Girls’ trips can be the ideal holiday says TV star Shelley Craft
TV host Shelley Craft loves a girls’ trip away — and she’s encouraging other Aussie women to travel together as these getaways surge in popularity. See how you can win a holiday.
National
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Shelley Craft knows a thing or two about holidays after years on The Great Outdoors, which is why she’s loving the new trend of “girls’ trips”.
The mum-of-two recently took her first girls’ trip away from her family, driving from her Byron Bay home to Brisbane for the weekend.
Craft admits she was in good hands as she reconnected with friends while taking time out in a totally different way — exploration, adventure and rejuvenation.
She’s just one of many women encouraging the trend to spend time with their special female friends.
“Women are entitled to a girls’ only weekend to indulge and pamper themselves,” Craft said. “As both a wife and mother, I found it to be revitalising.”
With films such as 2017’s Girls Trip and Netflix’s recent Wine Country highlighting the trend, Craft said women just “understand one another,” providing alternate sources of companionship and solace in ways that a partner can’t or won’t.
“A woman might love her family, but still sometimes want to escape. A girls’ holiday provides this opportunity,” she said.
“Girls’ getaways can fulfil a number of functions — as an extended ‘catch up,’ exploring new places or a retreat away from the burdens of work, family or domestic life.”
According to online travel agency, TripADeal, there has been a 46 per cent rise in women booking group travel over the past two years.
The destinations are surprising, with more women choosing locations overseas.
Spain, Sri Lanka and Italy are hot spots, along with the traditional favourite of Southeast Asia.
“Women are feeling more confident to travel with friends knowing they’ll get to their destination safely without any concerns,” TripADeal co-founder Rich Johnston said.
Psychologist Stephanie Cook said a girls’ trip is a great idea.
“Going away with the girls means women can have fun and cut loose without having any responsibility or accountability, except for each other and themselves,” she said.
For your chance to win one million dollars in travel by TripADeal, buy the paper any day until September 21, find the daily code word and fill in the entry form at milliondollartravel.com.au.
The winner will be drawn on September 21. Make sure you enter the code word on the day it appears in paper. If you’re a digital subscriber, find the code word inside the digital print edition and enter online.