As women, we often find ourselves making every excuse as to why we “don’t have time” to do the things that bring us joy (e.g. planning or partaking in the perfect Girls Trip!). Setting time aside to kick back and have fun can leave you feeling really guilty, especially if it’s not for something that’s centered around our work and/or family life. Stretch assignment? Oh, sure… why not? Volunteer to be a member of the PTA or Student Advisory Council… No worries, I’d love to.

We’ll spend countless hours researching and analyzing ways to be a better parent, and self-reflecting on how to communicate more effectively in our relationships (personally/professionally), AND friend… DON’T EVEN get me started on how often we obsess about whether we’re being a quality sister, friend, co-worker, neighbor and/or overall “Good Human”.

We STAY “Leaning Forward” and  digging deep (into the pits of our soul!) to give everyone and everything our absolute ALL, and often times that leaves us feeling overwhelmed, underserved, depleted and unappreciated. I swear there were times in 2019 where I’ve felt that I wouldn’t have any time to do ME until  2023, Lol!

Now, I’ve come to realize the importance of putting myself and what I want/need First (sometimes).

Ladies, we’ve got to do better and we’ve gotta start now. Making time for yourself to reset is equally as important as all of the other commitments you’ve made. It seems that self-care and social time with our best girlfriends is always the FIRST thing that gets omitted from our “To Do List” when it comes time to prioritize our life.

BUT,

Yes, Friend!

this is a BIG BUT….

What IF I told you that making room for more leisure time will in-turn aid you in performing optimally?

What if I told you that the absolute KEY to your success in LIFe is taking time to reset and refocus your energy.

What IF…. taking time for YOU was actually the path to INCREASING your productivity?

Well, get ready to send or accept that invite Sis, because it actually IS.

That’s why I’m sharing 5 Ideas that’ll help you plan the perfect (weekend getaway) Girls Trip.

1. Decide what you want to get from the trip (i.e. relaxation, adventure, partying, etc.) and establish a theme based on that. Our goal for this particular Girls Trip was to relax and celebrate our friend’s Birthday! Since we all travel A LOT and we’re constantly on the go… we wanted to have a low-key celebration that would leave us all feeling rejuvenated and rested when we returned to our day-to-day happenings of life.
2. Based on your desires, choose a location that will yield the return that you and your friends are seeking. Since we were in need of some relaxation… The Beach was a brilliant location as it’s the perfect way to feed your soul tranquil goodness, that soothes your mind and restores your body. I mean, seriously,  what’s more therapeutic than the sound of waves crashing?  We opted to stay at a boutique resort called Solé Miami. The location is absolute perfection as it has a really laid back, low-key vibe. It’s definitely off the beaten path for sure and the hotel layout is everything!Sole Miami Resort from Noble House Hotels & Resorts on Vimeo.When we walked into the resort, our noses were captivated by a mysterious cocktail of fragrances that tickled our senses and triggered thoughts of enlightenment in the most calming way, we were instantly reassured that we were definitely in the right place, Lol!  Since it was four of us, we reserved two conjoined suites and the setup couldn’t have been more perfect.
3. Have a preplanned agenda of sorts… doing so will save you lots of time and lots of headache as you want to ensure that everyone is on the same page, prior to arriving to the chosen destination. This saves so much time and allows for maximum relaxation and overall enjoyment of your Weekend Girls Trip/Getaway.  Since we were all feeling rather easy breezy, we chose to stay close to the resort. We opted to eat at Java Juice, which is only a few steps away from the resort. They specialize in “real food” and you can truly taste the difference in the quality of the dishes that they serve. I ordered the Chicken Quesadilla and it was extraordinary. The food did NOT disappoint. I also sampled the Goat Cheese Sweet Potato Toast and the Snapper and Quinoa, both dishes were DIVINE… so much so that we went back for dinner.
   On Sunday, we opted to “brunch” at the resort. Sadly, they didn’t offer a brunch menu or a “Bottomless Mimosa” option. However, I was very pleased with the quality of the customer service, the breathtaking view, and the presentation of the food. It was a winner. The bread that they serve at the BALEENKitchen is an mouthwatering experience that I absolutely recommend. Listen friend, SAY YES TO THESE CARBS, lol! For my main dish, I ordered the chicken cuban with a side of fresh fruit. And for our toast, I ordered the “Noble (wo)Man”, which is the perfect balance of cucumber, basil, and simple syrup…I substituted the Gin for Rum… it was the best executive decision I’ve ever made, Lol! It was SOOO good and our host agreed. We loved it so much that it resulted in us high-fiving to commemorate the executive decision turned mixology masterpiece. If you’re looking for a nice view and great quality food and drinks definitely plan to dine in at the BALEENKitchen while staying at the Solé Miami Resort
4. Embrace your inner child and unwind, life affords us so many opportunities to be serious and strategic and dynamic and calculated, and strong, and POWHERFUL… and that’s great, however we also need to allow ourselves time to just let go and be a kid… to be silly and vulnerable.  To be absent of cares, worries and responsibilities.  Just take time to laugh and PLAY. Yes, adult play is a thing and I’m hereby making it a requirement for all adults, all around the world. Lol! For our girls trip, we were intentional about making time to play games and pamper ourselves. We threw on our favorite Pj’s, rocked our mini B-day hats, turned on the music, and had an adult slumber party while sipping our favorite wines and indulging in girl talk. One of the perks of the resort was Plush white, Terry Cloth Robes!
   
5. I don’t know about you, but I loves me a good robe op, Hunty.  We spent the night in, fancying about in our robes while noshing on popcorn, and red velvet cupcakes. We did facials and wore hydrating masks so that our skin could recover from all of those sun rays we’d encountered on our mission of getting beach wasted since we’d laid out on the beach for hours after indulging in a Bougie Picnic.
   It was such a fun, frilly way to honor the Bday Girl and she was so overjoyed by all of the love and warmth of the celebration. Click here to see the Picnic reveal… the Bday girls reaction to the surprise picnic was priceless!

Pro tip: Don’t spend a lot of money on having food catered for the picnic (if you choose to have one) Just go to the local grocery store and grab the things you need. I’ll put together a separate blog post detailing how to throw the perfect picnic (as that’s a conversation within itself).

5. Don’t forget to add to the experience by bringing some kind of memorabilia that compliments the theme of the trip and make the event more special. We drank from these adorable wine glasses and each of us got to take our glasses home which was awesome as we all have a little reminder/keepsake of how amazing our girls getaway was.

We enjoyed our getaway so much that we’ve planned to have our girls weekend retreats, quarterly. This girls Trip/Getaway served as the perfect reset for us.  It literally felt like I’d hit the “refresh button” on my life. I was revived and prepared to produce to my highest capacity.

 

I’m looking forward to my next adventure. I hope you all found these little tips to be helpful in planning your next escape. Remember, to take care of YOU.

 

Until next time…

 

Note this, friends!

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You shouldn't feel guilty about taking time for yourself. Every so often, everyone needs to give themselves a big ol' bear hug and treat themselves to some TLC.