Girl Trips | Canadian Women's Retreats & Travel Experiences

Batter Up Babes! March 27-29th

⏰ Batter Up Babes starts is coming up fast!

⚾ Only 40 of 50 spots left

Okay Blue Jays, let’s play ball.

I don’t know about you but I’m still buzzing from last year’s World Series run, and if you felt that energy too, this one’s for you.

Batter Up Babes baseball is for the girls!

To celebrate the Blue Jays home opening weekend, Girl Trips is heading to Toronto for Batter Up Babes, March 27-29th, for a fun, social, no-pressure weekend built around baseball, good food, a little friendly competition, and a whole lot of laughs.

This isn’t about being a die-hard stats person or knowing every player’s batting average. It’s about showing up, wearing something royal blue, cheering loudly, and soaking up the electric vibe of opening weekend with a group of women who are just as excited to be there as you are.

What’s the plan?

Friday – Arrive & Laugh

Friday is all about settling in and easing into the weekend.

Check in at the Chelsea Hotel (preferred Girl Trips rate of $239 available for out-of-towners)
Dinner and laughs at The Second City with a group reservation
An early-ish night so everyone’s rested and ready for Saturday

This is a relaxed, easy way to meet the group without pressure or forced mingling. Even if you’re not coming from out of town, you can join in the fun on Friday night!

Saturday – Game Day

This is the main event.

Meet up for lunch to fuel up for our day! Optional, not included in pricing, location TBA and within walking distance of the stadium
Head to the Blue Jays game and cheer on Canada’s baseball team! (we have 50 tickets booked in section 135)
Soak up the buzz, the crowd, and the excitement of opening weekend
Time for the big balls. After the game, we’ll walk to The Ballroom Bowl for bowling, pool, eats, laughs, and just enough friendly competition to keep things interesting
Expect some fun surprises and prizes along the way

Sunday – Optional Wind-Down

For anyone staying over, we’ll meet for an informal brunch at 10:00am before heading home. Brunch is pay-your-own, but I’ll organize the reservation so it’s easy and social. (Location TBA) Details to be confirmed once numbers are finalized.

What’s included

Blue Jays game ticket, March 28th, Section 135
Post-game social at The Ballroom Bowl with games and shared food
The Second City Dinner & Show (for full weekend package tickets)
A few surprises and prizes along the way
Girl Trips hosting and coordination so you don’t have to plan a thing

Not Included in Ticket Price

Preferred hotel rate at the Chelsea Hotel for those staying overnight
Lunch before game on Saturday
Sunday brunch meetup for anyone who wants to be social a little longer
Alcoholic beverages
Travel and accommodations

Travel and accommodations are booked independently, but I’m happy to point you in the right direction.

Pricing

Saturday-Only Experience

$349 (all in pricing)

Includes:

Blue Jays game ticket
Post-game social at The Ballroom Bowl with games and shared food and welcome drink!
Prizing and surprises
Girl Trips hosting and coordination

Full Weekend Experience

$519 (all in pricing)

Includes:

Friday night dinner and show at The Second City
Alcohol separate
Everything included in the Saturday experience
Access to the preferred Girl Trips hotel rate at the Chelsea Hotel
Sunday brunch meetup. (Meal not included)

Hotel accommodations and travel to/from Toronto are booked independently.

Payment options

You can secure your spot in one of two ways:

E-transfer to hello@girltrips.ca (no additional fees)

Credit card via Simpli Events (Please note: platform processing fees will be added at checkout)

A few important notes

This is a hosted event experience, not a travel package
Travel and accommodations are booked independently
Space is limited and tickets are first come, first served
Final venue details will be shared with registered guests

Ready to play ball?

Spots are limited, and once they’re gone, they’re gone. Complete your registration by clicking the link below.

The Girl Trips promise

This is a grown-woman kind of fun. No awkward icebreakers. No forced bonding. No pressure to keep up with anyone else’s pace.

Just good people, a great city, and an excuse to do something a little different.

If you’ve ever wanted a reason to circle a date on the calendar and say, “Yep, I’m doing that,” this is it.

Christmas in the Valley: A Christmas Weekend Getaway for Women Who Are Tired of Doing It All

Girl Talk

A few days ago, I was talking with my best friend and she let out that familiar holiday sigh. Christmas was just around the corner and once again she had not made it to a market, driven around to see the lights, taken in a Christmas concert, or escaped on even a simple Christmas weekend getaway. Life got in the way, as it always does, and now she was running errands and ticking off lists to make sure Christmas felt magical for everyone else.

Santa and Mrs Claus hugging during a festive Christmas weekend getaway for women

As she talked, I could hear the resentment creeping in. Not because she doesn’t love Christmas, but because it always falls on us. And when you hit a certain age, ahem over 50, you have decades (I know that’s painful to read, stay with me here) of making Christmas magic behind you. The holidays arrive, rush past, and before you know it, they are gone. We tell ourselves maybe next year. We even draw a line in the sand and promise that next year will be different.

So let me say this now. Next year will be different.

Because you are going to join me for Christmas in the Valley, and here is why.

Why I Created Christmas in the Valley

I curated this Christmas weekend getaway for you. And yes, selfishly, I curated it for myself too.

There are very few women I know at this stage of life who cannot relate to the feeling that Christmas has slowly turned into a chore. Something we go through the motions of. We love the season, but we are also resigned to it. And if we are being honest, a little resentful too. A time of year that is supposed to be full of magic somehow leaves us with none of it for ourselves.

I wanted to change that.

For more than 20 years, I have been making Christmas magic. I am not an outlier, I am the norm. All you need to do is look at Christmas movies to see how women are so often portrayed at this time of year, as unhinged lunatics, instead of what we actually are, the ones holding the entire season together.

Remember when the “magic” just happened?

Shopping, planning, coordinating, hosting, remembering everything and everyone. I have been the one behind the scenes making sure the holidays feel special for everyone else.

And I am tired. And I know I am not alone.

Christmas in the Valley was my way of drawing a line and saying we deserve to enjoy the season too. Not someday. Not when things slow down. Now.

woman sitting with Santa and Mrs Claus during a fun Christmas weekend getaway for women

This weekend is about carving out space early in December to do the things we always say we want to do, before the month runs away from us. And I will let you in on a little secret. It worked exactly the way I hoped it would.

Starting Small and Doing It Anyway

I opened up twelve spots for the first Christmas in the Valley and filled seven. And honestly, I am proud of that.

Friends meet up at Christmas in the Valley

This Christmas weekend getaway is the start of a new tradition. I am determined to keep doing this until we have collectively trained ourselves, yes trained ourselves, to take care of ourselves at Christmas. Especially women over 50 who have been doing the heavy lifting of the holidays for decades.

We have done this long enough. We have been the magic makers.
It is time to enjoy the magic too.

The Pushback and Why I’m Still Standing Firm

I heard a few familiar refrains while planning this weekend.

It is too close to Christmas.
December is already too busy.
It is just Perth. It is just Almonte.

Here’s how I’ll answer each hesitation.

Early December is the sweet spot. Any earlier and it feels too soon. Any later and the chaos takes over. This is when the lights are up, the markets are running, and the season still feels joyful instead of frantic.

First weekend of December Christmas weekend getaway

Another thing I heard more than once was that December is just too busy. And here is where I am going to push back a little.

Christmas in the Valley Christmas weekend getaway

It will always be busy unless you carve out the time. There will always be errands, commitments, expectations, and people who need you. Another year will pass, and then another. You know it and I know it.

And as for it being “just” Perth or “just” Almonte, excuse me, but Almonte alone has been the backdrop for more than two dozen Hallmark movies. These are postcard towns. People travel from all over the world to experience places like this in Canada. We do not need to get on a plane to feel Christmas magic.

snowy downtown Almonte Ontario decorated for Christmas lights and holiday shopping on a Christmas weekend getaway

Sometimes we need to snap out of the idea that special has to be far away. Special exists in our backyard.

A Reset I Didn’t Know I Needed

What surprised me most about Christmas in the Valley was how restorative the weekend was for all of us.

Even though I was the one planning it, I did not come home exhausted, and neither did the women who joined me. Time felt slower. We were present in a way December rarely allows.

Instead of resenting the season because we had missed out yet again, we actually did the things we always say we want to do. We wandered cute towns. We saw the lights. We soaked in the atmosphere. We even got some Christmas shopping done without feeling rushed or irritated.

pink Christmas trees and holiday decorations outside boutique in Perth during a Christmas weekend getaway

That shift mattered. It changed how we showed up for the rest of December.

Because we took that time for ourselves, we went home ready to pour ourselves back into making Christmas special for the people we love, without the burnout that usually creeps in halfway through the month.

I don’t want to overplay this, but I truly feel that this weekend is more than getaway. It’s about changing a pattern so many of us have been stuck in for years.

What We Did During Christmas in the Valley

We eased into our mornings with gentle yoga around the Christmas tree, followed by lingering breakfasts that were not rushed or interrupted. No alarms blaring. No schedules to chase. Just time to wake up slowly, move our bodies, and ease into the day together before heading out to explore.

For this first Christmas in the Valley, we stayed at Clyde Hall Bed and Breakfast, which was a beautiful backdrop for the weekend. The house looks like it belongs on a postcard any time of year, but at Christmas especially, it’s brimming with warmth and charm. Robert and Liisa are genuinely kind hosts, the food was great, and the whole place felt welcoming and festive from the moment we arrived.

beautifully decorated Christmas tree and grand piano inside Clyde Hall during a Christmas weekend getaway

Over the weekend, we explored Almonte and Perth, wandering the shops, enjoying lunch, and soaking up that small-town Christmas feeling that is hard to beat. We attended Light Up the Night in Almonte and spent time doing exactly what we so often skip in December, slowing down with no one putting demands on our time.

Christmas weekend getaway for women in Ontario

Saturday night brought one of my favourite moments. Mr. and Mrs. Claus joined us. I will admit I was a little unsure about this part, wondering if it might make people uncomfortable. Instead, every single woman leaned into the whimsy. It was joyful, funny, and surprisingly touching.

We wrapped up the night with a Christmas Santa stealing game and everyone left with great gifts and, I hope, even better stories to share with friends and family.

This Is Your Sign for Next Year

So here it is. Your sign.

So mark your calendar for this Christmas weekend getaway on the first weekend in December 2026.

December 4-6, 2026 for Girl Trips Christmas in the Valley

Christmas in the Valley will be back, and I’m already plotting. The location may change, and I already have ideas brewing on how to make the weekend even better. What I do not want are the same old excuses.

You have spent enough years making the magic.
It is time to enjoy it.

If you want a Christmas that leaves you feeling restored instead of resentful, this is where it starts. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Analog Living: Why Women Over 50 Are Ahead Of The Curve

Girl Talk

Remember when we used to pick up a phone that was attached to a wall. When we called a friend and hoped they were home instead of texting first to make sure it was convenient. When we waited for photos to be developed and crossed our fingers that our eyes were open. When moments were lived, not recorded.

Analog living, when a phone was connected to a wall

That was analog living. And women over 50 are the last generation to have experienced it fully before the world went online and stayed there.

Today, as everyone tries to figure out how to reclaim their real life, the answer already lives in us. It is instinctive. It is muscle memory. We were raised in the art of being present.

Analog Living Is Not A Trend. It Is Our Native Language.

You see it everywhere. TikTok challenges to log off. Weekends with phones stacked in a basket by the door. Retreats for people who want to escape notifications and reconnect with their own senses.

Meanwhile, women over 50 are quietly thinking: welcome to what we already know.

We grew up riding our bikes until the streetlights came on. We got lost without Google Maps and found our way by asking a stranger. We made plans and showed up on time because there was no group chat reminding us. We connected face to face. We laughed without cameras rolling.

growing up in the 70s without digital devices was peak analog living

We were living the life everyone now claims to crave.

The Digital World Is Getting Weird

And now AI is everywhere. In writing. In voices. In videos. In ads pretending to be real people. Sometimes it feels like you need a detective badge just to tell what is human and what is programmed.

We are surrounded by content that looks personal but has no pulse. Perfect faces that do not belong to anyone. Stories that never happened. Influencers who are not even real.

Meanwhile, our own memories, music, and photos are being held hostage in subscription services. Do not get me started on the fact that I miss owning my music. I want a Walkman again. Or at the very least an mp3 player. Music I can hold. Music that does not disappear if I forget to renew a subscription.

If you feel that too. If you crave something solid and real that cannot be deleted. Girl Trips is for you.

Always Online. Rarely Connected.

I have been online since Twitter was fun. Back when the most controversial thing you could post was a picture of your breakfast and the only reply you got was “yum”.

In those early days, you actually could make friends online. I did. We planned meetups in real places. We used the internet to support our real lives instead of replacing them. It felt like a tool that expanded our world.

Friends made through Twitter — Friends made on Twitter in 2010

Then the shift happened. Slowly, and then all at once. We stopped taking those online friendships offline. The pandemic certainly did not help. Screens became our only lifeline. Physical connection disappeared. We adapted and stayed indoors long after we needed to.

The breakfast tweet evolved into:
“How dare you eat that.”
“Unhealthy.”
“Privileged.”
“You should be ashamed.”

Fun gave way to outrage. Curiosity gave way to criticism. Instead of connection, the internet became a firehose of judgement. Now the feeds feel like endless slop. Content with no heart. Arguments with no purpose. Noise without meaning.

Social media promised connection. What it delivered was attention. Those two things are not the same.

We are more visible than ever, yet somehow more lonely than ever. Surrounded by people, without truly being with anyone.

We Remember What True Connection Feels Like

When we travelled, we saw the world through our own eyes. Not a filtered screen. We dropped postcards in the mail to share memories. Waiting for them to arrive was part of the excitement.

Postcards sent from a vacation in the 80s

Photos were just photos. Not 20 variations of the same pose to make sure everything was just right. Believe me, I say this with full awareness that I have 70,000 pictures in the cloud. Yes, it is a problem. Yes, I am trying.

eyes closed in a photo — One shot. Eyes closed. And I lived to tell the tale.

We danced when the music moved us. We laughed because something was funny. We ate the ice cream before it melted. We lived for life, not for the ‘gram.

Women Over 50 Are Leading The Reconnection Movement

After nearly 20 years of working and watching the digital space evolve, I can feel a shift happening. Women are tired. Tired of the scroll. Tired of the performance. Tired of feeling like real life is something that happens only when we remember to put our phones down.

We want old fashioned friendships with modern freedom. We want travel partners who belly laugh until they cry. We want community that feels like exhaling.

hugging someone in real life is one of the perks of analog living

That is exactly why I created Girl Trips.

Not for Instagram. Not for content. For connection. Real, human, offline connection.

I want to provide the spaces where women can show up as strangers and leave as friends. Where they learn each other’s stories. They find belonging and they remember their own joy.

Walking The Talk Means Booking The Trip

Analog living is not achieved by reading about it. It is not a Pinterest board of wishes. It requires action.

It means saying yes to yourself. It means choosing adventure over autopilot. It means booking the trip instead of waiting for a “better time.”

High school in the 80s before mobile phones — This kid in high school wanted adventure, not a prison behind a screen.

Women over 50 are done waiting.

We are stepping into the strongest years of our life. Kids grown. Priorities shifting. Confidence rising. We are ready to collect experiences that light us up.

And the beautiful thing. We know how to connect without filters.

We Are The Blueprint

Analog living is having a moment. Everyone else is trying to figure out what we already mastered decades ago.

So allow me to say it clearly. Women over 50 are ahead of the curve.

We are the model for what real connection can look like in a digital world that has lost touch with it.

If you feel that spark inside reading this, you are my people. Come travel with me. Come laugh with me. Come remember what a weekend with great women can do for your soul.

Join the Girl Trips Crew and be the one who says yes to living again.

Ready to reconnect with real life
Start here: https://girltrips.ca/join-the-girl-trips-crew/

Then join me this December for Christmas in the Valley, a weekend of nostalgia, whimsy, friendship, and celebration.

Together, let’s show the world how analog living is done.

Traveller, Know Thyself: Finding the Right Women’s Getaway

Girl Talk

One of my best friends went on a silent retreat this past weekend. And by silent, I mean actual, capital-S Silence. No talking. No phones. No music. Just breathing, chewing, and trying not to make eye contact.

By lunchtime on day one, she knew she’d made a huge mistake. Picture twenty people sitting around a table eating in total silence. Then, after that, a group nature walk….also in silence.

Meanwhile, my phone was lighting up like a Christmas tree because she was secretly messaging our bestie group chat with a full play-by-play because nobody, and I mean nobody, was going to silence our girl. Even if she had to mime her distress or send out smoke signals, she was going to get the message out damnit.

Now, trust me, the rest of us in the chat all knew she was the last person who should have been on a silent retreat. To be fair, she knew it too, but she wanted to try something new, and I can respect that. It’s just that she spent a lot of money to find out that in her personal hierarchy of hells, eternal silence ranks right near the top.

I’m all for trying new things, but in this case perhaps an hour or two at the library first? Try the silence on for size, you know.

Eventually, she found a few fellow rebels suffering the same fate, and together they staged a quiet (and extremely polite) escape. They made a break for it and drove straight to the local LCBO. Those women? Those women should have booked with Girl Trips.

Because honestly, if you have to smuggle your way out of serenity in search of sauvignon blanc, you’ve probably booked the wrong getaway.

This is why I say: traveller, know thyself.

What Do You Really Need?

When you’re picking a retreat, tour, or getaway, make sure you actually want what’s being offered. Don’t let a pretty picture of someone meditating at sunrise fool you into thinking you’ve suddenly become the kind of person who enjoys prolonged silence or group chanting…or hell even sunrise. If that’s your thing, fantastic. But if your ideal morning starts with coffee, a good stretch, and a laugh, maybe aim for a different kind of trip.

That’s where Girl Trips comes in.

Yes, I offer yoga, but not the kind where you’re trying to solve the mysteries of the universe. No, I make sure yoga is included, but only because we’re over 50, and as such, we need to stretch because there are places to be and things to see. We can be as nimble as we were in our 30s, we just need to warm up a bit.

And quiet? Never heard of her. Girl Trips is about talking, laughing, and connecting. Silence is for sleeping.

Technically, Not a Retreat

And if we’re being really technical, what I offer doesn’t really fit the dictionary definition of a retreat either. Merriam-Webster defines it as “a period of group withdrawal for prayer or meditation.” Which is cool if you’re into that, but not exactly my vibe.

Girl Trips isn’t about retreating from life, it’s better, it’s about escaping into it.

The Great Escape (But With Wine and Good Bedding)

Retreats often focus on slowing down and turning inward. Girl Trips moves in the opposite direction. I want women to look up, reach out, and jump back into the parts of life that feel good. Most of us spend enough time at home answering emails, folding laundry, and staring at screens. We don’t need another setting that feels like stillness. We need movement, laughter, and moments that shake us awake.

That’s what Girl Trips delivers. It’s about creating space where joy takes priority and the world feels wide open again. When you step away, the noise quiets, the pressure lifts, and for a little while, life becomes simple again. You’re surrounded by good women, good food, and the kind of easy conversation that reminds you you’re still very much alive.

Girl Trips are full of connection, curiosity, and the permission to just be.

What to Expect with Girl Trips

A real sense of community
From the moment you arrive, you’ll feel it. Not in a forced, share-your-deepest-secret kind of way, but in the “you just found your people” way. Conversations flow easily, laughter fills the air, and connections happen naturally.

Friends sharing a meal and conversation on a women’s escape

Every trip is different
Because you’re not always the same. Sometimes you want adventurous and non-stop, and sometimes you want cozy and low-key. I take time to curate each trip based on the season and what women need most at that moment, but the common denominator is always connection. Each experience has its own rhythm, shaped by the women who show up and the season of life they’re in.

Balance, not boot camp
There’s structure, but it’s flexible. You can join every activity or skip half of them. There’s no gold star for participation here. Girl Trips is about finding what feels good in the moment and doing more of that.

Women laughing during a Girl Trips getaway in Canada

A judgment-free zone
If you don’t drink, that’s cool. If you do, that’s cool too. Nobody’s keeping score. The goal is to relax and enjoy yourself exactly as you are.

Space to breathe, but never be bored
Each experience is planned to help you connect with the place you’re visiting and the people around you. But if you need quiet time, take it. This is your trip, not a schedule you have to keep up with.

Ongoing connection
Oh, did you think I’d just let you go after the trip? I’m not a stalker, but I do believe in community. I hope you’ll stick around, join the book club, connect with past travellers, and maybe come on another escape to meet more incredible women.

Girl Trips is for women who crave connection, laughter, and a little adventure. It’s not about perfection or pretending to be someone else.

Because travel isn’t about retreating. It’s about running away just far enough to remember who you are.

Planning a Group Trip?

Thinking about gathering your girlfriends for an adventure? Check out my guide on how to travel with a group over on Life in Pleasantville. It’s full of tips to help you plan a getaway that’s fun, smooth, and full of laughter.