BedandBreakfast.com is the Source for Chick Trips

Divas Unite!

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. October 14, 2008

AUSTIN, TX, January 3, 2007. Girlfriends' getaways, also known as chick trips, have become so popular that many towns are creating whole weekends for women who have fun traveling together. For example, in 2005, Pennsylvania's Reading & Berks County Visitors Bureau welcomed 2115 women via their trademarked Girlfriends GetawayTM itinerary. Nevertheless, little research has been gathered about this trend. To remedy this, BedandBreakfast.com recently conducted a survey among B&Bs worldwide, and confirmed from innkeepers in 28 states, four countries and two Canadian Provinces that women-only travel is on the rise.

BedandBreakfast.com's survey revealed the following trends in Girlfriends' Getaways:

---|B&Bs offer the perfect venue, given their penchant for pampering, and ability to reserve the whole house for one group of women.

---|Those responding to the survey host an average of ten-to-twelve girlfriends' getaways annually, with one B&B topping out at 75 a year.

---|Women love to wine, dine, recline and spend a dime on their special trips. Fifty-five percent of those B&Bs offering girlfriends' getaways include spa services in the package; 34 percent include shopping; 33 percent mention pampering breakfasts and dinners at great restaurants; 27 percent mentioned wine tasting or drinking wine as a key component. A smaller percentage noted the popularity of scrap-booking, wellness, and other themes.

BedandBreakfast.com innkeepers responding to the survey noted a number of emerging trends:

o More professional women are traveling together to get a break from work and family responsibilities.

o A trend toward multi-generational girlfriends' getaways has developed over the past year, with mother-daughter and grandmother-mother-daughter trips increasing.

o Women want to be pampered, and are most attracted to affordable itineraries, packed with amenities, and geared toward togetherness and relaxation.

BedandBreakfast.com offers the perfect resource for creative, out-of-the-box girlfriends' getaways for women who want to celebrate sisterhood. Simply visit http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/Specials.aspx and click on the link to Girlfriends Getaways to find over 160 different Girlfriends Getaway itineraries and packages offered by B&Bs throughout the country. Here is a sampling of Girlfriends Getaways featured on BedandBreakfast.com: listed alphabetically by state, B&B rates are generally for two people unless otherwise mentioned, exclusive of tax and service.

Champagne or Chardonnay at Cliff Cottage Inn, Eureka Springs, AR: This getaway for four girlfriends includes two nights accommodations in connecting King suites. The in-room refrigerators are stocked with champagne or white wine, and rates include gourmet breakfasts in bed, plus in-suite massages for each participant. All for $1240 plus tax or $310 for each gal through November, 2007. Be sure to mention BedandBreakfast.com when reserving.

You're Thelma & Louise at Inn at Oak Street, Jacksonville, FL: Take the Thelma and Louise Getaway with up to six best friends and prepare to pamper your inner goddess. Take over the inn and each guest will be treated to her own guestroom, plus Swedish massage, spa facials, and catered hors d'oeuvres with wine. This is the time to kick back relax, reminisce and grab some giggles over a chick flick viewed on the 53-inch wide-screen TV in the library. Brad Pitt not included! $400 per person includes two nights accommodations, breakfast each morning and all services; this package is offered throughout the year.

QiQong to Tibetan Tuning at Hawk Valley Retreat & Conference Center, Galena, IL: Girlfriends, escape the hectic life and return better equipped to juggle life's pressures while enjoying time together in a captivating town. Up to ten girlfriends can gather starting with a welcome get-together, plus a half hour each of Hatha Yoga, QiQong, meditation, drumming and Tibetan tuning (a profound experience), and a one-hour massage and Reiki session. In summer, these sessions are held in the quiet of the inn's pine forest; in colder months, they take place in the inn's beautifully converted barn. The day ends with time for shopping in Galena's quaint shops and dinner on the town. Rates of $150-250 per person (based on two per room) include two nights accommodations, breakfast each morning, and wellness retreat; offered through October 9, 2007.

Death by Chocolate at Bundling Board Inn, Woodstock, IL: The Death By Chocolate Slumber Party TM is so popular it's been trademarked. We all know ladies love their chocolate, and this women-only event includes a five-course decadent dessert buffet with everything from Rum Chocolate Cream Pots to Bailey's Irish Cream Chocolate Cheesecake. Awake the next morning to breakfast loaded with treats for the chocoholic from Baked Praline Apple French toast with ice cream and hot fudge drizzle to raspberry chocolate coffee, all for $35 per person plus the cost of the room. Rates, $105-125 (for two); offered throughout 2007.

We be jazzin' and shopping' at Avenue Inn B&B, New Orleans, LA: This innkeeper says leave the boys home as "we be jazzin' with shoppin' and chattin' and chattin' and shoppin'. The girlfriends' getaways feature two nights accommodations in rooms with two double beds, continental breakfast in the formal dining room or on the veranda, plus massage, manicure, pedicure, and light lunch at Bodyjoys Day Spa and Salon (includes tax). From there, spend the day shopping at Riverwalk Marketplace complete with coupon books plus two hours of antique shopping on Magazine Street with Bebe, the innkeeper and all-pro bargain hunter. Top off the experience with the Southern Comfort Cocktail Tour and streetcar passes for unlimited riding to the French Quarter. This package, offered through September, 2007 costs $299 per person, double occupancy.

Desperate Housewives meet Grey's Anatomy at Arbor Ridge B&B, Traverse City, MI: Desperate Housewives, grab eight girlfriends and lose yourselves together in scandalous TV for a weekend of non stop McDreamy fun. Begin your stay by honoring Loraine's husband Tom and his noble desire to open a pizza shop, by indulging in pizza, popcorn, and plenty of chocolate, while the first evening is spent enjoying the first two seasons of Desperate Housewives. In the morning you're treated to a Bree Van De Kamp style breakfast before a limo arrives to whisk the group off for some shopping that is sure to make Gabrielle Solis jealous. Then it's back to the inn to indulge in more pleasure than a dirty little mistress as each participating enjoys a half-hour massage, performed by a certified massage therapist. On night two, call for take-out, put on your scrubs, and sit back for an evening of Grey's Anatomy, seasons one and two. Wake up late on Sunday, have breakfast, and enjoy a late check out. It's all you can eat chocolate, limo chauffeured shopping, professional massage therapy, a wonderful inn all to yourselves, and two of the hottest shows on TV for $195 per person, when eight women book this package together through May, 2007.

Lose Weight & Connect with Girlfriends at Rachel's B&B, Annapolis, MO: The weekend begins with a low-fat sandwich platter and the inn's house wine, followed by a visit from a licensed chiropractor who will evaluate each woman's appetite zones and apply Auriculotherapy (acupressure - completely painless). Everyone will get instruction on future weight loss, low-cal snacks, and identify causes for cravings. With access to Rachel's movie library, everyone can stay up all night laughing and crying over chick flicks. Awaken to enjoy a low-fat breakfast and then an hour-long massage for each lady and a soak in the inn's hot tub. Top off the weekend with an elegant evening meal in Rachel's private dining room, and don't forget there is one more breakfast to enjoy before departing with a new weight loss plan in mind. The cost of package $289 per person including cottage accommodations, breakfast and dinner each night and the weight loss program; offered through September, 2007.

Wine Tasting and Shopping by Limo at 10 Fitch Historic Inn, Auburn, NY: Spend the weekend with six girlfriends enjoying a two-night package including a one-hour massage for each woman either fireside in your room or in the privacy of the inn's terrace garden, followed by a private pajama party including a wine tasting of regional wines & hors d'oeuvres. Awake the next day for a seven-hour private limo ride to explore the Finger Lakes wineries and quaint shops with a gourmet picnic lunch for all. Top off the day with a private cookout on the inn's patio, complete with a fire pit for roasting marshmallows. Offered through 2007, this package includes two nights lodging, massages, limo for the day, pajama party with wine & hors d'oeuvres, cookout under the stars (or indoors during inclimate weather), as well as two nights accommodations and breakfast each morning for six people for $495 per person.

Self discovery at Namaste Retreat Guesthouse B&B, Boerne, TX: Bring up to 10 girl friends for a weekend of self discovery and empowerment. Together with friends, stretch the body with a yoga lesson, quiet the mind doing Tai Chi and a guided meditation, then discover what the soul wants you to know with a dream interview. Afterward, soak in the mineral springs pool and hot tub, or hike in the peaceful, natural surroundings of Texas Hill Country. This package includes all of the above, two nights and breakfast, lunch and dinner for $350 per person, February through June, 2007.

Canopies and PJs delivered in a hatbox from Hummingbird Inn, Goshen, VA: This getaway is geared toward Ya-Yas and their best friends in need of pampering. Each woman is treated to two weeknights (Sunday-Thursday) in a deluxe room with whirlpool tub, continental breakfast each morning at whatever time she chooses, full-body massage by a licensed therapeutic masseuse, an hour's soak in the mineral pools at Warm Springs, a bottle of Rockbridge Vineyards wine, fresh flowers in your room, a box of truffles from Cocoa Mill, and a special present of comfortable gown or pajamas (your choice) delivered in a keepsake organza hatbox with lavender sachet and "Do Not Disturb" sign, all for $500 plus tax per person, single occupancy, throughout December, 2007.

Women-only wine rides at Cherry Wood B&B and Barn, Zilah, WA: When they talk about chaps here, they don't mean men. Join the chaps and chardonnay sisterhood when you book the women-only wine rides and teepee gathering. This fabulous experience includes a women-only wine tour to four to six wineries by horseback (there are 18 within ten miles) topped off with a prime rib Dutch Oven dinner, cowboy poetry, s'mores by the fire and unusual accommodations in teepees complete with electricity or themed retro trailers., Cost is $350 per person, including two-night stay, dinner one night, wine ride, continental breakfast one morning and full breakfast the other morning. Massages and pedicures may be added.

For more information on these and hundreds of other girlfriends getaways, visit www. BedandBreakfast.com and click on the girlfriends getaway link Under Advanced Search then Special Packages.

BedandBreakfast.com is the leading online bed and breakfast Internet directory and reservation network, listing more than 6,300 B&Bs and inns throughout the United States and internationally. A variety of search functions and extensive maps enable inngoers to find the perfect B&B. Travelers can make reservations online, purchase gift certificates welcomed at 3,300 U.S. bed & breakfast inns, subscribe to free newsletters, and read and write independent reviews, and post questions on expert-hosted message boards.

BedandBreakfast.com is the exclusive B&B aggregator for Expedia, Inc. and Expedia serves as BedandBreakfast.com's exclusive online travel agent. See http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/about/press.aspx?year=2006&article=04032006 for details.