Marybeth Bond - 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America

San Francisco

Miami

New York City

Chicago

Quebec City

Cajun Country, Louisiana

Grand Circle Loop Road, Arizona & Utah

Nashville, Tennessee

Tanglewood, Massachusetts

The Grand Tetons, Jackson, Wyoming

Las Vegas, Nevada

Biking Through Wine Country, Sonoma Valley, California

New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest

Take a Cruise, Caribbean or Mexico

Hilton Head, South Carolina

Boston, Massachusetts

Seattle, Washington

Aspen, Colorado

Ashland, Oregon

Alaska

Raft the Grand Canyon, Colorado River, Arizona

Heli-hiking in the Canadian Rockies

Paddling the Coast of Maine

Hiking Inn-to-Inn in Vermont

Discovering Your Inner Cowgirl, Montana & Wyoming

Asheville, North Carolina

Sedona, Arizona

Banff, Lake Louise, Alberta

Savannah, Georgia

San Diego, California

Glacier National Park, Montana

San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Yoga Retreats, Maine & Massachusetts

Key West, Florida

Monterey Peninsula, California

Charleston, South Carolina

Newport, Rhode Island

Pasadena, California

Alexandria, Virginia

Litchfield, Connecticut

New Age Health Spa, New York

Deerfield Spa, Pennsylvania

Lake Austin Spa Resort, Texas

Red Mountain Spa, Utah

Rancho La Puerta, Baja California, Mexico

Santa Fe, New Mexico

Berkshires, Massachusetts

Door County, Wisconsin

Carmel, California

Scottsdale, Arizona

W omen are stepping out with girlfriends, zooming along roads, paths and waterways with style, humor and courage. Through my own experiences and those of the women I have interviewed for 50 Best Girlfriends Getaways, I learned that travel is one of the most powerful ways to reconnect with our deepest female soul matesour girlfriends. And then there are reasons to travel that are unique and truly important to women: reuniting with childhood girlfriends, mother-daughter bonding, exploring every nook and cranny of a neighborhood, meandering through gardens or historic homes, being pampered at a spa, and the drive to shop til you drop in a retail mecca.

Flip through the table of contents and youll see that this book is organized by themes as opposed to destinations. It addresses our different life stages: turning 40, 50, or 60; bonding with a daughter; craving adventure when the kids have left the house, coping with heartbreak, illness, or the death of loved one.

This second edition includes a new chapter describing the best places for home and garden tours, as well as new destinations: Seattle, Pasadena, Litchfield, Alexandria, Newport, Scottsdale, and Carmel.

Each chapter is set in motion with the stories of women who sought out travel with girlfriends as a means to heal, celebrate, grow, stretch, challenge themselves, or change. I also share my own stories as a travel writer, mother, daughter, and friend. These personal stories remind us that sharing a journey with our female friends is good for our self-confidence, our careers, our marriages, and other relationships.

I describe the spirit-boosting effects of a much-needed horseback riding trip with my daughters in Arizona when I was worn out and in need of a break.

Lynn recounts the joy of dancing her tail off in Louisianas Cajun Country, defying her age and single status by two-stepping to the accordion and fiddle with girlfriends and anyone else on the dance floor. Music, dancing, and the spirit of Cajun Country always lifts her spirits.

Julie and her college roommates book a tough cross-country bike trip for a 50th birthday celebration and prove to the younger generation, as well as themselves, that theyve still got it.

Chris gets together with a circle of best friends from her high school days every other year. They have participated in each others weddings, childbirths, and graduations; cooed over grandchildren, and comforted each other through chemo and the death of spouses. At their reunions they feel like sisters again, sitting around in the late evening in their nightgowns, drinking cheap wine, talking about everything under the sun, looking at old photos of themselves, nurturing each other, laughing until their faces ache, and returning home exhausted and renewed.

These stories are meant to inspire you, to give you ideas for your own travels. They are tales of ordinary women who do extraordinary things with their girlfriends by their side.

50 Best Girlfriends Getaways is geared to women visiting an area for three to six days. When you read most travel guidebooks, you are constantly sorting out what is relevant to you. In this book, I have done the filtering for you. And I have formatted the book in the same way women communicate with each other: We are storytellers, we network, we pick each others brains, and we love to pass along the tidbits and little gems of information that weve discovered along the way.

Each and every boutique hotel, restaurant, neighborhood, garden or walking tour I recommend was carefully chosen with women in mind. We are discriminating travelers, are we not? We get a kick out of saving ourselves money, getting a good deal, but we also like to splurge on things that are truly worth our dime. Understanding how the interior design of a hotel, the mood of a jazz club, the quality of food at a caf and the vista from a hike can make or break an experience, I put every destination under the microscope and pounded the pavement (or trail, as the case may be) to bring you the best itinerary for the type of trip youre seeking. Whether its devising a plan of attack for a retail therapy spree or kicking back at a spa, I simplify your travel planning so you can focus on the most important component to the trip: quality time with your girlfriends. And it is all made easy at the conclusion of each destination with phone numbers and websites with One Click and Youre Off.

Then in the sidebars throughout the book, I have incorporated my own tips, tricks, and secrets as well as those of other experts and women travelers who have been to the destination. The sidebars offer advice on what to pack, what to expect, what to avoid, and what not to miss.

You may ask, What exactly makes for a female friendly place? I focus on the proximity of hotels, dining establishments, attractions, and theaters to each other. Women want to be in the center of the action, so they are able to walk places and avoid expensive cabs or complicated public transportation. When sifting through the countless choices of accommodations, location becomes paramount, especially for a short visit. The hotels and resorts I have chosen are in safe neighborhoods, have character, and are reasonably priced. I have included some hotels that recognize women as an important market, offering unique girlfriend packages.