Top Ten Things to Do For Planning & Having A Fabulous Girls Getaway
Are you enjoying all the fun you could be having as a creative in business with a flexible work schedule? If it’s time to plan a getaway with your friends, check out these great tips from Casey Wohl, The Getaway Girl®. I’ll be interviewing Casey on the “From Corporate to Creative” show where we’re talking about Career Reinvention. You’ll hear Casey’s story, and how major personal and professional life changes led her from depression to discovering an unfilled niche in the travel industry. She not only reinvented her career, but also developed a new, nationally-recognized travel brand that has led to national TV, radio, magazine and online appearances. Listen to this episode here.
By Casey Wohl
- Setting a Date: Set a date(s) for your Girls Getaway far in advance. Everyone’s schedule is very busy, so be sure and set your date(s) at least several months ahead of time. This is often that hardest part of a trip, so don’t wait too long.
- Discuss Expectations: When traveling with a group of girls, everyone may have different expectations for the getaway. Some may want to shop, some may want to lounge by the pool and some may want spa time. By discussing expectations ahead of time, everyone can spend the getaway doing what they want to do and still be a part of the group.
- Budgeting: Get an idea of how much everyone plans to spend. People have different budgets; however, if you discuss budgets prior to planning, it will help you target appropriate venues and activities.
- Reservations: The best places always book quickly, so make as many reservations in advance as you can for hotel, restaurants, spa, show tickets, cultural attractions and other activities. The more reservations you can make ahead of time, the more organized your trip will be.
- Designate a Getaway Organizer: I always find it helpful to have one getaway organizer. That person can take care of reservations or ask others in the group to handle pre-planning tasks. With one person in charge, your group can be assured everything is taken care of before the getaway begins.
- Develop an Itinerary: I like to develop a getaway itinerary, which includes information on our various activities. The itinerary should include: a basic schedule for each day, hotel/restaurant/spa information complete with address, contact information, confirmation/reservation information, etc. If I’m the getaway organizer, I ask each person what one thing they want to do during the getaway. That way, everyone is involved. I also email a schedule to my friends a week in advance. This is helpful, for example, if someone arrives early to the hotel, they have all the information they need to check in versus waiting for the organizer to arrive.
- Check Local Happenings: Once you have your dates confirmed, be sure to check local newspapers, as well as Internet sites, of the destination city for various events going on while you will be in town. Many times a great event, like a concert or musical, is in town at the same time.
- Research the Weather: Don’t take this for granted, especially when traveling to a place like Florida where people often assume it is sunny and warm all year round. If you are adequately prepared for the weather in advance, you can always make the best of your trip no matter what Mother Nature decides to do.
- Commemorate the Getaway: Be sure to bring at least one camera to capture your memories. I also like to purchase something special during the trip to remember our time together. It can even be something small, just as long as it is meaningful and memorable.
- Leave Your Baggage at Home: The great thing about a Girls Getaway is that you GETAWAY. So be sure and leave your stress behind and have a great time with your girlfriends.
About the Author
Casey Wohl, also known as The Getaway Girl®, is passionate about two things: her girlfriends and traveling the world. By combining these two loves, Wohl created and launched a unique and helpful city-specific travel guide series for women worldwide. After a devastating divorce and getting fired from her job, Wohl found solace in traveling with her girlfriends and realized an unfilled niche in the travel industry as no one was writing city-specific travel guides for women. Many travel experts talk about how, when and where to travel. Because travel changed her life, Wohl has the unique capability of also talking about the “why” of travel, which makes her travel correspondence so relevant.
Wohl is the Travel Correspondent for the nationally-syndicated TV show, Daytime, as well as the new, all-women radio network, Heartbeat Radio for Women. She has also been featured on radio and television programs CBS Radio, Better TV, The Daily Buzz, Media Talk, FirstWivesWorld, and numerous blogs. Her topics cover everything travel, from budget to pet travel to girlfriend getaways. Wohl has received print and online media coverage on nearly 80 national news sites and publications, such as Woman’s Day and Parenting. Wohl is a contributing writer for several online publications, was named a “Woman to Watch” by Orange Appeal Magazine and was listed as one of “101 Women Bloggers to Watch in 2009” by WE Magazine.
She has served as a spokesperson on travel and travel-related topics for companies and destinations such as: American Express, Aruba, Dove Visibly Smooth, Expedia, Orlando and VISITFLORIDA. She has also partnered with brands such as Neiman Marcus, Blue Martini, Banana Republic, CRAVE, Pinkberry, Barefoot Wines, Vera Bradley and the Gaylord Palms Resort. In addition, she has been speaking at conferences on the topic of Career Reinvention.
Her book, the Girls Getaway Guide to Orlando: Leave Your Baggage at Home®, is the first in the series and was published in September 2007. The second book, Girls Getaway Guide to Key West: Leave Your Baggage at Home®, hit shelves in October 2008. Guides for additional cities are currently in production. These guides focus on where to stay, shop, eat and spa, as well as annual happenings and side trips for each city.
About the author, Kelly
Kelly Galea is a creative, multi-passionate entrepreneur and luminary blessed with a unique combination of wit, grit, intellect and intuition. She helps you navigate the work-life maze of ever-shifting priorities and transform your life through holistic self-discovery techniques and immersive, fun and magical mini-quests. Working with Kelly will inspire you to unveil, express and celebrate your vital personality and lifestyle preferences to create a more harmonious life.