transient travels

Thanks to Peter Shankman‘s Help a Reporter Out, more commonly known as HARO, I was recently able to help myself out and get in front of a reporter writing a story on girlfriend getaways. In what I thought would be a quick explanation of the weekend trips I have taken with my girlfriends, the conversation quickly turned into a two-part interview on my experience and my “expertise” on weekend getaways – all I could think was, do they really want me to answer these questions???

But then I was asked a question that gave me some confidence: oftentimes people/families say ‘…we should do this,’ or ‘we’ll have to do this again’ but never do. How do you avoid being one of those people and actually start a tradition?

That, I could answer undoubtedly.

Almost two years ago my friend Caitlin had an idea that our group of friends should make it a point to take weekend trips to a new city on a regular basis. These trips have become a tradition and they were the catalyst for this here blog. They not only give us to opportunity to catch up and see each other, they allow us to travel – which is important to a group of girls who were bitten by the travel bug.

Getting back to the question – we are able to maintain the tradition because we all hold each other accountable. It is easy to get caught up in our busy lives and push it off, but for everyone, it always comes to a breaking point. Everyone needs to stop the train and get away. Even when you don’t have the vacation time, weekend getaways can be taken around all of our very different work schedules.

We also avoid making a strict agenda. If we were to commit to a trip a season for example, not being able to pull it all together within such constraints could seem daunting and eventually cause us to fall off track. Our more laid back approach – get the trip on the calendar when the mood strikes one of us – makes it easier to stick to it.

I didn’t invent the girlfriend getaway, but I can say that my friends and I have come into our own when it comes to thinking up new ideas, new cities and most of all, keeping up the tradition. We have picked up a few tricks along the way.

So without further ado, here are some bits of getaway wisdom…

1. Don’t plan too much ahead of time. If you are only traveling for a weekend, pretending you will be able to see every tourist attraction will add unnecessary stress to the trip.
2. Pack plenty of snacks for the road- granola bars, water and goldfish are our favorites.
3. Bring sunblock depending on the time of year. I have found that I can be lackadaisical on such basics because it is only a weekend trip – but the sun is still out!
4. When deciding on a hotel, the ones on the outskirts of the city tend to be cheaper. However, do the math ahead of time because having to get a cot in a smaller hotel room nearby can save time and money on cab fare later. It might be the better option.
5. There’s nothing wrong with stretching the truth regarding how many people will be staying in one hotel room.
6. Make sandwiches for the road so you don’t have to spend money at expensive rest stops on your way.
7. Once you arrive, walk as much as you can. This saves money on transportation and it also gives you a chance to stumble upon places you wouldn’t have otherwise visited, which in many cases can be the most memorable parts.
8. If bringing a bottle of wine, buy one with a screw top or bring an opener- they don’t tend to have those in hotel rooms.
9. Do a quick run through of the city’s local newspaper before the weekend. You never know what events there might be.
10. Remember that even though it is the weekend, you are on a vacation, so get in that mindset to make the most of it.

So, do you have any advice to add to the list?