travel

When You Travel With Girlfriends

I asked the following question on NanaHood’s Facebook page, “When was the last time you went with your girlfriends on a trip?” Of the 8 people who answered 2 had seen their friends recently, but 6 answered not for years or never.

When was the last time you traveled with friends? If you answered “not recently” or “never” I hope I can convince you to arrange a trip or get together soon.

Our Travels

One time a year (we wish it more often) three of us from Kentucky meet our Atlanta friends in Tennessee. We rent a house or condo and spend a weekend together. And it never fails, I come home feeling like I just received some of the most precious gifts ever given.

The gift of new memories. The women in our travel group have known each other since high school except for one and we met her in college. We have a lot of old memories and we love discussing them and reminiscing but every year we add more memories to our long history of adventures.

This is the house we stayed in this trip. I found it on VRBO and the owners were super nice to work with.

“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” – Elbert Hubbard Share on X

2. The gift of girlfriend’s laughter.

Several months ago I ordered some coffee mugs with our names on them. The cup says, “Gathering of the Goddesses” and you could even choose the hair color of your personalized Goddesses. We’ve all changed our hair color so many times it was hard to know what colors to pick and we laughed about that.

We laugh, joke and tease each other in a way that only people who know you really well can. Being an adult comes with a massive responsibility and a lot of the time we take life way too seriously. When you get together with your girlfriends you give yourself the gift of laughter.

“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and to be understood.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca Share on X

3. The gift of compassion.

There’s not a person alive who doesn’t have problems. Regardless of how perfect our lives seem on Facebook the truth is no one’s life is perfect. Girlfriends who really love you can offer compassion in a way that few people can. It’s wonderful being with friends who genuinely care when life hands you a lemon.

“Friendship improves happiness and abates misery, by the doubling of our joy and the dividing of our grief.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero Share on X

This is our view of the lake near where we stayed. We always try to stay near the water as we are all beach bums at heart.

4. The gift of celebration.

One of our friends is retiring this next week. Thursday will be her last full day of work. We are all thrilled for her. Who better to help you celebrate the happy moments of your life than your girlfriends?

We are all different and lead very different lives but we are not now, nor have we ever been, jealous of one another. We want each other to win the lottery or be recognized for career achievements and success. There’s no room for competition among friends and so we celebrate with genuine joy when something good happens to one of us.

“Best friends share laughs, memories and inside jokes. They will always be honest and stand by your side no matter what. They wipe your tears, pick you up when you fall, and are forever a piece of your heart.” Share on X

5. The gift of relaxation.

There’s nothing more relaxing than spending a weekend with people who have known you forever and love you warts and all. We trust each other and lean on each other in good times and bad.

If you have friends you haven’t seen in awhile or spent time with, don’t wait. Make plans now to be together. We never know when it might be too late and few things in life are as precious as friendship.

“F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Fight for you. Respect you. Include you. Encourage you. Need you. Deserve you. Stand by you.” Share on X