Girlfriends' getaways a booming trend in travel

NEW YORK — Girlfriends' getaways — where women travel with other women and leave the menfolk home — are booming. And the phenomenon is not just about bachelerotte parties or 20-somethings on spring break.

Women are taking knitting trips, adventure trips and spa trips. The Fine Living Network launched a series called "All-Girl Getaways," hosted by Stephanie Oswald, editor-in-chief of travelgirl magazine. And Marybeth Bond, the author of "50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America," has just written a sequel — "50 Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide."

Bond, who has been tracking data since 1993, said there has been a 230 percent increase in the number of women-only travel companies in the past seven years. And many women who are taking girlfriends' getaways are married — but leaving their husbands at home.

Oswald said some women feel guilty about taking a vacation without their mates. But Bond said men often encourage their significant others to travel with other women to enjoy activities that husbands and boyfriends may not be interested in — whether it's shopping, cooking classes or visiting a botanical garden or museum.

April Merenda, co-founder of Gutsy Women Travel, sees more time-pressed career women in their 30s and 40s taking girlfriends' getaways. But not everybody goes with friends; about 60 percent of her business is from women booking a solo trip. She said that her business is up 25 percent from last year.

There is also more multigenerational travel — Baby Boomers traveling with their daughters or even their mothers. Marcia Walker, 57, of Taylorsville, S.C., went on a 10-day tour to China earlier this year with her daughter and noticed other groups where women were shopping while their spouses waiting outside for them to finish.

"You don't have that burden," she said, adding that her ex-husband never wanted to travel unless he could drive there. "I didn't have anybody breathing down my neck."

The phenomenon of girlfriends' getaways and women traveling alone represents a cultural shift. Thirty years ago, women didn't vacation without their families, said Susan Eckert, founder and president of AdventureWomen, a travel company for women ages 30 and over. A woman who did travel without her husband was asked whether there was something wrong in the marriage, she said.

Traditionally, women planned family vacations where they were the ones "making sure everyone is happy, everyone is safe, everyone is entertained," said Oswald.