Hi friends!
I was journaling this weekend and reminiscing over the weekend I visited Nashville for a girls getaway trip with my bestie, Megan. We took a quick trip to Nashville to see one of our favorite authors, Glennon Doyle on her book tour (in fact, it was the only night she could have her tour before the rest of it was cancelled at the start of the Coronavirus). I can remember one random afternoon when Megan texted me the link to the event, we spontaneously bought tickets to the event, and had no clue what our lives would look like months later.
I’ve found those are the best ways to do things…even if it feels like one million things will change between the time you buy the event, airline, etc. ticket (WHICH IT WILL), you will find a way to prioritize and make happen something you have already paid for!
All that being said, we were in the place where we could turn a Wednesday night event into a long weekend getaway, so we made the 6 hour drive down to Nashville Wednesday before the book tour, then had Thursday, Friday and Saturday full days in Nash before leaving Sunday afternoon. It all came together so easily that it inspired me to share a few of my top getaway destinations for 2022 that you can take with your gal pals. Several of these options are very COVID-friendly as well, which makes it ideal to book even when you might not know the circumstances that lie ahead, as things are ever-changing these days.
- Nashville
Even if I wasn’t writing this post after reminiscing on my trip to Nashville, it’s still most likely my top recommendation for a girls getaway. I can’t get over the amazing shopping of 12th South neighborhood, the delicious brunch spots, the live music venues, etc. Nashville has something for everyone, even if you’re like me and not a country music fan. I also think a long weekend is the perfect amount of time to spend in Nashville. Of course you could do a full-blown vacation, but some of my favorite aspects about Nashville are the brunch and coffee culture, nightlife and music scenes…all of which are perfect for the weekend.
2. Camping / National Park Weekend
Honestly, if I were to plan a girls weekend right this minute, given the uncertainty that comes with planning a trip in Covid times, I would pick a camping trip at a National Park. I went with some of my best friends in September 2020 to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. We camped in Dead Horse Point State Park and it was phenomenal. Not only were the camping sites perfect (with great bathrooms nearby), but it provided easy access to both parks so we could get early morning starts to our hikes. The campground also featured some pretty amazing yurts that I’d one day like to go back and stay at. While the views at Arches and Canyonlands were both stunning, I was in absolute awe at the sunsets we saw within Dead Horse Point itself. Those will forever go down in history as my favorite sunsets I’ve witnessed so far in my life. If you’re considering a camping and hiking trip with your besties, take this as a sign to do it! There’s nothing quite like hiking all day, cooking around a campfire, and closing out the day laying on the ground looking at the stars with your best friends 🙂
3. New Orleans
Daniel & I spent a memorable 5 or so days in New Orleans during our Remote Work Trip last May. We ate beignets, we drank hurricanes, we danced to jazz music on Frenchman St., and I did some fantastic shopping on Magazine St. One of my favorite things we did was a Voodoo Tour, which I honestly cannot recommend enough. On the two occasions I’ve visited New Orleans (the other when I worked in corporate retail and was sent to New Orleans to document the opening of our retail location), I have thought, “wow I must come back and do this as a girls trip”. I am still awaiting the day when that happens, but until then…let me live vicariously through you! 🙂
4. A Ski Trip Weekend
My senior year of college, my two roomies and I went to Colorado for a ski trip. Since then, this has remained a favorite girls trip to date and I have returned to Colorado with several other friends because of how fun this trip is. Depending on the amount of $$ you have to spend (and your pain tolerance), a weekend will be long enough to get enough skiing and snowboarding in without feeling miserable. The longest I have done is three days in a row, and I honestly would rather have a day in between the next time I attempt to do that. As far as reasonably priced ski weekends go, I highly recommend either Copper Mountain near Frisco, CO or Arapahoe Basin near Dillon, CO. Both of these are moderately priced and offer inexpensive accommodations nearby. I also highly recommend Breeze for ski rentals if you need to check out any gear.
5. A Lake House Weekend.
A few winters ago in the deathly cold early part of January, my college roomies and I ventured down to Kentucky to Kelly’s lake house for a long weekend getaway. We proceeded to spend the next few days playing board games, cooking delicious meals, reading books, scrapbooking, watching movies, and enjoying the ultimate hibernation weekend. Typically, you’d think of a lake house weekend happening over the summer, and while that obviously comes with its own perks, I want to remind you to think outside the box with all of these girls getaway options! 🙂 When I think about some of the coziest memories to date, that lake weekend is one of the first things that comes to mind. Especially in Covid times, I feel like a trusty lake house/cabin weekend is the perfect excuse to hunker down with all your bestie gals for a few days.
Don’t forget to throw on a good road trip playlist before you head out of town with your girls! Happy adventuring!
Much love,
Olivia