Lisa Baldwin, 44, of Leesburg, Va., gets together regularly with some of her sorority sisters, all members of Alpha Phi whom she met at the University of Maryland, College Park. They call their gatherings "Estrofest."
"More than anything, you get a reconnection with people who really get you," says Baldwin.
Williams and her friends -- Dana Davis, 38; Michelle Kneeland, 36; and Cheryl Brown, 38 -- took a Caribbean cruise last July and tried just about everything offered, including the onboard surf pool and zip-line excursions.
"We let our hair down. We're free," says Davis. "Women lose spontaneity, adventure, relaxation. By having girls that you get along with and encourage you, you get that back."
Baldwin went on a getaway to New York City recently that started out with plans for appetizers at a friend's place in Chinatown, followed by dinner. "We never made it out of her apartment," she says. "We ended up -- like only women can do -- we ended up talking."
To which her husband, Tom, said, " `Lisa, I'm glad you had fun, but here's the deal, you guys could have gone to the Comfort Suites in Leesburg and saved a hell of a lot of money.'
"And I said, `Yeah, but it wouldn't have been the same.' Sometimes, you just have to not be at your house. You have to be away from your regular life."
Gutsy Women founder Merenda travels constantly with her tour groups, but she goes on her own girlfriend getaways, too, including a week every year at a timeshare in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
"I just love being able to open up to my friends," she says. "We all have pressures, a lot of things women are going through right now -- we're all caretakers. My mother is 86 years old and needs a lot of attention.
Many women enjoy the more upscale adventure, according to the American Express survey from last June.
Girlfriend getaways don't have to be expensive and distant, though. Locally, Turf Valley Resort in Ellicott City offers girlfriend weekends.
Kelly Brown and her friends started out on the high-end side. "We went to a hotel that had an Elizabeth Arden spa," Brown says. "We did spa treatments all day, and we sat up until 3 in the morning and talked. And it was like we hadn't left the student lounge in high school."
But soon, the concept evolved to "well you know, let's just stay at somebody's house because it's more comfortable and easier and cheaper," Brown says.
