Exploration
Say no to mud masks: 9 epic all-girl trip ideas
No more wineries. No more spa retreats. Here are 9 kickass adventures for the modern woman.
If the thought of a ‘girl’s weekend’ makes you want to hide under the covers for 48 hours, then you’re not alone.
The good news is that a trip away with your closest allies doesn’t necessarily have to involve any of the following things: fluffy pink bathrobes, lavender-scented cottages, wine buses full of hen’s party goers or day spas that play muzak that makes your eardrums bleed.
Here are a few kick ass trip options for women who want to bond – minus the mud masks.
1. Saddle up for a Mount Bogong Packhorse Adventure
If you’ve got a spare week up your sleeve then an expedition through Victoria’s High Country will provide the perfect backdrop for a bonding experience you’ll still be talking about when you’re grey-haired golden girls. Riding through a mountainous area where Indigenous people lived for thousands of years before cattlemen, bushrangers and gold miners moved in, this expedition will see you riding 15-25km each day. Camping at a different spot each night, you’ll feast on local wine and fresh produce cooked over the coals before sleeping in a swag by the fire.
Book it: www.bogonghorse.com.au
2. Take a walk on Kangaroo Island
There’s nothing like a big walk in nature to reset your soul. Heading out for a walk around the wild paradise of Kangaroo Island with your besties is even better. Instead of getting the life lowdown over quick coffee catch ups or a thread of sporadic text messages, you’ll got five whole glorious days to shoot the breeze with your mates in one of South Australia’s most beautiful pockets.
You’ll also get to enjoy the fitness benefits of walking up to 13km a day. Unsurprisingly, Kangaroo Island is full of kangaroos, but it’s also home to a cacophony of other critters and an alarming number of snakes, so watch where you step! If you’d prefer your trip to be a total bro-free zone, then Park Trek offer women-only departures on certain trips.
Book it:www.parktrek.com.au
3. Stay at a brewery
Located south west of Brisbane in the Granite Belt town of Stanthorpe, Queensland’s only brewery retreat promises timber cabins with log fires, hand crafted seasonal ales, an onsite restaurant with a 1kg monster of a burger on the menu and native animal sightings aplenty. Oh and there’s a bunch of wineries in the area too. What more could a bunch of women want in a weekend away?
Book it:www.granitebeltbrewery.com
4. Skydive the beach
Getting high in Byron Bay may not seem like an original idea but things are a little different when your version of getting high is leaping out of a small plane above a giant ocean with your best buds. Skydiving is a sure-fire way to bring everyone together, as nothing makes you want to hug, cry and scream ‘I love you’ than the knowledge that you’ll soon be plummeting through the sky at warp speed.
Afterwards, recuperate from your freefall with an overnight stay at the heritage-listed Assistant Lighthouse Keeper’s Cottages in the Cape Byron Conservation Area. A group sing-a-long to Tom Petty’s Free Fallin’ isn’t compulsory, but comes highly recommended.
Book it:www.skydivethebeach.com.au
5. Wander the Wundu Way
Grab your mates for two days of cultural immersion in Tropical North Queensland’s Daintree area. Spending two days with Traditional Owners, on this trip you will learn Indigenous hunting, foraging and fishing techniques, so get your arm ready for some spear throwing.
You’ll also be able to unleash your artistic talents on the world at a painting workshop held by a local legend at the Janbal Aboriginal Art Gallery. Fishing, painting and walking through the rainforest with friends is guaranteed to produce deeper friendship ties than another night trying to hear each other talk in a noisy bar.
Book it:www.cultureconnect.com.au
6. Go cycling in Tanzania
Gather together your bike-loving besties for a cycling trip that will blow your minds (and strengthen your calves at the same time). Taking two weeks off for a two-wheeled adventure through Tanzania might not be something you’ve thought of before but is a very worthy way use your annual leave. While cycling is the main event of this trip, you’ll also get to do things like stop into villages to learn how to roast coffee and go on game drives in search of the Big Five. You’ll get far sweatier and dirtier than on a day spa getaway at a country retreat, but you’ll also get to see rhinos, elephants and lions.
Book it: www.intrepidtravel.com
7. Embark on a River Ganges cruise
India is one of those places that you just *know* will create lifelong memories that recall a range of feels. On a journey through India, wonder, hilarity, love, frustration, reverence and amazement all intermingle to form the ideal conditions to strengthen friendships.
Make no mistake, India will change the way you view the world and who better to traipse such emotional terrain than with your inner circle of favourite women? With only 24 guests on board, cruising down the Ganges on a small boat with G Adventures is a top way to experience the flow of life that this river sustains (and a nifty way to avoid having to pack and unpack for 7 days).
Book it: www.gadventures.com.au
8. Go Heli-Hiking in Canada
Sometimes, the best way to get through the working week is to have a blow out trip brewing on the horizon. While you’ve no doubt heard of heli-skiing, those crafty Canadians are also into heli-hiking. Taking your hiking to all new heights, the team from Canadian Mountain Holidays can chopper you into a remote mountain location to enjoy a guided 3 or 6-day hike sans the crowds. This style of off-the-grid hiking trip is the ultimate experience to share with your fearless, female friends who’d rather tough it out on a mountain than lay about sipping Champagne.
Book it: www.canadianmountainholidays.com
9. Road trip through California
An easy drive from Los Angeles, an independent road trip to Joshua Tree National Park is something you could easily make happen with your favourite pals. A place that is seemingly custom-made for rock climbing, biking and hiking, the areas surrounding J-Tree are well covered on Airbnb (there’s more domes, tents, eco-homes, yurts and cabins than you can pick a stick at). Hot tip: choose a place with an outdoor pool or hot tub so you can all cram in for a night of desert stargazing after a day of punishing your body in the Great Outdoors.
Book it: www.visitcalifornia.com