Girlfriend Getaways

GG Editors: Greetings! Thank you for visiting for our weekly online chat. Unlike most Tuesdays, today we're fielding questions on Girlfriend Getaways topics. Let's get to it!

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Richmond, Va.: Where can I locate a nice resort with a full service spa and golf at the resort at a great deal on the east coast?
Thanks, Valerie

GG Editors: There are several resorts on the east coast that have full service spas and golfing. One of my favorites is the Equinox in Manchester Village, Vermont, which is about 190 miles from Boston. The historic property—it opened in 1769, and even hosted Ulysses S. Grant at one point—has a gorgeous spa and a Par-71 course. The resort is offering an unlimited golf package through November that includes lodging, unlimited golf, and unlimited use of a golf cart. You can also fly fish at the property, take some clay skeet shooting lessons—and even learn to handle and fly a hawk at the Equinox's British School of Falconry. —Liz Ozaist

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Rockville, Md.: I have several friends that travel with me and we have no problem getting along in most instances except one. When we "split expenses" one party in our little group always gives only the amount requested (no tax or tip) or sometimes "she doesn't have change" expects you to cover her portion. Example: four of us took a shore excursion while in a foreign country which was $50 USD. The driver was great and we all decided to give him $20 each. The "cheapie", sitting in the front seat, handed him our $60 and exited the cab. I went back and gave him another $20 and said nothing to the "cheapie" but I know I should have said something. (We have not traveled together since that time. The group does not always include the same people, just the same type of people—so there is always one in our group.) Any ideas on how to handle this?

GG Editors: One thing that I have learned about travelling with friends that you hope to travel with again someday is to create a kitty at the beginning of each trip. The idea is that each person puts in the same amount of money into the kitty that you then all use to pay for taxis, drinks at the bar, and any other miscellaneous expenses. This way, no one gets stuck having to put in extra to cover for someone else. And if you run out of money at any point, you can all replenish the stash at the same time—and enjoy the rest of your trip! —Liz Ozaist

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Grundy Center, Iowa: A group of us are planning on celebrating a 50th birthday with a Scandinavian cruise in 2011. Half of us are located in the US and the other half are in Europe. Can you give us any direction as to what cruise lines to check with on both sides of the pond? Also, any suggestions as to how to make the "birthday girl's" experience really fabulous? Can a group booking desk directly with the operator really bump up the fun and amenities? Thanks for your help!

GG Editors: Hello, Iowa! What a great idea to celebrate your 50ths with a cruise. Luckily, most of the major cruise lines sail both the US and Europe…sending their ships across the pond in spring and fall to reposition in either the Mediterranean Sea or the Caribbean Sea. One thought would be that you guys take advantage of such repositioning cruises. They tend to be a better value for the money—costing about the same, but lasting a few days longer. There are less stops at destinations because much of the route is on the ocean…but if you're hanging out on the ship together, you probably wouldn't mind. You get to know your fellow ship-mates better on this type of cruise, as well, and the type of passengers who take this cruise tend to me more relaxed and are less frequently young families. You can find these cruises by looking on the website of your favorite cruise line and looking for the last cruise in a season (usually during March or April, and pick the one with a transatlantic itinerary). Then, to try to save money, you might want to book your tickets on CruiseCompete.com, a site where agents bid for your business. If you have more specific cruise questions as your trip approaches, you may want to check back at BudgetTravel.com and ask questions for the Tuesday, September 9 chat when the goddess of cruise information, Carolyn Spencer Brown answers questions (she knows the European cruise scene well, too!)

Have a great trip! —Sean O'Neill

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West Branch, Mich.: My best friend lives in California and will fly out of John Wayne International. I will be flying out of MBS (Midland/Bay City/Saginaw, MI) airport or Flint Bishop Airport. We want to travel between Thanksgiving 2008 and New Year's 2009 to Europe (Italy or Ireland). How can we coordinate our flights so that we can travel most of the way together?

GG Editors: Hi, West Branch! Sounds like a fun trip. Unfortunately, you've stumped me on this one—hard to synch up your schedules while also keeping fares low. Here's my best guess…if you can get an airport shuttle the 97 miles to Detroit airport, and hop a Northwest flight to DC's Dulles airport for about $300, your friend could take an airport shuttle the 40 miles to LAX and get a discount flight to Dulles as well, and from Dulles you could get international flights to either Ireland or Italy. Good luck! —Sean O'Neill

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Bronx, New York: I just created a group called "Spa Divas of NYC" for women 45 and over (on meetup.com) so I am the Organizer of this group. We're planning on going to spas 4 times a year with one of those trips internationally and the other 3 trips will be within the U.S. or locally. There are 28 members in my group (with more joining). How do we, as a group, receive discounts for spa treatments, hotels and airfare? Also, our first trip will be a weekend trip either in Connecticut, Upstate New York or Pennsylvania. And as a treat for ourselves, we'll be traveling by limo to and from. Therefore, do you have any suggestions for a weekend spa in either Connecticut, Pennsylvania or Upstate New York where we would be able to rent a cottage or villa, someplace where we can share a suite or 4 bedrooms so that it won't be too costly. I would greatly appreciate your assistance.

Thank you for your time.
—Karen

GG Editors: Hello, Karen! Aren't you an enterprising person?! First, you should know that United Vacations offers special group packages for girlfriends, including the help of a specialist to do coordinating. They have a year-long offer that rewards travelers who book a group of 16 people or more to nearly any U.S. destination with a savings of $25 per person. Plus, the group leader will get 10,000 Mileage Plus® bonus miles. Bookings for travel this year. You also get the help of a travel agent in coordinating flights from various cities to the destination of your choice, reserving hotel rooms within close proximity for convenience, recommending sightseeing tours and shows, help arrange for private motor coach or shuttle bus transfers and limousines, coordinate payment from all group members, and be on call 24 hours in case of problems. If you try it, let us know what you think.

As for suggestions on places to stay, I recommend you check out GirlGetaways.com, where we've listed 50 great places (including in the states you specified) as well as Spa Getaways info. Have a great time! —Sean O'Neill

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