You know how you've heard the cool kids ramble on about South by Southwest (SXSW), or Austin City Limits?  Well, lucky for you, the Austin music scene is "on" pretty much all the time.  If you want to reconnect with your inner college kid - you know, the one who knew all the bands, and used to dance in front of the stage without her top on...oh wait, nevermind.  That's not what we meant.  What we mean is, Austin has much to offer in the way of live music, and you might just want to grab a longneck beer and dance in front of the stage.  Preferably with your top on.

Photo: Austin Music Magazine 

The Austin Music Getaway includes:

• Downtown hotel accommodation
• Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
• Reservations at restaurant of your choice
• Tickets to live concert/show*
• The Official Holiday Golightly Guide to Austin 

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

You will be picked up at the airport, and driven to your downtown hotel.  Dinner reservations will be made for you and your girls, so all you'll need to do is show up!  The following day you're free to explore downtown Austin, and the South Congress area.  We recommend a little cowboy boot shopping.  Head out to a slightly earlier dinner, because afterwards you've got some live music to enjoy.  The following morning you'll want a mellow, rejuvenating brunch and can consider a few optional afternoon activities (innertube float trip anyone?).  Enjoy your last evening under the big Texas skies with some alfresco dining.  On your final day you'll be picked up and taken back to the airport.**

*Where available.

**This itinerary will be slightly more packed with music during various festival dates.  This is the standard, all-year itinerary.

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is AUS.  You're welcome! 

Austin, Texas is located almost smack-dab in the middle of Texas, and is surrounded by beautiful hill country.  Even the phrase "hill country" is relaxing, so you're one step closer to total and utter relaxation, which is what you'll find in our spa weekend.

Photo:  Dallas News

Austin Spa Getaway includes:

• Spa/hotel accommodation
• Round-trip transportation between hotel/airport
• Meals
  
• Spa/class allowance (details depend on particular spa package)
  
• The Official Holiday Golightly Guide to Austin
  

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

You will be picked up at the airport by towncar, and driven to your accommodations.  Put your hiking shoes on and work up an appetite on the spa trails.  Dinner (and all other meals) will be a delight of fresh, wholesome ingredients.  The following day you'll wake up bright and early (but not too early) for a good morning hike/yoga/water aerobics class. Throughout your stay, you'll have activity options available, and free time to spend in the sauna/hot tub/steam room, at your discretion.  On your final day you'll be picked up and taken back to the airport.

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is AUS.  You're welcome!

Laid-back, college town set in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and known to offer up some gorgeous, fit man-candy.  And that is precisely what the Chamber of Commerce said.

Home to the University of Colorado, and winner of the following nods:

• #1 in "The Smartest Cities In America" - Forbes, February, 2008
• #1 in "20 Dream Towns" - Outside Magazine, August, 2006
• #3 in Top 10 Brainiest Small Cities - Bizjournals.com, June, 2006
• #1 Best of the Best - Men's Journal, April 2006
• #1 Place You Dream of Living - Backpacker Magazine, February, 2006
• Best Place in the Country for Singles (Denver-Boulder) - Forbes: 2006, 2004, 2003

and more than 300 sunny days a year...wait, why aren't we there right now?

Pearl Street is a pedestrian-only outdoor mall area, which is a social hotspot.  Lots of street artists, etc.  There is a great farmer's market on Saturday mornings, and you can get some lovely flowers, fruit, vegetables, and they even have popcorn.

Just outside Boulder are great areas for hiking, biking and rock climbing. 

As much as we love to shop and lunch and shop and drink and shop...we also love a great, outdoorsy, active weekend.  You know, the kind where you're up at the crack of dawn (or closer to 8:30am), and out the door, on a mountain bike, soaking up the sunshine and mountain scenery.  Then, after an exhilarating/exhausting day of exercise, you can collapse into the hot tub and have someone serve you an ice cold beer?

That's what the Boulder Getaway is about.

The Boulder Active Getaway includes:

• Hotel accommodation
• Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
• Mountain-bike tour
• Yoga class
• The Official Holiday Golightly Guide to Boulder
  

 (For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

You will be picked up at the airport and driven to Boulder and your hotel.  Dinner reservations will be made for you and your girls, so all you'll need to do is show up!  The following day you'll wake up bright and early, for your morning mountain bike tour!  You're free for lunch, and then take the afternoon to wander in and out of the shops on Pearl Street.  The next day you deserve to sleep in, so your yoga class will be in the afternoon.  Enjoy your last night, totally relaxed, at a restaurant or wine bar of your choosing.  On your final day you'll be picked up and taken back to the airport.

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is DEN (you fly into Denver).  You're welcome!

Have you been firmly sticking to your diet/workout plan, and feel like you really deserve a good splurgey weekend?

If you answered "not really", you should probably ask yourself again. 

Chicago is one of the most riotously fun cities in the world, and if you're up for a caloric splurge, you shouldn't just waste it on an ordinary pint of Ben and Jerry's and local Pizza Hut (no offense to either of these companies; they are great for at-home splurging).  Turn the splurge into a fun trip with your girls.  Everyone gains weight on vacation anyway.

(Ed. note:  see "Spa getaway" to lose the weight from this trip).

Gooey, cheesy, deep dish pizza and Vienna beef Chicago dogs are really only two of the many many MANY mouthwatering options in the Windy City, and we will ensure you sample a bit of everything the city has to offer.

The Chicago Cuisine weekend includes:

• Downtown hotel accommodation
  
• Round-trip transportation between airport/hotel
• Chicago food tour
• Cooking class
• Private party at chocolate lounge
  
• Reservations at restaurant of your choice
• The Official Holiday Golightly Guide to Chicago

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

You will be picked up from the airport and taken to your chic downtown hotel. We recommend lounging around in your fluffy hotel robes (we love robes!), and catching up with each other, until it's time to dress for dinner.  Dinner reservations will be made for you and your girls, so all you'll need to do is show up!  The following day you'll want to wear flat shoes, and prep your taste buds for your walking food tour.  In the afternoon, put on your aprons and prepare to be wowed as you sharpen your culinary skills in cooking class!  That evening you may be too full to eat, so dinner plans are flexible.  The next day is reserved for browsy-shopping in Lincoln Park, and your private party at the chocolate lounge.  Following the chocolate lounge party, you will pack up your new purchases and your suitcases, and will then be picked up and transported back to the airport.

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is either ORD (O'Hare) or MDW (Midway).  You're welcome!

Park City is neither a Park, nor a City:  Discuss.

That joke never gets old!

You know what else never gets old?  A fun ski weekend with your girlfriends.

• Hotel accommodations
• Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
• Mountain lift-tickets 

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is SLC (you fly into Salt Lake City).  You're welcome!

Oh how we adore the City by the Bay!  Those hilly streets, those clanky cable cars, and Ghiradelli's chocolates.  San Francisco is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, and offers almost TOO much to do.  World class cuisine, avant garde museums, funky neighborhoods, and get to Alcatraz while you still can (they're considering doing away with the historical landmark).

Photo:  nps.gov 

The San Francisco Getaway includes:

• Hotel accommodations
• Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
• Reservations to restaurant of your choice
  

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is SFO.  You're welcome!

Recession-schmecession.  See how easy that is to say?  You've been carefully saving those pennies, and isn't it time to let loose - at least a teensy bit - and contribute to the economy?  Or just contribute to your shoe collection?  And in a sunny, warm place, where you can take frequent shopping breaks by sitting at an outdoor cafe and refueling.  With wine. 

Photo:  Oldterritorialshop.com

The Scottsdale Shopping Getaway includes:

• Hotel accommodation
• Round-trip transportation between hotel and airport
• Reservations to restaurant of your choice
• Spa massage
• The Official Holiday Golightly Guide to Scottsdale
  

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is PHX (you fly into Phoenix).  You're welcome!

Seattle's weather is typically rainy, which can hinder most outdoor activities.  Thankfully, there's eating, which is primarily an indoor activity!  And what Seattle lacks in Vitamin D, it makes up for in Vitamin Great-Food.  If that is not an actual vitamin, it really should be.

Seriously, when George Costanza proclaimed "Seattle is the pesto of cities", the food connotation was no accident.  Seattle is a woefully underrated food-destination, which means you can be all "cutting edge" by scouting it out first.

Photo:  Steelhead Diner 

The Seattle Cuisine Weekend includes:

• Downtown hotel accommodation
• Round-trip transportation between airport and hotel
• Seattle food tour tickets
• Cooking class
  
• Reservations at restaurant of your choice
• The Official Holiday Golightly Guide to Seattle
  

(For all other Optional activities on this Girlfriend Getaway, please click the "Activities" tab.  Optional activities may be substituted for "included" activities - prices may vary.)

You will be picked up at the airport by towncar, and driven to your plush downtown hotel.  We recommend lounging around in your fluffy hotel robes (we love robes!), and catching up with each other, until it's time to dress for dinner.  Dinner reservations will be made for you and your girls, so all you'll need to do is show up!  The following day you'll want to wear flat shoes, and prep your taste buds for your walking food tour of Pike Place Market.  After the tour, you can continue wandering, unassisted, through the trendy Belltown neighborhood for some light shopping.  In the afternoon, put on your aprons and prepare to be wowed as you sharpen your culinary skills in cooking class!  On your final day you'll be picked up and taken back to the airport. 

Holiday Golightly does not "do" air.  Booking flights is an impossible, thankless task, and we are all about being thanked.  We recommend Kayak.com, and the destination airport code is SEA.  You're welcome!

Dear Holiday Golightly,

I love spending time with my girlfriends, but what do I do if I want to spend time alone, away from the group? 

Thanks,

Jillian 

Photo credit:  um...Whistler 

***************************

Hey Jillian,

Thanks for your question.  We love questions!  And sometimes we actually have answers.  Like this time!

You should definitely discuss the Alone Time at the very start of the trip, to manage expectations.  As long as everyone understands that, at some point, you may want to wander off by yourself for an hour or so, it should be okay.

For example, bad times might be:

1)  When the restaurant bill arrives, and you blurt out "Alone Time!" and run off.

2)  If an argument arises, and you just yell "Alone Time" and leave the conversation dangling.

Timing and expectation are really everything, and your friends will definitely understand that you want to be by yourself, as long as you are up-front about it at the beginning of the trip. 

Cheers and happy travels!

Holiday Golightly