7 Travel Tips for Planning the Perfect Getaway With Friends
If you have long-distance besties, you know that even the best keeping-in-touch apps and shared pizza slice BFF necklaces can only go so far. You need serious downtime with your ladies, and for good reason. Perhaps you’ve been itching to travel the globe after being inspired by these female travelers. Or you’d rather spend your hard-earned moolah on great experiences with your friends than buying a bunch of stuff. Either way, it is high time for your next ladies’ adventure. Before you book your plane tickets, here are some suggestions for making the most of your gal pal getaway.
1. Pick your destination. If you and your friends live in different places, try choosing a locale that’s central to all of you. Or if you and your girl gang love hanging on the beach, opt for sunny skies and blue waters. Discuss a few different places you’d like to go and see which one suits you all best. These travel blogs will make it hard to choose just one place to go.
2. Book flights that get in around the same time. If your flight to San Francisco lands at 8am but your peeps get in around 8pm, you either have some time to kill at the airport or you can explore on your own until they land. But if you coordinate travel times, you won’t have to wait long and you’ll get more time to chill together.
3. Plan activities you all will enjoy. Maybe your bestie is a hiking aficionado but you detest long walks in the woods. Compromise with a shorter hike and then plan an activity that you’d love to do. If you’re all about art museums, but your friends would rather picnic in the park, do a short museum tour then lounge lazily in the nearest green space.
4. Make a list of local restaurants you want to try together. Do you and your friends base your vacay around food? Research the best finds on Yelp or FoodSpotting and cultivate a list of delicious, must-try culinary destinations. If there’s a large number in your group, make reservations ahead of time so you’re not stuck waiting for an available table.
5. Find a local day spa for some serious pampering. Nothing is more relaxing than lounging in a hot tub or sauna and chatting with your friends. Many day spas offer half-day packages that you can book with your friends. Plan similar treatment times (like three or four hours) so you’re there for the same amount of time. And try to find a spa that offers a nice lounge area or a pool that you can relax in if you and your girls want to luxuriate all day long. We are super relaxed just looking at this one at the Blue Lagoon in Iceland. (Photo via Blue Lagoon)
6. Rent a house. If you are a group of three or more, rent an entire house, condo, apartment or glammed-out tent via Airbnb. You’ll have way more space than a hotel room. If you split the cost three ways, it might actually be cheaper than a fancy hotel. Plus, if there’s a full-sized kitchen, you can cook some fun meals together. (Photo via Airbnb)
7. Take plenty of pics. You’ll want to remember this trip for a long time, so snap lots of group selfies and document every day. Ask tourists to take your picture in front of a local hot spot. It might seem cheesy at the time, but when you’re home and flipping through those pics, it’ll be like you’re with your BFFs all over again.
Would you love to go on a vacay with your BFFs? If so, where would you and your friends want to go? Tell us in the comments!
