, is willing and has experience with it.
They’ll need to research accommodations that fit everyone’s budgets and communicate with all parties before booking the stay.
Appointing someone to do the booking can help keep the trip organized. Just make sure whoever takes on this role communicates well and is organized, to help the trip planning process go as smoothly as possible.