It's Time To Get The Girls Off Google Sheets & Onto A Cruise

If there’s one TikTok trend I couldn’t escape over the past year, it’s the one where a group of people on vacation all introduce themselves, with the one Type A friend listing out everything they did to make it all happen. I’ve been sent various iterations of the trend from multiple friends, because hi, I’m Courteney, and I planned the entire girls trip.

But earlier this year, I decided to coordinate a trip unlike the spreadsheet-fueled, overpacked itineraries I used to put together when my friends and I went on multi-city excursions across Europe or on long-weekend road trips to Maine. In fact, after coordinating flights and the hotel, I stopped planning altogether.

In May, three of my friends and I met up in Mexico and stayed at the all-inclusive Breathless Riviera Cancún for a week. Then, earlier this month, I brought my sister along on our first cruise. We set sail together on Royal Caribbean’s brand-new Icon-class ship, the Star of the Seas, for a three-day voyage to Perfect Day at CocoCay, the cruise line’s private island in the Bahamas. I used to think I wouldn’t enjoy an all-inclusive — why would I go to another country to just sit at a hotel instead of venturing out to see what that part of the world has to offer? But I’ve been converted. And more of my fellow planners should be, too.

Whether you’re the Type A friend looking to lessen the burden that consistently falls on you — or you’re the Type B friend who wants to take some of the weight off of your organizer pal’s shoulders, here’s why I think you should delete the Google Sheets and opt for an all-inclusive vacation for your next girls trip.

No One Gets Stuck Doing All The Work

As anyone who’s ever participated in a group project knows, the work is rarely dispersed equally. The same goes for group vacations. One or two people end up doing the heavy lifting — from organizing the transportation, to deciding the activities, to figuring out where to eat — while everyone else is just along for the ride. The organizers’ jobs start long before the trip and don’t end until all the final tabs are tallied and the last Venmo request is sent (which might not even be until after you’ve made it back home).

But at an all-inclusive, the only real planning involved is deciding which resort to go to and how to get there. So, even if you’re leading the charge on picking the hotel, your job as group organizer essentially ends as soon as you arrive.

Each Day Is A Build-Your-Own Adventure

I’ve been on planned trips that had no wiggle room in the itinerary for being human — whatever’s scheduled for that day is what’s happening that day, regardless of weather, jet lag, or the general vibe. But when you’re at an all-inclusive or on a cruise, you’ll find yourself moving from water aerobics to a cabaret show without a second thought.

Cruises and all-inclusive resorts are set up to encourage people to be present and follow their intuition. At any given time, there’s a new activity to join in on, a pool to jump into, or a brick-oven pizza to order. Feeling too lazy for a sit-down breakfast? Order room service. It started raining? Go see one of the indoor shows. It stopped raining? Head back to the beach.

Sure, some planning might be involved — spa treatments, specific events or restaurants, and planned excursions usually have set times or require reservations — but when everyone has the resort or cruise app, you can all plan your day together while lounging on your balcony.

No Venmo? No Problem.

When you book a cruise or all-inclusive resort, you primarily handle your tab beforehand. For both experiences, my friends and I all booked our own flights — and the only Venmo requests sent were for the equal split cost of the resort and the three paid experiences we added on throughout the stay (a cabana, a spa experience, and a bag of specialty candy).

But previous trips included tons of receipts and math, as I’d try to figure out the costs spent on dinners, drinks, train tickets, et cetera. When everything’s already included, you can go to a steakhouse with your friends without worrying about how to split the tab at the end, or spend hours at the swim-up bar without keeping track of how many mojitos everyone had.

You’ll Actually Feel Relaxed

To be honest, I didn’t realize a trip could be relaxing until I went to an all-inclusive resort. Most trips involved waking up early, walking around all day long, and barely having any time to actually decompress. I also spent so much time on my phone — taking photos, following the GPS, pulling up the itinerary and digital tickets, et cetera — that I never felt like I was truly unplugged.

By Day Four of my weeklong girls trip in Mexico, I almost forgot I even had a phone. (Lorde was so real when she said she threw her cellular device into the water, because can you reach me? No! You can’t!) Since everything was included and towels were provided at the pool, my friends and I would leave everything behind, knowing we were only going to be swimming and sunbathing until it was time to return to our rooms to get ready for the night.

The cruise had the same vibe — during our port day at Perfect Day at CocoCay, I spent hours laying on a beach chair or floating around in the ocean, only checking the time to make sure my sister and I got back to the boat before 4:30 p.m.

While there’s still a time and place for highly organized trips, when it comes to girls trips, I’ve learned I’d definitely rather curate vibes than a calendar. So if you’re on the fence between building a multi-tab spreadsheet or simply walking onto a ship — this is your sign to book the cruise.