The Ultimate Girl’s Weekend for Millennials
Let’s be honest, when you think about a girl’s weekend away, it could go a lot of different ways. If you are in your early 20s you might be a little more interested in the party/going-out/dancing/ “you can’t day drink if you don’t start in the morning” scenes.
If you’re in your 30s there’s a good chance your group of friends consists of some moms, directors of departments or managers of teams, household managers, small business owners, and more. During this stage in your life, you might be looking for a different type of girl’s weekend - one that consists of comfortable beds, big showers, delicious food (that’s cooked for you), pampering, and laying by a pool.
I recently planned a girls’ trip to Oregon for a group of my high school girlfriends. The goals of our trip were to:
Connect with each other
Rest, relax and rejuvenate
Eat good food & drink good, local wine
Sleep in comfortable beds (that we had to ourselves)
Move our bodies
Get pampered
For me, this trip was the first time away from my baby. I wanted to be sure it was an experience that would leave my cup filled so I could go home and be the best version of myself.
Not ALL millennials might agree, here are the 8 elements I would incorporate to plan the ultimate girls’ weekend for you and your friends.
DETERMINE YOUR GOALS/THEME
Do you want to relax? Explore? Eat good food and drink good wine? Get pampered the entire weekend? Lie by a pool? Determine how you all want to FEEL after your weekend away. Then, determine what activities might allow you to feel this way. For example, if you would like to feel creative, you might want to spend some time in nature, or exploring a new city. If you want to not think about cooking for two days, you might want to hire in a personal chef or make reservations at some good local restaurants.
ALLOCATE ONE PLANNER
In order to actually plan something, it’s usually beneficial to appoint one person as the planner. I have no issue being this person not only because I’m a retreat planner for a living, but because I genuinely enjoy what I do and want to create these experiences and share them with my friends. There are tons of apps out there like Venmo, Splitwise, Paypal, and more where you can easily keep track of your spending and have your friends pay you back quickly.
DETERMINE THE BUDGET
Everyone is going to feel comfortable spending varying amounts of money. Ask each individual what they would feel comfortable spending on the entire weekend and try to stick to that budget.
SELECT A LOCATION
Depending on the budget, this will determine the type of location and lodging you can afford. For us, a location in the woods that was surrounded by nature, good hikes, our own bedrooms, and multiple bathrooms were key priorities. We were willing to spend more on our Airbnb because we knew we’d be cooking most of our meals there, and the activities we were planning wouldn’t be very expensive.
PLAN YOUR MENU
Do you have any foodies in your group who love cooking? Maybe you want to hire a personal chef for the weekend. One way to plan your menu on a budget is to create a shared google doc and add some menu/recipe ideas and have the group add their input. Have a space for them to add specific grocery items they would like to order. After the menu has been agreed upon, order your groceries ahead of time to a store near your lodging location so you can pick them up at the beginning of your trip. You can do this for your drinks as well!
In Oregon, there are multiple wine regions that we weren’t going to be able to visit. I knew our group was full of wine drinkers, so I worked with a local, boutique wine shop I found via Google to get a variety of local wines for our weekend.
ADD IN OPTIONAL PAMPERING
There’s a chance some people in your group might want the option of pampering. Many cities have mobile massage therapists that will come to your lodging space and do in-home massages. This could be a fun option for people, and they could have the option to participate if it works with their budget.
FIND WAYS TO MOVE YOUR BODY
Whether it is a local yoga studio, hikes, a group run, or kayaking - find some options for body movement. There’s a good chance at least half of the group will be interested in this option, and we all feel better after we move our bodies!
CREATE A LIST OF LOCAL SHOPS
If you’re visiting a cute town, make a list of the popular coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants, and breweries. If you’re interested in exploring you’ll have a curated, easily accessible list to reference so you can cut down on the planning time during your short weekend away.
Want to plan a girls’ weekend but don’t want to do the planning? Schedule your free consult and we can talk all about your vision for the ultimate girls’ weekend.