From VBH Travel:
It starts the same way almost every time.
Someone sends a message to the group chat: “We really need to plan a girls’ trip.”
Everyone agrees. Destinations are suggested. A few dates are tossed around.
And then…nothing.
Photo credit: Anna Herbst
Between work, kids, aging parents, overflowing calendars, and the reality that planning a trip for six or eight adults can feel like a part-time job, those well-intentioned plans often never make it beyond the group text.
Heather Cross, owner of Maplewood-based VBH Travel, has seen that happen countless times.
Photo credit: Anna Herbst
“I’ve had so many clients tell me they’ve been talking about taking a girls’ trip for years,” says Cross. “The hardest part usually isn’t choosing where to go—it’s finding someone willing to coordinate flights, research resorts, collect payments, answer everyone’s questions, and make it all happen.”
That’s what inspired VBH Travel’s annual Girlfriends Getaway.
Now entering its seventh year, the hosted vacation is designed to remove the planning stress so women can focus on what they actually wanted in the first place: spending uninterrupted time together. Over 100 women have participated in the trip over the past six years: each year brings a mix of both repeat and new guests.
Photo credit: Anna Herbst
The 2027 getaway will take place January 22–26 at Secrets Cap Cana in the Dominican Republic, an adults-only, all-inclusive resort where guests can spend their days lounging by the pool, relaxing on the beach, enjoying meals together, or treating themselves to a spa day. There are optional opportunities to gather as a group, but no packed itinerary or mandatory activities—just the freedom to vacation however they choose.
That flexibility has become one of the trip’s biggest draws.
After this year’s getaway, guests overwhelmingly described the experience as stress-free, relaxing, and refreshingly easy. Many said the biggest appeal wasn’t the destination itself—it was not having to plan a thing.
Photo credit: Anna Herbst
One guest summed it up simply: “Having the entire trip and every detail planned for you [was] such a nice departure from daily life.” Another called it “an easy way…to spend quality time together without worrying about planning and logistics.” Others described the getaway as an “annual highlight” and praised the opportunity for “rest and relaxation with good friends and no stress.”
The results speak for themselves. Nearly 78 percent of participants rated this year’s getaway as “Amazing,” every respondent rated it positively overall, and more than 94 percent said they would recommend it to friends or family.
Photo credit: Anna Herbst
For Cross, those comments reinforce something she’s believed for years: travel isn’t just about the destination.
“Women spend so much of their lives taking care of everyone else,” she says. “Sometimes the greatest luxury isn’t the beautiful resort—it’s having someone else handle all the details so you can simply enjoy being present with your friends.”
“No one was complaining about being in Mexico on the Girlfriends Getaway during last year’s major snowstorm. The spouses did a great job handling the snow while we had our toes in the sand,” Kelly Piccola, VBH Travel’s Director of Agency Operations recalled.
Photo credit: Anna Herbst
To encourage more women to finally stop talking about that girls’ trip and actually book it, VBH Travel is offering a Summer Sale through August 15. Travelers can save $100 per person on the 2027 Girlfriends Getaway by using promo code VGSUMMERSALE when they reserve their spot on https://vbhtravel.com/vbh-girlfriends-getaway-2027
Because sometimes the best trips don’t begin with a passport.
They begin with someone finally saying, “Let’s make this the year we actually go.”
