24. Take a girl’s getaway trip

Having a companion during travel is fun and all, but nothing beats going on a getaway trip with your close girlfriends! My first girls trip (3 or more friends) was to Saipan, in the Northern Mariana Islands. It was such a wonderful trip, getting away from the busy city hustle of Seoul and escaping to nothing but beautiful nature full of clear beaches, breathtaking cliffs and enchanting caves. We visited the smaller islands off the main island, got comfortable with minimal clothing, and just had very intimate girl talks about girl issues. As one of my life-changing trips, I always tell people that I would choose Saipan as my favorite place to travel.

I had never been able to afford a Spring Break trip abroad, as I grew up thinking some beach 3 hours away from Washington D.C. was magical enough. My first Spring Break trip I took was during Grad School with my close friends. After long hours of planning and coming to consensus of 7 highly opinionated girls, we decided on a week-long trip to Puerto Rico and St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. I had never driven anything bigger than a 5-person vehicle, but I now had to drive a 7-person vehicle on the other side of the road because in St. Thomas, cars drive on the left-hand side of the road, while the automobiles are imported and made to drive on the right side. Despite this though, I drove well without any accidents, and we had an incredible time exploring the entire island of Puerto Rico beyond San Juan. We also enjoyed the remarkable weather in St. Thomas and all the water sports we were deprived of in New York City. One of our girls’ birthday happened to fall on one of the days while we were traveling, so we tried to surprise her by splitting into two groups: one group to distract her and one group to buy cake and a gift! Simply just everything during my Spring Break trip was evidence that I had amazing friends and that we had such an admirable friendship. All-girls trips should never be discontinued! They are so rewarding. I hope I never stop traveling with the friends I love the most.