We know that “girls’ night out” is fun. We love to confess, confide and laugh together. We also know that a short trip together is even better. I am asked repeatedly is: “how do you plan a girlfriends’ reunion or women’s getaway?

First, access your budgets and the amount of time you have. Do you want to travel for a long weekend or a week? Do you want to go far or stay close to home, travel by car or plane?

TIP: You can save a lot of money if you travel weekdays, off-season and to less touristy-destinations. Best days to travel for cheaper plane tickets are Monday, Tuesday and Saturday.

Second, canvass the group to find out what everyone wants to do; sit and talk, go to shows, spas, resorts, evening entertainment, cultural events, biking, hiking, kayaking.

Thirdly, one person needs to be the organizer and start looking for accommodations. Ask everyone if they have friends or family members with a condo, beach house, mountain home, or apartment that your group can use or rent? Condos or homes are practical because they have kitchens and living rooms where you can all hang out. Maybe you’d all prefer a spa vacation, or a weekend at a fabulous resort.

Fourth, everyone should contribute a non-refundable deposit of $100 to go into a kitty. The organizer can use this for reservation deposits. When everyone has decided upon a date and committed money, there will be fewer cancellations. Remember, the deposit is non-refundable.

Happy Travels.

http://gutsytraveler.com/new_site_books.html

Links to a sampling of Organized Girlfriend Getaway Packages:

Camelback Inn in Scottsdale , Arizona

Camelback Inn in Scottsdale , Arizona offers a Mother/Daughter package year-round. For moms with daughters 18 years and up, the package includes accommodations, two one-hour spa treatments per person, two Starbucks drinks, a $50 food and beverage credit (redeemable for room service or any of the restaurants), and full access to all spa amenities (pool, hot tub, steam, sauna, lounge, gym, classes, etc). The package starts at $469 during the month of May. www.camelbackinn.com

Girlfriend Getaway to Galena, IL,

where travelers can visit wineries and spas or go hiking on the Galena River trail. Enjoy the perfect girlfriend getaway in a setting that offers a chance to relax, shop, and sample wine at local vineyards.

http://www.enjoyillinois.com/3-day/viewGetaway_8.aspx

BIG SKY, Montana—AdventureWomen Inc, a pioneer in women’s travel in active women over 30 is offering a new adventure vacation for solo women travelers who want to experience one of America’s “last great places” while celebrating their independence—on Independence Day. Home to some of the last remaining wild land in the United States, Montana is renowned for its outdoor adventures, and this trip will give these ladies a reason to celebrate in Montana this 4^th of July.

On this adventure vacation, gutsy women who want explore the glorious outdoors can learn to fly fish, take a horseback riding jaunt across Montana fields, and then enjoy whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River. Travelers will safari to Yellowstone National Park to see a “big game” and unique ecosystem, relive history as they visit the Missouri River headwaters made famous by Lewis and Clark, take a trip through time to historic gold rush towns of the 19th century, and experience a Western rodeo and fireworks on the 4th of July. This trip to a premier dude ranch is specially designed for those independent ladies who want to “try it all” during this jam-packed week of adventure activities in Montana. www.adventurewomen.com

The James Chicago

Gather the girlfriends for a Just Us Girls weekend at The James. Start with a cooking lesson from talented (and eligible!) Executive Chef Rick Gresh from in-house restaurant, David Burke’s Primehouse. Later, head up to the Penthouse and indulge in mini facials and makeup applications by technicians from The Spa by Asha. Don’t miss dinner reservations at Primehouse, followed by a VIP table and round of drinks at Jbar.

www.jameshotels.com

What small town recently won the “Great American Main Street Award” from the National Trust for Historic Preservation? I visited it last week….yes it’s picturesque Greenville, located at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountain, in northwestern South Carolina. This charming Southern town vibrates with energy and Southern charm.  I strolled up Main Street past fountains and historic statues and discovered crashing waterfalls, concert halls, art galleries, warm hospitality and tempting restaurants.

Maple and oak trees form a leafy canopy over North Main Street, which is lined with small stores, coffee shops, eateries, the Performing Arts Center and at the end of the street is the crown jewel; the historic, elegant, Four Diamond,  Poinsett Hotel.  A half block from the hotel you’ll find Liberty Bridge and a park with waterfalls! Yes! That’s right, waterfalls right in the middle of town.

High Cotton, an upscale seafood and Southern cuisine is perched above the falls. (Perhaps you’ve dined at High Cotton, the famous sister restaurant in Charleston). Too bad I wasn’t in town for the Sunday Brunch to listen to live Jazz and watch people promenade through Falls Park and the Reedy River splash over the rocks and cascade below the windows. Oh well, next time.  My next time should be May-October when there is a Shakespeare Festival in the park. 

For New Orleans BBQ shrimp or green fried tomatoes dine at Soby’s with New South Cuisine, housed in a renovated 1884 bicycle shop. Save room for the sinful white chocolate banana cream pie.

The crown jewel of the downtown area is Falls Park, with a long suspension bridge, gardens and 60′ waterfall.

Next blog: Where can you visit the largest single collection of Andrew Wyeth and Jackson Pollack paintings?   

Starting May 5th, 2008, United Airlines will charge passengers $25 to check a second bag. Is there a way to get around the fee?  You’ll be exempt if you buy a ticket that isn’t domestic nonrefundable or if you have Premier status of higher in United’s Mielage Plus Program. What about the Star Alliance members? You must have Silver status or higher to have the fee waived.

Spirit Airlines will double the fee for all checked bags beginning Feb. 20th, from $10 a bag if reserved, and $20 without reservations.

My take on this news? It’s annoying, expensive and will create longer lines at check-in while the airline explains the rules and collects payment.  If United finds it lucrative to charge for the second piece of checked luggage, then other major airlines will soon follow. It’s one more way the big carriers are squeezing more money out of  passengers who book the cheaper fares and aren’t flying business class.  Who ends up paying? Everyone pays with longer lines and those who will be hit the hardest are leisure travelers who pay for their own tickets and can’t “expense” the fee.

In January my daughter and I visited Olga Murray in Kathmandu. Her story helps us all see that “ONE WOMAN CAN MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE”. We met her kids and saw first-hand the work she’s done at the homes for children.

It all started in 1984 when, on her first trip to Asia, Olga found herself captivated by the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Nepal. “I got off the plane in Kathmandu and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the land, the exotic surroundings, but most of all by the children. They were poor beyond anything I had ever experienced – dressed in rags and dirt, malnourished, mostly unschooled, but with an amazing capacity for joy. I thought that for the price of a good haircut, I could make a huge difference in their lives.’” So she returned to the USA determined, somehow, to do just that.

By raiding her own savings, and securing donations from friends, she returned to Kathmandu with the wherewithal to establish a home for the country’s throwaway children – street urchins, handicapped kids, orphans, or children who had been abandoned - often by parents too poor to feed them.

As word spread about her work, generous people worldwide wanted to help. In 1990, two years before she retired, Olga founded a non-profit organization, Nepal Youth Opportunity Foundation (www.nyof.org) NYOF, and just in time. The children’s home, originally for boys, had of necessity become coed, and was full to overflowing. NYOF rented another house, and a home for girls was born. Both homes provide children with warm beds, hot meals, a safe haven and security. NYOF provides these kids not only private education, living and medical expenses, but love and personal attention—just as a good parent would do. And the kids will be taken care of from childhood through college.

Since her retirement in 1992, Olga has divided her time between her home in Sausalito, California, and a new home in Kathmandu, devoting all her energy and ability to help her children. Olga is living proof that getting older does not mean slowing down. “I’m not that different than I was 25 years ago,” Olga says. “I’ve stayed active and interested in life. Regular exercise - walking, going to the gym, lifting weights for my knees and back - has helped me stay healthy. I haven’t had a cold in fifteen years. Also, I’m more positive and more confident. I know where I’m going and what I want to do, so I don’t get so involved in my own problems.”

READ MORE in my next blog about buying girls out of bondage: Indentured Daughters Programs.

Even if you only have one day in Kathmandu you should visit the “Monkey Temple” (Swyambunath populated with new-born to mean-looking grandpa monkeys). My favorite Buddhist temple; Bodanath, famous for the huge eyes painted on the white round stupa. Bodanath is the largest Tibetan Temple in Kathmandu and there’s always some sort of festival going on around the large white stupa (dome). I also love Bodanath because it’s always crowded with traditionally dressed Tibetan pilgrims turning huge prayer wheels as they walk around the stupa chanting prayers. If you have time, the interest and stomach for it, also visit Pashupatinath (the Hindu temple on the river where the dead are cremated). This temple is also haunted by screeching monkeys, as well as aggressive beggars and hawkers.

No one taking a daytime flight into Nepal should miss the jaw-dropping sight of the Himalayas along the northern horizon. In the Bangkok Airport my daughter and I requested window seats on the right side of the plane in hopes of seeing the massive peaks.

TIP: Arrive at the airport early to snag a window seat. Pre-assigned seats are not given before the day of departure for many short flights in Asia.

JC, my 19-year-old daughter, and I flew over the flat, checkered plains of the lowland Teri area, then over the ochre-red farmlands that melted into the plunging flanks of the first mountain range, sliced by deep gorges of turbulent Himalayan rivers. In the distance the snow-capped Himalayas soared to unbelievable heights. As we approached Kathmandu Valley tiny terraced fields blazing with yellow mustard ringed the steep hills. And nowhere did we see roads!!!

For me, that’s part of Nepal’s charm; it is largely without roads. Access to the interior – its villages and valleys, its mountains and hills – is by ancient foot trails on old trade routes, filled with villagers going about their daily life. Kathmandu is another scenario – crowded roads, twisted lanes, chaos, traffic jams, and choking pollution. And we did suffer from the air pollution in Kathmandu.

TIP: To soothe your dry, irritated eyes, always pack a small bottle of liquid tears or saline solution in your carry-on bag. The dry air during long plane flights as well as the smoky pollution in Asian cities is tough on your eyes. Lemon drops or hard candies soothe irritated throats.

Why would we go to the Himalayas in January when it’s cold and it’s not trekking season? (March-April and October-December are the best months for hiking). But the purpose of our trip wasn’t long hikes. We came to Nepal to visit a friend, and learn about her work with impoverished Nepalese children. We planned to visit children’s homes and a nutritional center and getting to know the kids personally in addition to seeing the sights around the Kathmandu Valley. And we hoped to take a short trip to the rim of the valley to see sunrise over the mountains and trek for two days.

Since my first trip to Nepal in 1983, when I spent 5 months trekking the most popular trails in the Everest, Annapurna and Langtang areas, I have been lucky enough to returned to Nepal 7 times. As the wheels of the Thai airplane touched down at the Kathmandu Airport, my arms were tingling with excitement and my heart was pacing. I wanted to squeal with excitement but I contained my enthusiasm to avoid embarrassing my teenage daughter. My dream was coming true — to return to Nepal with one of my daughters. I hoped she would love Nepal as much as I love this tiny Himalayan Kingdom. She has read my stories about meeting my husband (her dad) at the Kathmandu Guest House, climbing Island Peak (20,000’ in the Everest Area), and engaging with the open-hearted warmth of the people. During her childhood several Sherpa friends have stayed with us in California.

Welcome to Nepal! The electricity in the Arrival Hall of the airport was off for a few hours (every neighborhood in the city has fixed times, several days each week, when the power is turned off). As we waited for our luggage JC tracked down the unheated ladies restroom, but decided to pass, since it was pitch black and less than inviting.

TIP: Always use the airplane bathroom before landing and stuff some tissues in your pocket for the next toilet break. You never know what lies ahead.

As we descended from the cold, gloomy terminal, we caught a glimpse of our white-haired friend Olga, bundled in a puffy indigo-blue parka waving to us. Olga, who has been a girlfriend for many years, was the inspiration for our trip halfway across the globe. After retirement from the legal profession working for the State Supreme Court, Olga fell in love with the children of Nepal and founded NYOF (Nepal Youth Opportunity Foundation, www.nyof.org ), a non-profit to help educate, feed, house and liberate Nepalese children. My next blog entry will tell more about her efforts to free girls from bondage and tales of our experiences in Kathmandu and beyond.

Did you miss me on Oprah? Let’s talk about girlfriend getaways on this blog.

Cheers, Marybeth 

The Christmas gifts are opened and everyone’s happy, so it’s time to pack for the next trip. As you — my traveling friends know — my favorite gift is a boarding pass! On January 1st, my 19-year-old daughter (JC) and I leave via Thai Airways for Bangkok, where we’ll spend 2 days then fly to Kathmandu. Travel along with us on this blog.

What are we doing in Nepal in January? I’ll be doing research for my upcoming book: Best Girlfriend Getaways Worldwide, and JC will do anti-trafficking research with Nepalese NGO’s.

Our trip will be a true “girlfriend getaway” because our neighbor Mary is joining us and we’re staying with another girlfriend who lives half the year in Kathmandu, Olga Murray, the founder of Nepal Youth Opportunity Foundation www.nyof.org.

Packing countdown. What luggage shall we take? We’ll check our roller bags, (I usually travel with one carry-aboard suitcase with wheels) but this trip I’m taking toys and basketballs for the boys and girls at the Nepalese children’s homes we’ll be visiting. And we’ll need extra room to carry home our shopping treasures from the bazaars of Kathmandu.

At my home, packing begins a week in advance. I put lots of clothes on the floor next to my suitcase and begin adding and deleting. Since we’ll spend a few days trekking in the hill country, we’re packing walking shoes, moisture-absorbing socks, layers of warm clothes and a small backpack.

Next posting I’ll tell you what “I never leave home without” and as the departure day gets closer I’ll share my “long-flight” survival kit with you.

Please share your best packing tips with me too.

Cheers, Marybeth

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