One of my favorite movies and books is The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood. I’m so lucky to have my own group of Ya-Ya’s and we’ve been friends for over 30 years, some of us over 40 years if you go back to grade school years. Every year, we try to plan a girl’s getaway weekend, and it’s something we all look forward to. So much has changed (marriages, babies, locations) but these ladies are a reliable constant in my life and are like sisters to me. We’re now scattered from the Southwest to the Northeast and have added 4 husbands and 9 children to the mix. (Although a girlfriend’s weekend doesn’t include husbands or kids, or it wouldn’t be a getaway!)

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Early Girlfriends Getaway

Our first “official” girl’s getaway was a short road trip to the Chicago-area Great America Amusement Park, where we all crammed ourselves into 1 cheap, dingy hotel room. There were a lot of those low-budget trips early on, followed by destination weddings, hometown reunions, and honest-to-god vacations. Not everyone can make it every year, but we’ve managed to keep this tradition going for 30 years now. (yeah, do the math, we’ve been out of high school a while.) Each year, we vote on the following year’s destination and we’ve racked up some pretty good miles over the years.

Looking back on those trips, here are some of my favorite places we’ve gotten together. We all agree that it’s the company that makes the trip and it doesn’t really matter where we are, but for a travel junkie like me, seeing a new place is the icing on the cake!

Kauai Girls’ Trip

More recently, I had a great offer from the Marriott Vacation Club to stay at the Westin Princeville on Kauai, so I invited my girls to join me. I had previously stayed on Kauai’s south shore, which I prefer, but this was a fantastic girls’ trip! We pretty much followed my Kauai Itinerary and had a blast exploring this beautiful island for five days.

The highlight of our trip was definitely the Na Pali Coast tour in a Zodiac raft! Book this awesome day trip at Viator!

Chicago Girls Getaway

I spent many of my post-college years living in Chicago, 16 of them to be exact. As a major airline hub, and the 3rd largest city in the US, it’s an easy meeting spot, so I have hosted more than one girlfriend’s weekend in my adopted hometown. We have done street festivals, dinner cruises on Lake Michigan, Cubs games, bar hopping, and museums. Most recently, we got together to celebrate a Cubs World Series win, along with 5 million other fans. Chicago is the perfect destination for any girlfriend’s getaway as it has so much to offer. (Bonus: you don’t need a car to get around – with six in our group, we usually need two cars or an expensive SUV – not needed in Chicago)

Check out my neighborhood guide to decide where to stay in Chicago!

Lake Geneva, Wisconsin

Lake Geneva is a weekend destination a few hours outside of Chicago. The lakeshore is lined with mansions that once belonged to Chicago’s elite families, like the Wrigley’s. We used VRBO to rent a house in town and spent the weekend grilling out, imbibing on many cocktails, and cruising the small town looking for trouble. Lake Geneva is a quieter spot for a girlfriend’s getaway, but renting a house to chill with your besties is never a bad idea!

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Las Vegas, Nevada

Every gaggle of girls ends up in Vegas at some point, usually for a bachelorette party. One of our girls held a destination wedding in Vegas so it was a great excuse to meet up in Sin City. Everyone needs to experience Vegas at least once, so why not grab your best girls and check it out?

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Mona Corona has tips on how to have the ultimate Vegas girls trip!

Southwest US Road Trip

I was planning a solo road trip through the Southwest US and to my surprise, the girls wanted to come along. We hatched the plan in the wee hours at a bar and 15 years later, we still laugh about the drunken phone call Olivia received well after midnight, with 4 of us screaming into the phone: “WE’RE GOING TO THE GRAND CANYON!” Instead of our usual weekend trip, 4 of us managed a full week, and a 5th joined us for a few days. We flew in and out of Vegas, hitting the South Rim of the Grand Canyon, Sedona, and Zion & Bryce National Parks. They even joined me for an overnight backpack down into the canyon. You know it’s true friendship when someone is willing to schlep a 40-pound pack with you! The southwest US has no shortage of fun and is also great place for a girls’ spa weekend.

For a shorter weekend with more relaxation, I can’t recommend Red Mountain Resort in St. George enough!

Our Southwest road trip left a big impact on me, and when I took a career break, I spent a lot of time in the Southwest, and eventually moved to Tucson for a couple of years, followed by Utah, where I have been living in Park City since 2020! This was my all-time favorite trip with my girls, and the Southwest USA is my all-time favorite place to travel. Heck, I hardly even get on a plane anymore because there’s just too much to see right here in Utah!

Girls Weekend in Austin, Texas

One of our girls lived in Austin for a few years so we took the opportunity to head down and check it all out. We were shocked by the unseasonably cold and wet weather but still had fun in this city known for live music and BBQ. A girls’ getaway in Austin can be chill, laidback sightseeing, or dancing the night away in one of the many honky-tonks. Whatever you’re up for, you’ll never run out of things to see in Austin!

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Stowe, Vermont

Our Austin girl later moved to New Hampshire and we all agreed we wanted to see Vermont in the fall. We spent two days up in Stowe, at the Green Mountain Inn, exploring country roads and this small ski town, stumbling upon the Trapp Family Lodge, and hitting up the Ben & Jerry's factory for a tour and free samples.  We also spent a night in Burlington to check out the foodie scene. There is so much to do here, I would love to come back and spend some time around Lake Champlain. I was surprised at how short the flight from Chicago to Burlington was.

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Asheville, North Carolina

Asheville is a great location for a girls' meetup, centrally located for those of us in the Midwest or East Coast. We used VRBO again to find a cabin in the woods where we could kick back and catch up. We visited Biltmore, which was super fun, but I think we spent the rest of the weekend in our PJs.  

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Ft Lauderdale, Florida

We have actually had two trips to Ft Lauderdale - first for a wedding, and again a few years later when our Miami friend had new twin babies and wanted to be reasonably close to home. FTL is a calmer, more casual alternative to super-hip Miami, although we stayed at "The W" last time and I remember feeling a little old for that scene, haha! We were more interested in the dessert menu at the Cheesecake Factory than the clubs on that trip!

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New Mexico Girls Trip

Our most recent girlfriend getaway was a weekend in New Mexico. We planned the trip around the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta, and after that, headed up to Santa Fe for a couple of nights.

We hardly saw any of Santa Fe, as we took our time driving up there from Albuquerque and we spent our one full day visiting Bandelier National Monument and Ojo Caliente Hot Springs. In retrospect, we all agreed that we should have just stayed right at Ojo Caliente and soaked in the hot springs the whole time. It's a great destination for a girl's spa weekend, and I wouldn't be surprised if that one gets added to our repeat list!

Hot springs resorts make awesome girlfriend getaway destinations!

Upcoming Girls Trips

Our next girl's trip is planned to coincide with the Chicago Cubs Spring Training in Arizona. I'm looking forward to catching up with my girlies and escaping winter, enjoying good food in Scottsdale, and catching a couple of Cubs games along the way. I'm also hoping we have time to visit a few of my favorite Phoenix Museums, too!

Our 50th birthdays are quickly approaching, and I hope we do something great! The girls did a Caribbean cruise for our 40th birthdays, but I missed out as I had planned my solo trip to Thailand and Cambodia for the same time. I think Iceland would be a super fun trip to celebrate our mid-century milestones, but we'll have to vote on it this spring when we get together in Scottsdale.

Tips for Girlfriends Getaway

• Don't try to cram too much in - we spend hours lying around chatting before ever leaving the hotel in the morning. Sometimes the traveler in me gets anxious as I want to get out and see stuff, so it's good to adjust your expectations ahead of time. I have to remind myself that these trips are about catching up with old friends; whatever you see along the way is an added bonus.
• Be clear about costs upfront. Our group is all over the map when it comes to income and spending (or saving) habits. It's definitely caused some kinks but I try to be clear way upfront about how much things should cost. When we choose certain destinations, such as Austin or Albuquerque, it's with the understanding that those are not destinations regularly found on the cheap flight list.
• Don't be afraid to split up. Not everyone loves the same things - some of us love hiking, others shopping, etc. Of course, a girls' weekend is about hanging out together, but that doesn't have to mean 24/7 - it's ok if a few girls want to peel off and take a tour or a hike, while others chill back at the house. The most important thing is to be flexible and go with the flow.

Do you and your girls take girlfriend weekends? What's your go-to spot?