I Haven’t Had A Day Off In 15 Years! It’s Time For A Girls Getaway!

I haven’t had a day off in 15 years.  I mean, we’ve had family holidays.  Exhausting days filled with supervising manic kids, followed by washing.  So. Much. Washing.  We’ve been on cruises, where I choked down some sub-par food while watching my kids splash in a Petri dish they call a spa.  Good times. 

Then they became teens.  And well, there’s nothing so relaxing as arguing for a week about putting down a phone.  For 15 years, my idea of a girls’ getaway has been a three day mind-numbingly dull conference with Boring Beth from accounts.  And she snores.  THIS is what I look forward to every year.  What happened to me?

There hasn’t been one day, out of 5475 days, that has just been ALL ABOUT ME.  There’s always work, or bedtime, housework, school lunches… something in the mix that stops that deep and uncompromising exhaustion from abating.  And you know what, I’m done.

The Rise of the “Girls Getaway”

We’re all here fighting the good fight.  Killing it with our careers.  Raising good kids. Caring for our health.  Maintaining relationships.  Mucking in, helping out.  Still carrying the lion’s share of, well, everything.  It’s exhausting.  I am exhausted.  I have never met a single woman who isn’t exhausted.  I literally cannot name one woman who isn’t exhausted every single day.

Enter the Girls Getaway.  Women are lining up to offload the kids with the partner or the grandma and take off for a week or two with friends.  And what happens on a girls getaway, stays on a girls getaway – well, mostly it’s about eating well, shopping slowly, sleeping late and drinking exotically.  Not much to ask really, is it?  

Planning your girls getaway!

Yep, planning is the right word.  To remove yourself for a week, you’ll need to plan for a month, so it pays to do it early.  First decide on what kind of girls getaway you need.  A weekend getaway is a whole lot of faffing about for little return.  Is two days out of fifteen years actually enough to undo the deep, constant exhaustion?  Consider how long it will actually take you to “downshift.”  Talk to the girls.  Agree on the kind of girls getaway you need.  The rise of the cheap flight means the world is your oyster (with a side of Bloody Mary, of course).

Avoid mental clutter

This is all about spoiling yourself.  You don’t want to be negotiating in a foreign language, running from airport to airport or chilling by a pool filled with other people’s kids (nothing worse than other people’s kids, seriously, the worst).  This can mean avoiding the snazzy cut rate island destinations – because, well, kids.  Kids everywhere.  So.  Many. Kids.

Find your happiness

What do your girls love?  Do they love to eat amazing food?  Shop ‘til they drop? Indulge in a little pampering?  Cocktails?  Do they love a little culture and seeing something new? Or is the only view they want of a pool that’s free of child pee? 

Hot Tip:  Book EARLY

A REAL girls getaway takes time to plan.  It takes time to co-ordinate leave from work, childcare, budget and all those other practical considerations.  The earlier you book your girls getaway, the less stress you’ll have packed away in your baggage.  Give yourself real time to relax by booking your getaway well in advance and having all the annoying details LOCKED IN.  So all you need to do before you go is find a cute pair of sandals and get a wax.

Girls Getaways to Vietnam in 2020

It’s no secret that the founder of Temples and Markets is deeply in love with Vietnam.  It’s not just the food (although you haven’t lived until you’ve tried authentic Vietnamese Street Food) or the shopping in boutique markets, or the luxury accommodation and pamper options.  Vietnam is a life changer.  Our tours through Vietnam can shift your mindset – without taxing your brain.    An Eat, Shop, Love tour is a relaxing journey through new and delightful experiences, with like-minded women.  No blokes.  No kids.  No worries.

See the Eat, Shop, Love Itinerary Here

Wherever you escape for your girls getaway, be sure to sample life. After years in the hamster wheel of school lunches and weekend sport, find a new perspective, and conquer the exhaustion.  It’s time.