Booming trend: getaways with your girlfriends

April 16th 2008

Women traveling with other women and leaving their boys at home has been a constant, fast-growing trend, and I'm not just talking about spring break trips or bachelorette parties.

Women more and more are taking beach trips, adventure trips and spa trips. Experts have noted that since 1993, the presence of women-only travel companies has increased 230 percent. Many of these women travelers are actually married and leave their hubbies at home. It's common for women to feel guilty about taking vacations sans mates, but their men often encourage their significant others to travel with their girlfriends and enjoy the activities husbands and boyfriends aren't interested in like cooking classes and shopping.

A spokesperson from Gutsy Women Travel said career minded women in their 30s and 40s are taking more vacation time with other women, and about 60 percent of business has come from women booking solo trips. Moreover, multigenerational travel has been a consistent trend. Baby boomers are traveling with their daughters and mothers.

Girl getaways and solo trips details a cultural shift not seen thirty years ago. Women didn't vacation without their families. A woman traveling without her husband signaled troubles at home. Clearly, that's not the case today. Women want their turn to kick off their shoes, relax their feet, and drink a nice cold one. Well deserved and about time, I say.