WHERE TO GO:  When the “Big City” beckons, you succumb.  Cities like Boston, Manhattan, Philadelphia and Washington, DC offer sightseeing, spas and shopping by day. Nightlife choices are even more abundant, with theater, nightclubs, bars, and restaurants representing culinary influences from around the world.

In NYC, reserve a table your favorite celebrity chef’s restaurant, see a Broadway show, or go clubbing.  Boston’s Harbor Walk provides endless sightseeing and recreational options, from biking and boating to beaches. The work of planning a busy Philadelphia trip has already been done for you, with nearly 30 different themed itineraries and tours on the gophila.com website. 

Smaller cities offer just as much fun, as well as value. In Burlington, VT, Church Street is a pedestrian thoroughfare lined with stores, coffee shops, and boutiques. Lake Champlain offers great recreation in, on, and near the water.  The views from the 3.5 mile “Cliff Walk” in Newport, RI include the Gilded Age mansions where “girlfriends” lived back in the day...if their husbands were millionaires!  In Maryland, Baltimore’s Inner Harbor is the hub of cultural activity and entertainment.  The Water Taxi takes you to nearly 20 sites around the harbor for less than $10.00 a person.

WHERE TO STAY:  Girlfriends, know that hotel and inns love you.  There are packages practically everywhere which cater to the steadily growing market of all-women traveling groups.  Check your hotel’s website for packages, or ask a reservations agent when you book your stay.

Case in point: the “Sex and the City Pajama Party Package” at The Muse Hotel in NYC.  You don’t have to love the TV show to appreciate the indulgent extras, like in-room massages, midnight milk and cookies, and breakfast in bed, as well as a tour of popular locations from the program. 

In Freeport, ME, for example, a “Getaway with the Girls!” package allows you to take over any or all of the seven guest rooms within the Kendall Tavern Bed and Breakfast, an early 1800's farmhouse. It’s within walking distance to over 140 shops and eateries in Freeport Village.

WHAT TO DO:  Two words: retail therapy.  Shopaholics should consider outlet destinations like Reading, PA or Rehoboth Beach, DE, especially enticing for their lack of sales tax.  Freeport, ME and North Conway, NH include the charm of New England at no extra cost.

If shopping is just too strenuous, a few days at the spa may offer the “zen” you’re looking for.  The Inn & Spa at East Wind in the Hamptons offers a “Spa-Jama Party” overnight escape with treatments and spa cuisine included with overnight accommodations.  Other destinations take you further in the direction of health and fitness. The “Body By Design” package at the The Inn Keeper’s Place Bed and Breakfast in Stafford Springs, CT includes accommodations, gym passes, and homemade, healthy shakes and meals.  The Inn at the Shore in Belmar, NJ offers a “Biggest Loser” package with access to a full service health and fitness spa with indoor pool and tennis courts.

When the focus in your group is on food (when isn’t it?), take a culinary road trip. Attend a cooking school within an inn, like the Captain Freeman Inn on Cape Cod, MA, or Haley Farm B&B and Retreat Center in Oakland, MD. Or set out on a day of wine tasting along a winery trail in your region of choice, such as the Connecticut Wine Trail, the Seneca Lake Wine Trail in New York’s Finger Lakes, or any of the seven distinct wine trails throughout the state of New Jersey.
 
If your posse prefers adventure travel, work with a tour company which arranges group hiking trips, like New England Hiking Holidays.  Their five-day Virginia expedition covers Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Adventures in Good Company offers two different women-only guided hiking trips in New Hampshire’s White Mountains, among many other destinations.


DID YOU KNOW?  You can set your trip to some great girl music!  Before your next girlfriend getaway, load up your mp-3 with some of these CD’s: “Road Trip Memories,” a compilation of classic rock hits from the 50’s to 70’s; the “Girlfriends” original soundtrack of leading R&B singers; the “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” original soundtrack of 80’s pop hits; “Ultimate Girl Groups,” an import compilation of U.S. and U.K. artists; the “Thelma & Louise” original motion picture soundtrack; The Rolling Stone Women In Rock Collection, a box set of nearly 50 tracks; and the “VH1 Divas Live” concert compilation.

Tips for dividing the work to share in the fun!

DIVIDE AND CONQUER: Before setting out on your Girlfriend’s Getaway, everyone should choose (or be assigned) one of these roles, to prevent duplication and over-packing. 

Only one person in your party should:
    …pack sunscreen, bug repellent, and other bulky necessities which can be  
     shared.
  … compile a list of everyone’s cell phone number, and make sure everyone has it.
  …order and hold onto the travel guides, maps, and brochures.
  …take a collection for group expenses, like gas, taxis, admission tickets, housekeeping    
      gratuities, etc.
  …make restaurant reservations.
 … bring the calculator, and figure who owes what at each meal.