Marybeth Bond - Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide

W omen travel differently from men. We seize opportunities to meet other women, take the time to slowly meander through a flower garden, devote time in a spa, take a cooking lesson in a local womans kitchen, or shop without the pressure of someone waiting for us outside the store. If you buy this book for yourself or a loved one, you understand the powerful experience of traveling with women. Its the easiest way to reconnect with our deepest female soul matesour girlfriends. Whether were single or married, career women or stay-at-home moms, traveling with girlfriends is great fun. We laugh, were silly, and were blissfully free of our responsibilities to anyone but ourselves. We return home rejuvenated, recharged, and recommitted to our families and work. Best of all, we encourage each other and get out of our own shells.

Girlfriend getaways, however, arent just limited to gal pals. Mothers, daughters, and sisters are also traveling together. A girlfriend getaway can celebrate milestones and changes, from graduation and retirement to beating cancer. Sometimes we just want to escape the daily grind.

What do women want when they go away with each other? Flip through the chapters to find out. How about a cooking class in Tuscany? Or a hike and fondue in Zermatt? Or culture, art, fine dining, and a personal shopper in Paris? Or a guided tour of a London museum? Or a ginger oil massage in Thailand?

This book is organized by the places we want to visit and the things we want to do. Ive arranged the trips by themes, such as exotic escapes, wonderful walks, culinary classes, volunteer trips, education travel, or cosmopolitan cities. You can use this book as a resource to learn about a style of travel or a specific location. Do you want to devote a trip to volunteer work, spas, gardens, or staying in a castle? This book will help you decide and offer you advice on which countries are the best to visit for your interest.

Lets face it, the world is a big place, and it can be hard to narrow down all of your choices. Luckily, Ive done that for you. I recommend exotic once-in-a-lifetime adventures from the Galpagos to Turkey, and old-world palaces where wed love to lay our heads, in Ireland or India. In other chapters I select some of the best trails worldwide from Zermatt to Machu Picchu; culinary classes in Tuscany, Provence, or Thailand; and volunteer trips where we can lend a hand and make a difference in Guatemala, Cambodia, or Kenya.

Like most experienced travelers, I have become very picky. I have traveled on a limited budget and in extreme luxury. Because Ive had mediocre meals, hotels, guides, tours, and some rotten travel experiences, I want to save you time and, in some places, money so you wont have similar negative memories. I wrote this book for you: a sophisticated, open-minded, adventurous woman who hungers for the worlds most incredible locales and trips. You will want to grab a girlfriend or two and just make it happen. In compiling this book, I have tossed out the average places, accommodations, and experiences. I have selected what is truly worthy, in my opinion, of your money and limited travel time.

Each destination is scrupulously examined through a female lens. What will women travelers appreciate in Sydney, Buenos Aires, Cape Town, or on a barge trip in Holland? Destination descriptions include female-friendly activities and places, such as best farmers markets, best outdoor cafs for people watching, best venues for afternoon tea, best cooking classes, best private shopping guides (in Paris), best music or art festivals.

Have you visited all these places? is the most frequent question I am asked by readers. Yes, I have visited, hiked, biked, eaten, slept, and shopped in almost all (98 percent) of the destinations I recommend in my books. Im a gypsy at heart and a zealous traveler, who has dedicated her life to exploringand who can tolerate lots of long flights in the course of a year. Over the past four decades, I have lived in Europe for six years, the South Pacific for one year, and traveled, at my leisure, for two years around the world (alone).

Youll see in the introduction to Chapter One that I have been to India seven times in the past 25 years, most recently last summer. I explain how India has changed and why it is still a must destination for every curious traveler. Nepal, where I have worn out hiking boots on nine treks in different regions, is included in Chapter Three, wonderful walks of the world. But in Chapter Two I admit that no one can be a true expert on Paris. Although I lived on rue Jacob, in the 6th arrondissement, for four years, and I visit Paris often, I recognize that I cant possibly come up with the most up-to-date information myself. For this book, I asked expats living in Paris to share their secrets with us. Although Ive been to Sydney, Cape Town, and London, Im not up on the latest hot places to dine, hear a free concert in a park, or buy curios in a neighborhood market. Thats when I call upon my loyal network of girlfriends. For example, my friend Suzy was transferred to Sydney 25 years ago. She broke the glass ceiling, working her way to the top of an investment banking firm. Shes a sophisticated woman who entertains often, so I asked her for women-friendly suggestions for best places to go to the beach, shop, stroll safely, get cultured, watch the sunset, cruise, and dine in Sydney. She invited a group of with it women friends to the boardroom of her office, and over wine and cheese, and much negotiation, they hammered out a list of Best Places for Sydney. Two weeks later, she sent me a five-page email with ideas. I owe a debt of gratitude to my countless sophisticated, well-traveled friends like Suzy whose advice I trust and who have been there and done that recently.

Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide is not a cookie-cutter guidebook. Like my first book, 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America , it contains dozens of sidebars with advice by women, for women, from how to pack to what to look out for and how not to offend the locals. Many of the short intimate stories and interviews in this book describe the inner journey of exploring the world with a close female friend or relative. They are meant to coax you out of your everyday routine and possible apprehension and just book a darn flight! I have learned that many times its that easy: Get your plane tickets and the rest will fall into place (after a carefully reading of my suggestions, of course).

Like me, you may start at the back of the book and skim through it, reading snippets here and there. Take a moment to peruse the interviews at the beginning of each chapter. They will give you a glimpse of the gutsy women who are out there living life to its fullest. Let these ideas begin to take shape and start to solidify into actual travel plans.