I haven’t been on a girl trip in over a decade. The last one: Santo Domingo, 2004. Sure, there’s always a ladies’ brunch/night when I travel with Baz. But it’s just not enough. I miss girl trips because the last one was absolutely epic. (I have to tell you about it one day. It involves me riding a scooter with two other people while holding on to my carry-on. I told you: epic!)
Here are 5 reasons I’d drop everything and spend a weekend with my girls. And by “my girls” I mean any group of women (friends and/or family).
Reason 1: A meal is just not enough to catch up
If you lead a busy life, chances are you don’t get to see your friends often. Sure, thanks to technology, you can keep in touch and cackle together on Facebook or the Gram. But it’s just not the same as spending time in person. It could be a generational thing, but I need to hang out with you in real life before I decide whether I like you for real.
I’m all for eating out/in. (If you’re thinking about inviting me, I prefer brunch.) But am I the only one who thinks that a meal is just not enough to really catch up? I’d personally need at least a weekend.
Reason 2: Letting your hair down in good company is so worth it
Over the course of a trip, you really get the chance to let your hair down—figuratively and literally.
Putting some distance between your everyday life and yourself allows you to truly decompress. Imagine doing that with some of your favorite peeps: your girls. Imagine: the chit-chat, the giggles, the endless conversations and the comfortable silences. See, if you have more than a couple of hours to catch up, you’ll get the luxury to slow down and to be silent together.
Reason 3: Strengthen bonds
Traveling together can either make or break a relationship. Choose your travel companions carefully. Hint: drama free.
Travelling with your girls doesn’t entail embarking on a world tour. You don’t have to travel far. It can be a road trip. I live in Gatineau. So a weekend in Montréal with my chit-chat crew would be awesome. On the agenda: a bit of frolicking, some shopping and cupcakes. (Ahem! There’s an idea!) It can be as simple as that. But we would already have shared more experiences than we would over several meals. Plus we’d get to know each other better.
Reason 4: Girls just wanna have fun (most of the time)
I’ve been married long enough to know that, although we have lots of things in common, sometimes my notion of what is fun differs from his, and vice versa. The fact that I can be all geeky about the weirdest stuff doesn’t help. But this is not the point.
Some kind of fun will always be better with my girls. Let me illustrate. No matter how much I love all the men in my life, none of them would enjoy Da Kink in My Hair the way my girls did. Hubby thought I was referring to some sort of natural hair convention; all he heard was “kink” and “hair”. Not sure what gave him this idea: I’ve never been to one nor do I plan to. *rolls eyes* I rest my case.
Reason 5: No boys (or men) allowed
I have nothing against boys/men. I married one and currently share my life with him. I’m the proud auntie to two little boys whom I absolutely adore. My grandpa was my rock. A lot of my close friends are men. (I know what this sounds like, and I’m not correcting it.)
There are simply things that they don’t get. You know, the things that they either find petty, have no interest in or just don’t want to talk about. Like how humidity affects hair. How Americanah not only has an accurate take on race in the USA, but also captures the subtleties of life in the Diaspora. Or how it’s important to talk about intersectionality in the feminism movement. Things like that.
No matter how supportive my husband is, he’ll never really get certain issues I’m facing. There’s something liberating about having these conversations with people who, well, get it.
All of that to say: I’m overdue for a girl trip. Who’s in? And if time doesn’t permit, I’m always down for brunch. If not, let’s catch up on Facebook.