BloggerBorneo.com – More women are carving out time to travel with intention and often, with each other.
Whether it’s for a birthday, a career milestone, or simply to unwind, weekend getaways with close friends are becoming less of a luxury and more of a necessity.
New Hotspot for Girls Weekend Getaways
These get-togethers allow you and your girlfriends to have fun, catch up, and strengthen your bond with them.
A recent Skyscanner travel report revealed that nearly half of travellers have already taken a group trip to celebrate a special occasion, and 28% said they plan to do so in the future.
What’s particularly notable is that many of these trips are being initiated and led by women, a powerful reflection of evolving priorities in modern travel.
In the Middle East, one destination in particular is seeing a quiet surge in popularity: Abu Dhabi.
With its mix of cultural attractions, wellness havens, desert adventures, world-class dining, and even the best water theme park in the UAE, the capital is proving ideal for short but meaningful escapes.
If you’re planning your own girls’ getaway, here are six practical tips to help make it unforgettable.
1. Initiate and Engage in Regular Group Discussions
The perfect girls’ weekend getaway requires plenty of planning and discussions. As such, be ready to spend a lot of time speaking with your friends days or weeks before your short vacation.
If possible, meet your friends for lunch or dinner to talk about and start planning your trip. Speaking with them personally can make it easier for everyone to choose and agree on departure dates and times, modes of transportation, accommodation, and activities.
This can also make it easy for everyone to assume roles and responsibilities if you need to hand them out.
2. Set Your Theme for Your Getaway
Two days is usually not enough for an enjoyable, fun-filled vacation with your friends, particularly if Abu Dhabi is your destination, since there are many places to visit and things to do here.
You and your friends can make an itinerary that works for everyone by setting your theme for your getaway first.
Speak with your friends about the activities you want to do on your getaway. Does everyone want to go on adventures or visit theme parks? Or is unwinding and de-stressing the top priority? Or does your group want to do both?
When your group has established the theme, you’ll have an easier time choosing activities and where to experience them. You can also make a better decision regarding your accommodation.
3. Come Up with a Consensus on a Per-head Budget
Money can be a big point of contention when planning a weekend getaway with your friends.
In most cases, everyone’s budget will ultimately decide your group’s destination and itinerary. Because of this, you and your friends should discuss this as early as possible.
This means asking everyone the budget they can afford for the trip.
If you already have a theme for the getaway, create a list of the expected or possible expenses for the trip. Share this with your friends to know if they can come up with the budget for it.
With sufficient discussion and planning, you and your friends can come up with a per-head budget everyone can work with, and let you have a memorable getaway.
4. Limit Your Recommendations
One way you can make planning your girls’ weekend getaway easier and more efficient is by limiting the choices you suggest for your trip and itinerary.
As the organizer, take the time to study and narrow down your recommendations to the best three or four options for your accommodation, restaurants, activities, and attractions you want to visit.
Avoid including suggestions you are sure won’t fit into the agreed-upon budget.
Keep in mind that if you give your friends a long list of options, it will take them longer to decide and make it harder for everyone to agree on one.
Following this tip also lessens your work significantly.
5. Include an Activity You and Your Friends Have Never Tried Before
Part of the magic of group getaways is stepping outside the usual. Try adding an activity your group has never done, like indoor skydiving in the world’s biggest indoor flight chamber, a race track driving session, or kayaking near a museum.
These shared firsts often become the most talked-about moments.
6. Be Flexible
Even if you have a plan and an itinerary that everyone agreed on before your weekend getaway, unexpected things can happen that can affect your trip.
The restaurant you want to try might be closed for an event, your spa reservation may be canceled unexpectedly, or you may miss out on a great sale at a mall.
Regardless of what puts a crimp on your plans, be flexible. There are plenty of other things you can do to replace these activities and have fun and bond with your girlfriends.
Conclusion
Additionally, keep an open mind throughout your trip. This will help you and your friends get more out of your getaway and enjoy your time together.
Constant communication with your friends is crucial for an epic, memorable girls’ weekend getaway.
When you share your plans and get the agreement of your girlfriends, your vacation with them will be one for the books. (DW)