Things I learned from all girls trips
While travelling with family or male companions often provides a sense of security, there's an unparalleled sense of camaraderie and empowerment when journeying with a group of women
As a young girl, while often bingeing on 'Sex and the City' episodes, I couldn't help but wonder how exciting an all girls trip could be. I could not wait to embark on such an adventure.
Like any other trip, these trips are all about exploring new places, learning, and sometimes unlearning too.
While travelling with family or male companions often provides a sense of security, there's an unparalleled sense of camaraderie and empowerment when journeying with a group of women.
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Girls trips are notorious for being a much-needed reset button in your life. Whether you are travelling with your best friends, your favourite cousins, sisters, co-workers, mother or daughter, you probably already know that you are going to have the time of your life.
Over the past five years, I've been on several all-girls trips, both within the country and abroad, sometimes accompanied by my sister and sometimes joining forces with random girls from a travel group. Reflecting on these wonderful experiences, here are my two cents:
You learn how to adjust
Travelling teaches you the art of adapting. Trips often extend beyond the expected timeframe, requiring a level of patience and flexibility, even among friends or acquaintances.
During my Nepal trip in 2023, my sister and I found ourselves in a predicament when we realised we had forgotten to bring our passport-size photos, preventing us from purchasing a SIM card. Thankfully, all the other girls from our group were kind enough to share personal hotspots with us so we could contact our parents.
In 2022, I went to Sylhet with a group of adventurous women from the Wander Woman travel group. It was a new experience for me, as I had to share a room with a complete stranger for the first time.
As someone who is typically wary of sharing personal space, this was a significant step outside my comfort zone.
However, through this experience, I discovered the power of adapting. Despite initial apprehensions, we struck up a great friendship.
Moreover, when travelling with a big group, different people come up with different opinions and itineraries, which sometimes creates conflicts.
In such situations, democracy has always proven to be the best policy. It is also important to nurture a positive mindset and respect others' opinions.
Better crisis management
During my Nepal trip in 2023, my sister and I found ourselves in a predicament when we realised we had forgotten to bring our passport-size photos, preventing us from purchasing a SIM card.
Thankfully, all the other girls from our group were kind enough to share personal hotspots with us so we could contact our parents.
A similar scenario unfolded during my trip to Bandarban when my SIM card failed to provide adequate network coverage. Once again, my roommate came to the rescue, providing me with a hotspot during our outings.
In Nepal, I encountered another challenge when I ran out of Nepalese Rupees, with no nearby currency exchange shops in sight.
But one of our travel companions lent us around NPR3,000, which I promptly returned upon our return home.
In my opinion, this is the true spirit of travelling with a group of girls - receiving acts of generosity and camaraderie.
Someone always has your back
No matter how sincerely you pack your luggage, chances are that you will miss an item or two, or a situation might arise when you need something you did not think was important for the trip.
Girls trips are a true life saviour during these situations.
During my India trip, I was struggling to charge my phone as the charger didn't fit into the local electric socket. But my roommate had a universal adapter, which came in handy.
On many of my trips, I borrowed things from my travel mates to style my outfit, etc. And this is only possible when you are travelling with girls.
Daily expenses are made easier
During all of my trips, we made a joint fund for the daily expenses. This ensures a better financial management and hassle-free outing, without having to worry about the cash and changes.
Cost-cutting is another wonderful aspect of travelling with a big group. The bigger the group, the lesser the cost.
More people to take your photos
Hands down one of the best reasons to take a girls trip is to get more people to take your amazing photos.
The challenge of capturing those Instagram-worthy photos can feel daunting when you're alone, or with a few people who aren't familiar with your best angles or preferred aesthetic.
However, a trip with your girlfriends completely alleviates this stress.
Outdoor activities are much more fun
This is my personal take on a girls trip. I found the outdoor activities more thrilling and fun with a girls group, rather than a family trip.
In Nepal, I did white water rafting, bungee jumping, parasailing, all with a bunch of girls and found the experience quite memorable.
I remember I was quite sceptical about bungee jumping and afraid to be the first one to jump. One of my trip mates encouraged me and volunteered to be the first one to jump, to help me overcome my fears.
Want to be on an all girls trip?
There are quite a few travel groups such as Fly Far Ladies, Wander Woman, Vromonkonna-Travelletes of Bangladesh, etc, who regularly conduct all girls trips. Check out their social media pages to see their offers. It is also helpful to talk to a few women who have been on such trips for a better understanding.
