Why Traveling with My Female Friends is My Favorite Priority

Let's get the girls trip out of the group chat!

Back stateside! I just got back on Tuesday from a 10-day trip through Lyon, the Burgundy wine region, and Paris, France with my mother (who is also my female friend so pertinent to this post). It was such a wonderful trip that I am excited to share more about in upcoming posts.

I got served this article, “Why I Travel With My Best Friend Like She’s My Wife”, on Instagram at the most opportune time (woo-woo girls like myself would call it divine timing). I had just gotten back from a solo Sunday morning stroll in a quiet Le Marais in Paris - my absolute favorite type of morning. My oat milk flat white & croissant aux amandes in hand, I walked through some of my favorite sun-soaked and empty streets in Paris going through my daily gratitude and quiet frankly, just feeling immensely happy. Solo meditation walks are admittedly one of my favorite things in the world, and when it is in one of my favorite neighborhoods in one of my favorite cities steeped in history - chef’s kiss!

But then…. not one, but TWO Akitas walked into the small empty square I was standing in. The dog breed Akita is a good omen for me, and I find whenever I am either looking for a sign or in a certain high vibrational state, I tend to see one. (I urge everyone to find their “good omen” — for me, Akitas are not a common breed and they bring me so much joy, so it feels like an instant hug when I see one!)

I digress but wanted to set the scene for the high vibration I was on when this article popped up a the top of my Instagram feed! When I opened my Instagram and saw this article, it felt like “YES!”

The article says:

“It’s always struck me as odd that spectacular picturesque getaways like this have become signifiers of romance. I’ve found that, in the popular imagination, extravagant or “special” trips necessitate a particular marital status. There are big friend trips like bachelorette parties (though still wedding-adjacent) or in some cases milestone birthdays, but I don’t often see one-on-one friend trips, particularly not as I trudge towards my mid-30s.”

I work in travel so I completely recognize that the amount of trips I go on is not a normal standard to follow. I also understand the privilege I have in my career to be able to go on these “epic” girls trips at a discounted cost. But if I was being honest, some of my favorite trips in the world have been when staying in a cheap Airbnb or a small hotel I could actually comfortably afford. Because as cliche as this sounds, it truly is about the company you are with.

These trips (a selection of them featured below) have helped define who I am. That might sound like a bold statement, but it is true. Because not only does travel change you, but when traveling with your friends it changes your friendships too. It adds a new layer of depth and increased vulnerability that stays with you even after you return home.

A quote Yagoda says which sums up exactly where myself and so many of my friends find ourselves as we move further into adulthood:

“Outside of vacation planning, I watch people devalue intimacy beyond their romantic partnerships, pouring less time and energy into friendships as their nuclear families—understandably—take priority… There are deeply meaningful partnerships that are built on mutual support and no less intimate for existing outside of the romantic and sexual realms.”

Friendships are intimate in their own right. My friends have helped guide me through incredibly tough situations, have been my therapists, and know more about me than all of my romantic partners combined. While of course priorities (rightfully so) shift as partners and families enter the picture, it’s of incredible importance for me to always keep these girls in my corner and show up for them equally as well.

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Some of my trips to date that reflect this:

Kayla and I went on a trip throughout the Amalfi Coast that quite literally followed the itinerary I plan for many honeymoons. We still joke to this day (and to her husband) that our honeymoon was the best.

Kayla’s 30th birthday trip to Turkey was yes, a milestone trip, but cemented us gals’ friendship either further on a deeper level — we danced through the night flirting with men from various European countries, we had hard conversations about growing up and where our lives were vs. what we expected, and we also gave each other space to just fully be ourselves.

Last year we took our book club to Paris, and it was just as divine as it sounds. We dressed in our finest threads (you should check out our “look du jour”s on Kayla’s TikTok), galavanted around the city following in the footsteps of the main character in the book we had just read (The Last Dress From Paris), visited some of the city’s best hotels, and created a lot of social content all while not feeling guilty in the slightest about it (no Instagram husbands needed here!)

Both my work trips to the Maldives and Tahiti; these are destinations many would deem “honeymoon-worthy” (well, because they are), but these trips were SO much fun with the best group on both of them. There’s something to be said for being on a secluded island, drinking wine, filming TikTok dances, and laughing your head off with amazing colleagues turned friends (ok boys were allowed on this one).

This past summer I rented a little cottage in Montauk for the month of July and had friends come out each weekend as well as my parents at one point. To be honest, I had hesitated booking this house in the spring (you often need to book these types of houses in advance!) as I really was hoping I would be dating someone and thought “what if”. Instead I booked the house and decided if I was dating someone he would just have to go along with my schedule. I was not dating anyone come July, but I had the best month, fun dating experiences, and made the best memories with my friends both old and new. So thankful I pulled the damn trigger and booked it!

Spending a month in Paris! This was a lifelong dream of mine, and glad I got to do it with my friend Katie as well as start off the trip celebrating my friend Kayla’s bday. Also going on dates in another country is fun ;)

NYE in Montana with my girls! Last year, we celebrated NYE in Montana which then turned into us booking a ski trip to Aspen while still on the Montana trip. I love when you book the next trip while on the current trip!

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I of course am so excited for the day of when my travel calendar will also be flooded with trips with my significant other, and I never want to belittle how enriching traveling as a couple is. My parents’ travel currently in retirement is what I aspire to have, and I love seeing the joy and priceless memories for the couples and families I plan trips for. But I am also thankful to have had these experiences in my single era and all that it has taught me. It has also given me the perspective to never stop prioritizing friendships or myself, even once a partner and kids come along.

Let’s get the girls trips out of the group chats!

If you are looking to go on an “epic” trip and travel but none of your friends are in a position to do so, or you just want to meet like-minded women, I highly recommend checking out Atlas Adventures (or you can sign up with a friend or a few!) My dear friend Whitney started this company to connect women together through amazing travel experiences. I have had the pleasure to cross paths with her and her team leading these trips on a few occasions, and I am always so impressed with the true friendships that come out of these trips. And not to mention they are just so much FUN!

That’s all for this week folks of my different version of a Friday catch up! I am currently drowning in my inbox post-trip, but I will have posts on both Lyon and Burgundy coming soon.

Cheers,

Chelsea