Organising the Ultimate Girls Weekend Away

Ever since I have become a Mum, there is one thing I miss more than anything. Weekends away.

Before the girls were born, I would regularly arrange to head away with a large group of friends for a girly weekend. Not only was this a fantastic change from the monotony of day to day life, but it was a change of scenery, a chance to blow the cobwebs away, a chance to have proper catch ups, relax, unwind and enjoy each other’s company. We would arrange something every few months, leaving our other halves behind to hold the fort whilst we headed off on our latest adventure.

Now the girls are getting a little older, I am slowly getting to the stage where weekends away are back on the cards and I CAN NOT WAIT. Here are my 10 tips for organising the ultimate weekend away with the girls.

1. Choose a great venue – when you’re going away on a girly weekend, it’s great to find accommodation that is a little different to what you have at home, and one that adequately caters for larger groups. I always seek out big houses to rent. Not only does a larger venue allow us all to have our own private space when we finally roll into bed, but they provide enough living space for us to gather round as a group in the evenings. I would always recommend looking for one with a few local amenities within walking or driving distance, as inevitably in a large group, someone will forget something! The venues at partyhouses.co.uk are ideal, with accommodation catering for groups as large as 80(!) people (should you be lucky enough to have that many friends!) Each venue has something unique to offer, with plenty of space for late night heart to hearts, group cocktail making sessions and games, and enough bathrooms / ensuites that you don’t have to queue for the shower in the morning! 
2. Consider Travel arrangements – How are you all going to get to your destination? Are you sharing a car? If there is a large group of you, you may want to consider mini bus hire such as the minibus hire available at PSD Vehicle Rental as this works out far more cost effective than you all incurring your own petrol and mileage costs.
3. Order your food shop online – Whenever we have gone away, my friends would be talking about wasting valuable car space packing their bags full of alcohol, snacks and supplies. Instead, we now pool funds together and arrange for a large online shopping delivery, in a slot that arrives just after we have checked in. This way, there’s no worrying about finding the nearest shop in an unfamiliar location as soon as you arrive, it can simply be delivered to the doorstep at a time to suit you! Also no carrying of heavy bags full of bottles, as most online supermarkets will deliver straight to the kitchen if you ask!
4. Plan but don’t OVER plan – have a rough idea of what everyone wants from their girly weekend away, and plan a vague itinerary of where you want to go, especially if there are particular places you want to visit whilst you are there. That said, there is nothing worse than an over planned agenda of what you need to do by the hour – I have a few friends who get a little bit ‘Monica’ when it comes to organisation, and dictating the plans too much can definitely take the fun out of it. Make sure you cater for some down time and relaxation too!
5. Agree on a budget before you go – not everyone in a large group can afford to spend the same amount of money on activities, eating out and entertainment, and you don’t want to exclude people or leave them feeling upset when the suggestions just aren’t feasible on their income. Agree in advance an amount of money that the whole group is happy to spend, and take it from there.
6. Activities don’t have to mean spending a fortune – there are LOADS of free fun group activities that you can do together inside the accommodation or close to your surroundings – go for a walk or bike ride, head out for a picnic, make a meal together (perhaps splitting into groups and catering for a course each!), make cocktails, play Never Did I Ever – the opportunities are endless.   
7. Take a break from the tech – as much as it’s great to stay connected, one of the nicest things about weekends away is the opportunity to take a break, to switch off, to disconnect, and to be away from it all for a little while. Keep your phone in your room, ignore social media and live in the moment with your friends.
8. That said, Take your Camera – there is something special about marking the occasion, making some memories, and capturing the moments  on your camera. Not only are these great to look back on (as part of the 10 year challenge perhaps!) but as you grow older, relationships change, and these events may become few and far between. These moments are special, and I love looking back at some of my favourite weekends away.
   
9. Make a weekend playlist – great for putting on when you’re all getting ready for a night out, make a group playlist of all your favourite songs. This is something fun to do whilst your counting down the days till your getaway, and can be a great way to relive the memories when you listen to it again when you’re home.
10. Put the diets on hold – even if you are trying really hard to stay on the bandwagon, give yourself a break for the weekend and allow yourself to indulge a little – you can get back on track when you’re back to reality. It’s no fun chewing on a lettuce leaf whilst the rest of your girlfriends are tucking into burgers and steaks!
11. Set a date for the next one – in our group of friends, unless we start organising early, it never happens! Before you head home at the end of your break, get the diaries out and agree on a date for your next get together. It doesn’t matter if its 6 months away, or even longer; getting the date in early that you can all agree on is the first hurdle, and it gets a whole lot easier from there onwards!

Myself and a group of fellow bloggers are currently trying to plan our first proper getaway together, and I can’t wait to say goodbye to the half conversations, to have a whole meal without having to take someone to the toilet half way through, and to spend a bit of time looking after No.1 for a while.

What other tips would you give me for arranging the ultimate girls weekend away? 

*This is a collaborative post*