Why my annual girls trip is a non-negotiable

As a kid, I moved around a lot. We moved every 3 to 4 years. First grade, fifth grade, and then again in 8th grade. I went away for college, not knowing anybody and moved to Chicago after graduation. Every place we moved, and at every new school, I found my “people”.

Even though my home base has been all over the place, the one thing that’s always been a constant for me has been my girlfriends.

My college girlfriends have been my ride or die for over 25 years. Here we are in 2003(ish) in Chicago! Almost in the same order as the pic above!

They have seen me at my worst, my funniest, my lowest, and my best.

There is something about those relationships you make during your formative years that stick. We have grown up together. And there’s so much beauty in that!

It is the type of friendship that is brutally honest, not judgmental, pure, sisterly, and loyal. We can talk for hours, we can argue or disagree, or laugh until we pee our pants. We can also cry and lean on one another! There is no boundary to the friendship.

How the trips began:

After the second baby was born in the group, we began an annual get together. It started off visiting new babies or new houses. And once the babies got old enough, we decided we needed to get away (without our families and kids). Since 2013, we have picked a destination to meet. Typically we do a Thursday through a Sunday, so that we can make the most of our time!

No matter the circumstances, we have made this trip work for the last 16 years. This year, our friend began a teaching job and couldn’t leave until late Friday. She literally flew in at midnight Friday night and was only with us for 36 hours, but we made it the best 36 hours possible!

Over the years, we have done hotels and we have done Airbnb’s. We found that we definitely prefer to have a house so that we can all hang together. It’s funny as we have gotten older we feel less inclined to go out and are just happy making something for dinner at home, having some drinks, relaxing, and laughing. It doesn’t matter where we are or where we stay, we bring our own fun!

A fun tradition that we have had is that somebody brings a group gift. We have had matching T-shirts, sweatshirts, pajamas, jewelry. And this year, our friend brought hilarious Phone covers for everyone that were very entertaining! It’s never mandatory to bring something, but it seems like every year someone steps in to bring something cute for the group.

We have done Mother’s Day weekend in the past, which actually was one of the best ways to celebrate Mother’s Day! In the last few years, we have pivoted to September which seems crazy but it just kind of works. Especially before the holidays! Summer, of course, is hard with family travel and kids stuff.

We usually plan the next year during the girls trip. We don’t always come up with the exact location, but we start to brainstorm. The date is usually set by the first of the year.

This time together is priceless.

Considering the last 15 years of our friendship has been long-distance, we rely on this time to connect in person. To tell stories, and say the things that we haven’t been able to say in person! Sometimes stories are so long and complicated it’s hard to share over text. It’s amazing how much we can catch up on in a short amount of time! We of course reminisce and laugh about all of the stupid things we used to do! I can’t imagine what our conversations will look like 10-20 years from now!

So much comes out of these trips; I leave happier and more balanced mentally, and emotionally.

My face hurts from laughing! My throat hoarse from talking and laughing.

I may come home tired from staying up too late and over indulging :) But, I come back to my family energized, and a better mom!

My girl time is rejuvenating!

I know it is not easy to get away, it can feel like too much work. Too expensive, or too hard to coordinate. But I promise you, it is always worth it in the end!

If you haven’t started this tradition with your friends, I highly recommend it!

If you haven’t found your travel buddies yet, try going on a wellness trip where you meet other people. Or start a trip with some fellow Mom friends at school, that you may have connected with. You would be surprised how many people are still searching for strong friendship bonds! On this recent girls trip, we ran into a group of 12 girls from Atlanta who were all Mom/school friends. It’s never too late to find your people!

If you are young, and you are in the thick of early motherhood, this is the best time to get the girls trips going. This is a time you will need your friends more than ever!

I am always a little depressed coming back home, because these girls trips really fill my heart and soul! But, I know that I can at least look forward to the next time we are all together!

Xoxo,

Melanie