Tips To Plan A Successful Girls Trip

 

Gather your girls

Recently I’ve been reading “Grumpy Mom Takes A Holiday” and within the chapter on friendship the author, Valerie Worener, asks you to write down all the qualities you want to find in a friend. Then…go BE that friend. So maybe you don’t think you have perfect travel friends. I don’t either!!! And I am not a perfect travel friend! Take a look around your community and see if you can find a few friends (2 to 3) who would be excited to getaway together! OR if you have sisters or cousins, that works too! 

two night minimum, three night max

I know some of ya’ll may not agree, and that’s okay! But I totally believe that 1 night away isn’t enough. 2 nights away is fine, but 3 nights away is perfect. Enough time to relax, have multiple dinners uninterrupted and squeeze in a brunch or two!! Our recent trip was Thursday morning to Sunday night allowing us 2 full days of exploring the sites while also having time to chill on the patio and have a bottle of wine! Plus because our AirBNB was tiny, we were real over sharing a double bed… I can handle a poor night of sleep if I know we’re going to a spa the next day!! By the time Sunday morning rolled around, we were excited for brunch…and ready to hop a plane back home. Over the years we may upgrade to a week long getaway. In our season of little kids and jobs waiting, 3 nights away was just perfect.

GET CREATIVE

This is the chance to find a city to visit that doesn’t need to be stroller friendly!!! I lost count of how many people asked me, “What made you choose Quebec City?” So here’s how that conversation went:

Friend: “Let’s go to Italy!”
Me: “That’s Chad’s #1 place to go, so I’d have to bring him along”
Friend: “Beach?”
Our Thoughts: Not exciting enough
Me: “I saw a special one time about Quebec City?”
Us: Let’s do it!!!

There are SO many reasons Quebec City is an ideal place for a Girls Getaway…and I’ll share our itinerary at the bottom! The best part about this city was how un-family friendly it was 😂… there was hardly a child to be found, which was great for a getaway!!! If you can’t quite do the airfare, I encourage you to find a 2-4 hour drive and search AirBNB! 

If this is your first time on a trip away it may be helpful to stay in the same time zone so you can easily be reached if anyone at home needs help quickly. Again, this isn’t at all mandatory- it just could help!

BE ADVENTUROUS

You wouldn’t have caught be seeking out a 16 mile bike ride to a waterfall, but I’m so glad my friend did!!! It was totally out of my box and if she hadn’t advocated for it I’d probably have shown up at the waterfall just walking around like the regular tourists. All 3 of us were able to find something we wanted to do which made us equally excited to constantly have something to look forward to. When you’re planning your own girls trip you may not 100% love every activity planned, but if you go into it grateful that your friend gets to enjoy something…you’ll probably start enjoying it yourself within the first 5 miles… 😆

no need to obsess

Everything at home is fine. Keeping a distance of FaceTiming 1-2 times a day for a few minutes was perfect for me! In fact, at one point we all joked that the kids didn’t miss us at all! For all 3 of us it happened that Dads were on duty. We received pictures of mis-matched outfits, messy hair…and mile side smiles!! The kids were great! You’re off making memories with your friends and connecting, so let Dad (or whoever is watching the kids) do the same!! I’d love to think that as we make this girls trip an annual thing, the girls will look forward to spending a 1:1 weekend with Dad.

If this is your first time away, it may also be helpful to have a few things laid out for Dad or caretakers. Whenever Chad and I have gone away together we take labels to the girls individual dresser drawers! Maybe this means you lay things out or pack lunches before you go, or leave detailed notes. Between the 3 of us on our recent girls trip we all had different stories: one Dad had never been left alone, another Dad was pumped to be left alone, and one Dad is already the primary daytime caretaker. Whatever the dynamics are for your family, it’s great to think through things before you go- but don’t obsess about checking in while you’re gone. Get away and let go…and have fun getting photos of donut and cake pop breakfasts!!

THIS IS NECESSARY

I no longer believe that a girls trip is a luxury, but a necessity! It was so refreshing to step away, connect with life giving friends and be my own person. It could go without saying that this trip was a success because the routines were set at home. There was ZERO stress that the girls may not sleep…that Chad would not only be up with them during the day…but also at night. Over and over again I hear from families how freeing it is to get a babysitter, or have grandparents stay overnight and no one has to wonder what the night will be like. As a wise Mom of 3 grown kids commented on a photo I shared while away…. 

“Reason 9,000 that kids need to be able to sleep…so moms can travel without guilt that kids will be stressed at night or that everyone will just be exhausted the whole time you’re gone! I also told people that I was a better mom when I had a minute away from time to time. So glad you all could go!”

I whole heartedly agree that I came back a refreshed and more patient Mom. And get this…I even turned the clock to be morning sooner because I couldn’t wait to hug and kiss the girls!!!! Their screeches of “MOM!!!!!” Is one that I treasure. 

---

If you’re interested in going to Quebec City, I’d love to share our itinerary! If not, just skip this part. But I cannot recommend this city enough for a getaway!

Thursday- 
Checked into AirBNB (not linking our location as I actually don’t recommend!)
La Buche for dinner (please please get the poutine and salmon pie!)
Walked the boardwalk in front of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac (be aware that nightlife ends at 9PM)
Found a small epicurean grocery for wine and chocolate covered popcorn

Friday- 
Peppe pastry for breakfast
Bike Tour of Montmorency Falls
Lōuise for late lunch (fish and chips are a MUST!!!)
Walked around Old Quebec Square and found maple taffy on a stick!

Saturday-
La Maison Smith for chocolate almond crissants
Strom Nordic Spa (highly recommend booking a seasonal package, great value!)
Food tour of St. Roch Neighborhood (the most fun thing we did!!! highly recommend!)

Sunday-
La Maison Smith for chocolate crissants
Brunch back at La Buche (strongly suggest getting 1 sweet and 1 savory dish to split!)
Walked and shopped at Boutique Roseville and thrift stores in St. Roch
Lunch at Formageries des Grondines
Uber to Airport!