This week I welcome travel blogger Zayna, who has written a guest post giving her 7 tips on how to have the perfect girly holiday.
This is a follow-up to my last post on why girly trips are so important. Have a read of that too. Right, over to you, Zayna!
Hi everyone! I’m Zayna and you can find me over at ZaynaShaikh.com where I’m currently on a mission to visit 30 countries before I turn 30 and so far it’s going pretty well. I’ve been to 24 different countries and I’m 27 so 6 more to go in just under 4 years!
Some of the best places I’ve been to are Tanzania as there is just natural beauty everywhere, Barcelona as it’s a city which is alive during the day and at night and probably Dubai because it has literally everything you could possibly want from a holiday!
Pretty much all of my holidays are with my girls as we try to get away every few months! We’ve been on 8 holidays together and are off to Portugal this week, so we really get each other!
There’s a saying that goes you really know someone when you travel with them and for me that is incredibly true so here are my 7 tips on how to have the perfect girly holiday!
1. PACK SMARTLY
We love a cheap getaway so we’re always on some budget airline with limited suitcase space meaning the group chat is always popping with the same questions before flying out:
“Who’s taking the straighteners?”
“Shall I bring my setting spray?”
“I’ve got the extension wire – who can bring the adapter?”
Actually before continuing – an extension wire is a MUST for your suitcase! Hotels are notorious for having sockets in the most obscure places so an extension wire eliminates all the drama of ‘what percent are you on, I need to charge my phone now’ or ‘take the straighteners out, I want to put the curlers in’.
Chat with your girls beforehand and know what each others taking because you don’t need 4 curling irons when every bit of space is precious.
2. PERSONAL SPACE
When you go away with a group, there’s always bound to be a couple of disagreements about where to eat or what time to head out but don’t let these ruin your holiday.
As I’ve been on quite a few trips with my girls, we know when each of us is having a little moment so we kinda all lay off a little and give each other some time.
Plus we don’t have to always be ‘on’ so when we’re getting ready we’ll put some music on and each get ready on our own – it’s not awkward or anything like that because we don’t feel the pressure or need to be constantly talking and you don’t have to even if you are on a group trip.
3. BE MONEY-SMART
We always set up a kitty on holiday and I definitely recommend doing this! It’s easier to drop in 20 euros at the start of the day and use that for taxis and food rather than worrying about splitting the bill – you want to be fuss free on holidays so a kitty is always a good idea.
4. MAKE SURE YOU’RE ON THE SAME PAGE
This is another important tip because being on the same page is key to a wicked holiday! Be sure that everybody is aware of the kind of holiday you’re going on before getting there – if somebody wants a beach holiday but it’s going to be 4 degrees and the closest beach is an hour away then make sure they know.
The last thing you want is an unwelcome argument that one person expected this and didn’t get that. I think the only expectations from a holiday should be to have the best time and enjoy whatever the city has to offer.
When we went to Berlin in December, we all wanted a chilled-out relaxing holiday so we were all fine with spending time in the hotel. In Rome, we wanted to see the historical sites so were out at 9am to get to our tour – being on the same page is key!
5. PIX, VIDS, SNAPS, INSTA – COVER ALL THE SOCIALS
There’s nothing quite like reminiscing over holiday pictures and videos when you’ve had an incredibly long day at work and are sitting bored at home.
I would say capture as much as you can and want to – the little videos that you take off- guard of a funny moment or the pictures of each other in a state you wouldn’t be caught outside in are what you’ll send back and forth in WhatsApp and laugh at.
Plus it takes a hundred shots to get that one shot for Instagram so ya know!
6. ‘I’M ON HOLIDAY, I CAN DO WHAT I WANT!’
This is one of our holiday mottos and we mention it pretty much every day when we’re abroad. When you’re at home in your day to day routine it’s difficult to break out and just do something for the heck of it because you know it’ll have a knock on effect on your day but on holiday you don’t have that worry or stress!
If it’s -3 outside but you’ve come across a shop that sells rose-shaped ice cream then you go and eat the ice cream or you pay 30 euros more because you want to eat at the rooftop restaurant overlooking the Colosseum!
Nobody likes a Debbie Downer especially on holiday so just enjoy every moment of your holiday and do whatever it is that you want to.
7. LAUGH – A LOT!
About 80% of my holidays are spent laughing at anything and everything! We all have so much going on at home that when we get to escape for a few days and be somewhere new with each other that we just make the absolute most of it!
Sometimes we look back and think did we really spend 20 minutes laughing at each other sniffling? And as bizarre as it sounds, it’s the little jokes that make the holiday all the more memorable and make you want to do it all over again a few months later.
I love spending time with my girls – that could be on the sofa at home or freezing to death in a castle in Budapest, so anywhere I go with them is always a good time. I hope this list helps you have the perfect getaway with your girls and follow me on Instagram to see all the shenanigans from my next trip!
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Thanks for a wonderful post, Zayna! Make sure you go follow her blog and Instagram. One of my other blogger friends Amaretto’s World wrote a guest post for me on how she makes her daily wardrobe decisions. You can check that out here.
