Luxury travel specialist, Sally Scott founder of alluxia.com shares her Top 10 Travel Tips for Organising a Girls’ Getaway.
Hands up if you’ve tried organising a bunch of friends for a girls’ getaway? If you’re the chief organiser in your group, you’ll know it’s a tough job to decide on a destination that suits everyone’s style and budget. But with a little organising, you can plan a girls’ getaway that is memorable and inspiring, allowing plenty of quality time with your friends.
Here’s our Travel Tips for organising a Girl’s Getaway:
1. Choose your tribe
This might sound obvious, but choosing the right mix of personalities is an important factor for a harmonious weekend getaway. Consider whether there are any conflicts in your group and choose a blend of personalities that is likely to bring an injection of fun & adventure to your group. Ask yourself: who shares my interests, has a similar energy level and makes me laugh? That person is likely to be an ideal candidate for your travel tribe.
2. Commit to a date & time
Send an invitation with specific dates and details; otherwise if you keep it vague (“Hey, was thinking of going to Byron Bay in September, who wants to come?” the response will be equally vague.
3. Set a budget
Be honest and upfront about how much each person is likely to pay over the course of the weekend and choose an amount that works for everyone. Discuss how costs will be divided and aim for fairness. Ask everyone to pay for the accommodation in advance to gain commitment; otherwise even your best friend might leave you high and dry. For everything else, our advice is to pay the lot and then divvy up at the end.
4. Share the organising
Delegate tasks to each person right from the start to share the organising duties. Look at everyone’s experience and connections and nominate say the foodie friend to research great restaurants, the culture vulture to suggest entertainment etc. Keep everyone in the loop by creating a private Facebook group or other online centralised system.
5. Make it an event
If the lure of relaxation isn’t enough, theme your trip around an event or special occasion such as a milestone birthday, food & wine festival, sporting event or music festival.
6. Find the perfect accommodation
Having everyone together in a holiday house rather than separated in hotel rooms will make a huge difference to your getaway experience. Having everyone under one roof creates a fun vibe and shares the costs across the whole group. Make sure there is a decent kitchen, a deck to slouch around on and plenty of living quarters if people need to escape to a quiet corner. Organise a girls’ night in for one night and cook up a storm! There’s nothing better than a shared table and perhaps choose a signature cocktail for the weekend.
Some great options to check out are:
Byron Bay: Vantage over Byron – completely wow factor with infinity edge pool and 5 bedrooms
Gold Coast: Shambhala @ Mermaid with lap pool, 4 bedrooms and walk to the beach.
Blue Mountains: Mountain Whispers for cosy fireplace and private onsite day spa studio
Hunter Valley: The Vintry is a great base for a wine tasting weekend
Or check out these girls’ getaways or ask an alluxia travel specialist for tips and recommendations.
7. Agree on the sleeping arrangements
If you opt to rent a holiday house, work out who’ll be sleeping where before you go. Request a floor plan and if there is a master bedroom, perhaps reward the organiser or birthday girl for example with this room. Don’t do first-come-first-served as it may annoy people. If there is a snorer, restless sleeper or early riser, discuss how to comfortably cater to everyone’s quirks.
8. Plan…but not too much
If you’re going out for dinner, make a reservation for your group and scope out the nightlife in advance, so you’re not traipsing around wasting precious dancing and dining time. Depending on what destination you choose, you might like to organise an activity, day spa treatments or day tour to experience the destination to its fullest. Whatever you choose, don’t over plan, the best weekends away are often the restful ones, where you can relax and reconnect with your friends…over a cocktail or two is even better!
9. Food, glorious food
You’ll want to organise some fabulous food for your group to keep them wined & dined in style for your mini-break. If you’re all escaping the city on a Friday afternoon, inevitably someone will be late. Don’t sweat it and organise catering for a girls’ night in for the first night so it doesn’t matter what time everyone arrives, you can graze all night on delicious platters of food and some Champagne. Keep costs down by cooking breakfast at the holiday house and create a roster for each meal so everyone knows what they are responsible for and everyone shares the cooking responsibilities.
10. Break from Technology
This might be a tough one, especially if you’re in a stunning Instagram worthy destination, but agree to limit phoning, texting, emailing and social media. Work can wait; your family know how to get in touch with you in an emergency so focus on being present for one another. You can always post that selfie later…
These travel tips have been submitted to Virgin Australia in association with Problogger PBEvent, highlighting our Top Travel Tips.
Image credit: Pinterest, IG @alluxia, Vantage over Byron, Bells at KillcareYou Might Also Like: Ten Best Getaways from Sydney
