Over the past year or so, I have been on two successful all female trips. Both were for girlfriends of mine that were about to get married! Although, I can’t take all the credit for the success, I definitely took down notes to share with you all.

https://instagram.com/p/5NxUwQGVZT/?taken-by=islanderinheels

• Gather the Ladies (Usually 3-4 months before the scheduled trip). Jot down who’s going and see what everyone can contribute towards the trip. And by contribution, this can mean monetary, housing (we took advantage of our friend’s timeshare), vehicle, food, etc.
• Have everyone share their ideas. During this time, you will see who the natural leaders are, the contributors, and who the followers will be. Also, at this point, you can either relinquish your role as leader and become a contributor, or remain a leader. The main thing is to have a collaborative group of ladies that are equally excited and happy to be on this upcoming trip.
• Establish a forum where everyone can offer ideas, suggestions, what services they want, pricing, photos, etc. We certainly put google+ to good use. We had google hangouts, shared documents, and also had a spreadsheet of expenses on google docs. For daily communication, we utilized group texts or Voxer.
• Set up an itinerary. A daily itinerary is good, but if you can have an hourly itinerary that is even better. For example:  7am depart San Jose for L.A./ 12noon lunch / 2pm Check In at Hotel / 7pm Dinner Reservations at the Restaurant. Having an hourly itinerary will give everyone an idea of when to get ready and what to pack and/or wear. However, when you have an hourly itinerary, make room for adjustments and don’t be overly restrictive with time. Unnecessary stress is not needed.
• On that note, its time to make reservations (Usually 3-4 weeks ahead, or even a few months before, if the place gets really busy) at spas, salons, restaurants, hotels, etc. Any place you plan to visit with your group of girlfriends. Also, this is where credit cards will be used, so be prepared to give that info out. (This is also where that spreadsheet comes in handy for the breakdown of expenses.)

Some ideas for things to do are:

Spa Day (I highly recommend Glen Ivy in SoCal)

Mani/Pedis

Tea Parties (I highly recommend Muir Tea in Sebastopol, CA)

Wineries

• Closer to departure date, remind every one of their responsibilities, to bring cash, and whatever they think will make the trip an enjoyable one. Also, make arrangements of where to meet and depart accordingly.
• Bring thank you cards, if you have hosts, and enjoy your trip! Sans drama…