Healthy Girlfriend Getaways

Want to relieve the stresses of everyday life, add a healthy boost to your physical and emotional wellness, and have fun with your best girlfriends? Healthy girlfriend getaways offer a great way to re-energize, rejuvenate, and reconnect.  Whether you're on a shoestring budget or ready for a big splurge, we've got five fun ideas. 

First, pick a few health-conscious pals. Invite ones who share your desire to get some exercise and indulge in wellness activities. Then, craft a mission statement that defines the focus and goals for your getaway. Maybe you want it to be all about meditation or yoga. Maybe it's about beauty and relaxation. Or perhaps you want a boot camp experience that whips you into shape. Next, set your budget. You can break the bank of course, but a great getaway can also be as inexpensive as a camping trip. 

Low-cost getaways
If you're looking for inexpensive options, aim for a few days at a nearby location to minimize travel costs. Focus on free or low-budget fitness activities like hiking, biking, or swimming. Pitching a tent or borrowing a cabin can provide the perfect base camp, but an even cheaper option is to stay at one of your own homes (with no kids, spouses, or other distractions of course). Divvy up cooking and "housekeeping" duties so no one is overloaded, then plan your day around exercise, healthy cooking, meditation, and relaxation. You might ask each of your friends to create one or two activity ideas or agree to be the leader for the day. 

1. Rent a campsite at the beach. After a healthy breakfast, take a walk by the water and follow up with yoga and meditation. Go for a swim, eat a nutritious lunch, and spend your afternoon chatting, napping, and enjoying each other's company. Do a sunset yoga session, followed by more girl time. Then, spend the evening cooking dinner together and enjoying a campfire.

2. Rent or borrow a cabin. Keep meals simple and healthy and spend your days hiking, swimming, and enjoying your natural surroundings. Then spend your evenings sitting on the porch, sipping, talking and bonding with your girls. Come prepared for some DIY spa treatments like manicures and pedicures, or swap facials and massages. 

Mid-range getaways
If you want to spend a little more, pick an affordable location, get a couple hotel rooms with a spa-like ambiance, or choose a reasonably-priced spa resort that offers massages, facials, body-wraps, skin treatments, and hair and nail care. Schedule fitness activities that work with your location like a swim in the pool, a hike in the hills, or a bike ride through town. Make a commitment with your girlfriends that you'll resist unhealthy temptations such as the dessert buffet and bottomless margaritas.

3. Pick a yoga center or ashram at a destination you all want to visit.

4. Find a hot springs resort that also offers yoga, massage, and other wellness activities and one that does all the cooking for you.

5. Take a rafting trip down a river with a company that does most of the work. They'll cart your gear from place to place, captain the rafts, and have a gourmet meal waiting when you arrive at the end of your day on the water.

High-end getaways
If you're ready for a splurge, choose a longer block of time at a location on everybody's "bucket list" like Hawaii, Costa Rica, or the San Juan Islands. Consult with a travel agent for healthy vacation package options such as kayaking, biking, or sailing trips. Arrange for surf lessons, zip-line adventures, and top-of-the-line spa treatments.

Try to stick to your mission statement and resist temptations, but don't restrict yourself too much. No matter what your budget, enjoy the luxuries of your destination and the time spent with your best buddies.