Treating yourself to a luxury vacation with all your best buddies is one of the most exciting experiences you can have. After all, who wouldn’t like getting some luxurious pampering and recreation in a gorgeous holiday location with their closest friends?
You might be thinking that taking a group vacation in a popular travel destination may be challenging to put together and will simply remain a dream. However, with the right strategy, you and your girlfriends could have the time of your life (along with memories that you’ll be talking about for years to come).
Remember: Vacations are necessary to recharge your batteries and restore your zest for life. They are also necessary for strengthening bonds with your travel mates and making sure that your emotional and mental well-being are looked after.
Still, planning a vacation takes some work, and you have to do it right. Following these four simple rules should help you successfully turn your dream luxury vacation with your gal pals into reality:
Rule #1: Know What You Want to Get Out of the Trip
When planning a fun and relaxing all-girls vacation, you have to consider what everyone in the group will want to take away from the experience.
When you propose the idea of going on a trip to your closest friends, it’s likely that different members of the group would have their own ideas for places they want to visit and activities they want to try. Taking all these into consideration is important.
A few may want to cozy up in a mountain cabin to disconnect from the online world and revel in the blissful quiet. Perhaps the entire group wants to take a well-deserved break from responsibilities at work and at home and simply indulge in a trip to a gorgeous beach, complete with luxurious hotel rooms, relaxing spa treatments and mouth-watering exotic meals.
Make your travel decisions together so that everyone will be sure to get the experiences they crave.
Rule #2: Do Your Research Early
“The early bird catches the worm.” As cliché as this may sound, this is actually a great motto for planning luxury vacations. This kind of trip doesn’t just fall onto your lap completely planned – you have to make it happen.
Preparing at least six months in advance should give you enough time to explore the best vacation options without feeling pressured into making certain decisions or spending too much. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean you already have to book everything this far ahead. It only means you should start narrowing down ideas for destinations, travel arrangements, accommodation and activities as well as figuring out the average costs that your group will have to shoulder.
Do your research online. Documenting details like airfare, accommodation costs, beach club rates, and dining expenses should be enough of a start. Share your ideas and findings with the group and take a vote on the destination that everyone will be sure to enjoy.
Rule #3: Delegate the Vacation Preparation Tasks
Going on a trip to a luxurious destination with your best friends is supposed to be a fun experience for everyone involved. So to prevent one or two individuals in your party from becoming frazzled over making and finalizing all the plans, make sure that everybody gets to pitch in when making the actual travel arrangements.
Sit down with your pals and decide amongst yourselves who will be in charge of the following tasks:
- Buying plane tickets
- Booking accommodation
- Hiring a rental car for the duration of your stay
- Calculating expenses and keeping track of your foreign currency
- Making reservations at restaurants
- Signing up for group or individual activities
- Doing research on the destination’s laws and unique customs that you should keep in mind
Rule #4: Plot Ways to Optimize Your Experience at Your Accommodation
If your group’s chosen accommodation is a luxury beach club in a gorgeous, sunny destination, then you can be sure that the entire place is designed to give each guest the best in leisurely experiences. As such, there’s no question that you and your friends should try out as many of the available amenities and establishments as possible to get your full dose of R&R.
So make sure that you check out and spend time at each of the following areas:
- The Beach
No trip abroad could ever really be complete without spending time at the beach. And when you check into a beach club, frolicking in the sand under the sun is mandatory.
Make sure to allot vacation days for running around the shore, swimming into or surfing the waves, and settling into your beach towel on the sand with a book in your hand.
If the beach is a protected habitat, you may even have some awe-inspiring encounters with the wildlife, like dolphins and turtles.
- The Pool
If you and your pals need to take a break from the saltwater and sand, swimming and sunning can still be on the agenda. Plan to take a dip at the beach club’s swimming pool.
Here, your group will be able to laze around in cabanas and on daybeds with a cool drink in hand. You’ll have fantastic views of the beach and plenty of opportunities to capture some Instagram-worthy photos.
- The Gym
Need to stick to your fitness routine even while on vacation? Check out your accommodation’s workout area and sign up for a class that you and your girlfriends can all try together. There’s no rule that says swimming should be the only fitness activity you can get into in a beach club.
- The Restaurants
While it’s always safe to choose restaurants that serve familiar fare, why not go on a gustatory adventure during your trip with friends? Seek out the restaurants that serve local dishes or even modern fusion options so you can sample the fresh ingredients and unique flavors that your chosen destination is famous for.
For sure, there will be fine dining as well as more casual dining establishments, so aim to give each kind a try to truly get a taste of the paradise that you have visited.
Look Forward to a Luxurious Travel Experience
With all the time and resources that everyone will be spending on making arrangements for your trip, don’t forget the most important thing of all: Have fun! Flying off to a beautiful destination with your closest friends is an experience to be treasured. See the sights, try new activities, indulge in delicious food and drinks, and make memories that you’ll all love talking and laughing about in the years to come.
