LakeAustin – Lead. Travel. Pray.

Show Notes:

1. What are positive benefits of Girls Trips?

rest & relaxation
catching up with friends
time for self (escaping daily work and parenthood demands)
Elizabeth Lombardo lists more benefits in her book “A Happy You: Your Ultimate Prescription for Happiness“

2. Why do we feel guilty about taking Girls Trips? What are other obstacles?

Mom guilt is hard to overcome but it is worth it for the whole family for Mom to get a quick recharge
Money and time are other challenges
Prioritizing self vs family or home expenses and spending money on self vs family//home

3. How to overcome obstacles?

Start small – consider a driving trip that is only a few hours from home and not as costly
Divide and conquer on the tasks
Make a goal to get away and budget ahead for the trip
Decide how you want to split costs and track spending

4. How are Girls Trips different than other trips?

Sometimes I don’t do much planning at all…it’s so rare to just “show up” as many people share the burden of planning.
Less stress only worrying only about myself (and cheaper than taking the whole family!!)

5. Girls Trip Favorites:

Best trips for large groups?

Rebecca – somewhere near home so more people can afford to go
Michelle – a retreat hotel with a lot of variety in options
Sandy – consider vacation home rental with a lot of bedrooms and common shared space

Budget-friendly?

Rebecca – Vegas (#sorrynotsorry) – recommend Priceline for good hotel deals
Michelle – Driving trips with nearby free festivals or museums
Sandy – Visit friends and take advantage of some nights with no hotel; Pagosa Springs was a recent favorite near a friend’s house in Colorado Springs

Most relaxing?

Best city?

Quick and impactful?

Rebecca – French Lick, Indiana & Downtown Indy (where we get to mention riding elephants again…oh, and a biofreeze massage)
Michelle – Sarasota & Epcot Food and Wine Festival (Orlando)
Sandy – short cruise from Florida to Bahamas

Spiritual rejuvenation?

All time favorite?

Next up?

6. Parting advice on taking a fabulous girls trip?

Save a date and book well in advance; unless you pay upfront for a hotel, you can usually cancel very close to your travel dates without penalty
Create a schedule of events with variety; make plans that suit nearly everyone’s needs and then just go with the flow – not everyone may want to do everything and that’s ok
Agree on a budget and secure some of the costs so you have real commitment
Don’t sweat the details – you’ll have a blast even if some small things go wrong