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Even lovers need a holiday: Women's reflections of travel without their partners
Tourism Management Perspectives 21 (2017) 18–23
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Tourism Management Perspectives journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tmp
Even lovers need a holiday: Women's reflections of travel without their partners Angela M. Durko, Ph.D. a,⁎, Matthew J. Stone b a b
Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2261 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2261, United States Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management, , California State University, Chico, 400 West First Street, Chico, CA 95929-0560, United States
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 27 August 2015 Received in revised form 1 November 2016 Accepted 6 November 2016 Available online xxxx Keywords: Benefits of travel Girlfriend getaways Vacation satisfaction Relationship satisfaction
a b s t r a c t “Girlfriend's getaways” have been said to potentially increase satisfaction with an individual's leisure choices and potentially improve the couple's relationship satisfaction (Durko & Petrick, 2015; Cavallari, 2008, Bond, 2008). This qualitative study sought to identify reasons women travel without their partners and what impact these vacations may have on their relationship and vacation satisfaction. Women traveled without their partners for several general reasons: female bonding, partner's personal constraints, escape from daily routine, and a need for individuality. The vast majority of respondents believed that taking trips separate from their partner was a beneficial component of a healthy, romantic relationship. Nearly all were satisfied with the vacation taken without their partner, and would have been less satisfied if their partner had joined them. About two-thirds felt that their relationships were the same after the trip, while 31% believed the trip improved their relationships. Additionally relationships with travel companions were also enhanced. Marketing and operational implications for the tourism industry are offered. © 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
1. Introduction Tourism providers have noticed an increasing trend of individuals traveling without their spouses or significant others. This phenomenon includes “girlfriend getaways” (women traveling with other women) and “mancations” (men traveling with male friends). In 2008, AAA Worldwide Travel found that girlfriend getaways alone were a $6 billion market. This trend has been attributed to women and men desiring to take part in vacation destinations and activities their partners may not enjoy (Bond, 2008). Practitioners in the field of travel have begun to build on this notion that joint travel may lead to satisfaction for only one individual of the dyad, and have recently started to examine the trend of couples traveling (as a means of leisure) without their significant other as means to increase vacation and relationship satisfaction (Durko & Petrick, 2015; Gibson, Berdychevsky, & Bell, 2012). Industry coined “girlfriend's getaways” and “mancations,” are noted by some as a means to potentially increase satisfaction with an individual's leisure choices as well as potentially leading to increases in the couple's relationships satisfaction (Bond, 2008; Cavallari, 2008). Many destinations (e.g. and travel providers (e.g. JetBlue Airlines) feature girlfriend getaway itineraries or vacation deals on their websites, while J the website girlfriendsgetaways.com is solely dedicated to travel with female friends. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A.M. Durko), [email protected] (M.J. Stone).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2016.11.001 2211-9736/© 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
All-women escapes have also been mentioned in popular media such as What Happy Women Do (Bruess & Kudak, 2010) and are the complete focus of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Girlfriend Getaways (Kasanicky, 2009). Additionally, industry magazines from Midwest Living to Travel + Leisure, and even the Economic Times of India have dedicated articles to the subject. While many articles focus on destinations, some suggest reasons to take a girlfriend getaway include: friends keep you healthy, reconnecting with your pre-mom self, new experiences, and free therapy from friends (Yorio, 2010). Manske (2013), writing in Woman's Day, provided anecdotes of how girlfriend getaways can be energizing, empowering, and even healing, as women share time away from daily responsibilities, and how these trips can give women a sense of fulfillment and make them better mothers. In 1982, the rock band Chicago sang, ‘even lovers need a holiday, far away from each other.’ This may allude to the notion of girlfriend getaways to meet this need. Bond's (2008) research found that the majority of those partaking in the girlfriend getaways were married women (73%), with children under 18 (88%). Girlfriend getaways, defined as all-women based leisure travel (Berdychevsky, Gibson, & Bell, 2013), is a common example, but travel without a spouse may also include travel with friends, coworkers, family members, and children. While the term “girlfriend getaways” is used frequently by popular media and travel providers, it must be noted that the term should be used with caution because the use of “girl” may not be appropriate to refer to adult women. Because of the prevalence of the term “girlfriend getaways” in the travel industry, it is used here.
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While previous research has considered motives and outcomes of “girlfriend getaways,” (Berdychevsky et al., 2013; Khoo-Lattimore & Prayag, 2015), this study considers the impact the vacation may have on relationships and the overall vacation satisfaction outcome. It is possible that traveling without a significant other could make one value their relationship and time spent together that much more. It is also possible that the non-traveling partner forms resentment and/or mistrust in the relationship for not being included. This study seeks to begin to understand how travel without one's significant other contributes to perceived vacation and relationship satisfaction from the perspective of the traveling partner. 2. Review of literature Several research studies have found that shared leisure leads to increases in relationship satisfaction (Durko & Petrick, 2013; Holman & Jacquart, 1988; Johnson, Zabriskie, & Hill, 2006; Newman & Newman, 2008). Additionally, studies have cited ‘travel’ as a leisure activity which provides a break from the mundane, fast-paced routine way of life, and may lead to increases in quality of life (Dolnicar, Yanamandram, & Cliff, 2012; de Bloom et al., 2010). Thus, both shared leisure and vacation may positively impact relationship satisfaction. For many people, daily routines include duties to family, career and partner. In relationships, individuals may have different likes/dislikes in terms of leisure activities, friends, and travel styles. A source of relationship discord has been attributed to a loss of individualism when personal preferences are not considered or met by a partner (Amato, Booth, Johnson, & Rogers, 2007). A longitudinal study of marriages in America conducted in 1980 and again in 2000, found a significant decrease in the amount of time couples spent together over the course of the 20 year study (Amato & Previti, 2003). This was attributed to demanding career responsibilities for both partners and an increasing need for independence over the course of a relationship. Amato and Previti (2003) found that couples who were satisfied in their relationships cited the importance of time apart as a contributing factor to this satisfaction. Thus, individual travel away from a significant other may be offered as a suggestion to increase relationship satisfaction, as it may give the individual an opportunity to escape the everyday routine, participate in their preferred leisure activities, and enjoy the camaraderie of others outside of their relationships. Recently, academic researchers have begun to investigate the trend of girlfriend getaways from various perspectives. Berdychevsky et al. (2013) used a constructivist grounded-theory approach in an investigation of girlfriend getaways and well-being. They concluded that escapism, different gender dynamics, existential authenticity, and empowerment, were the four “domains” that led to well-being as a result of traveling with other females. Their research, guided by feminist theory, included questions about travel as well as questions considering women's role in society. In a related paper, Gibson et al. (2012) considered these getaways in reference to the four life stages of women (adolescence, early/middle/late adulthood). Khoo-Lattimore and Prayag (2015) considered girlfriend getaways in Malaysia, concluding that, although the sample was homogeneous in its demographic characteristics, it was heterogeneous in its accommodation and service preferences. Their study was split between single (45%) and married (44%) women, but it was not clear whether or not they were partnered or married. Motives for girlfriend getaways have also been found to have a heavy focus on female bonding time (Khoo-Lattimore & Gibson, 2015) and relaxation and/or excitement with girlfriends (Pennington-Gray & Kerstetter, 2001). A comprehensive tourism literature review by Durko and Petrick (2013) revealed travel may contribute to positive increases in adult and family relationships, which in turn can contribute to increases in satisfaction with life. Furthermore, a study by Durko and Petrick (2015) found individuals traveling without their significant other had higher levels of vacation satisfaction than those traveling without their partner or children. The current study sought to understand the
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activities occurring during these vacations without a partner, to explain how these activities may be contributing to high levels of vacation satisfaction. The current study also furthered the previous research by questioning if travel without one's partner had an effect on the overall relationship. 2.1. Relationship satisfaction Satisfaction, in general, is a measure of expectations across a variety of situations. As individuals, we contrive our own acceptable experience outcome level and base our satisfaction on whether a product, service or person meets or exceeds such acceptable standards. These acceptable outcomes are noted as a comparison level of which we base our experiences (Le & Agnew, 2003). When outcomes surpass our comparison level, we are typically satisfied. When outcomes are less than our selfcontrived comparison level, satisfaction is generally negative or unmet. Bui, Peplau, and Hill (1996) stated that satisfaction is one of the most essential components to remaining committed to a relationship. Additionally, a meta-analysis conducted by Le and Agnew (2003) found satisfaction was the strongest indicator of commitment to a relationship. Thus, when a relationship exceeds expectations, relationship satisfaction is assumed and expected. However, when a relationship does not meet a self-determined satisfaction level, relationship satisfaction is not achieved, and likely the commitment level is not strong. Relationship satisfaction has also been defined as favorability that individuals report with their significant other (Roach, Frazier, & Bowden, 1981), and it is often a self-report interpretation of the quality of the respondent's relationship and their overall happiness with the relationship. Relationship satisfaction includes the positive and negative affects an individual experiences in a relationship, and is an indicator of how well a partner fulfills a variety of an individual's needs. Aside from the direct economic impacts benefitting the tourism industry, trips taken without one's significant other may benefit the individual and their relationship. These vacations have been proposed as a means to potentially increase satisfaction with an individual's leisure choices as well as potentially leading to increases in the couple's relationship satisfaction (Bond, 2008; Cavallari, 2008; Durko & Petrick, 2015). Travel without one's partner has been found to lead to slight increases in relationship satisfaction on behalf of the traveling partner (Durko & Petrick, 2015). However, there is the potential that travel without one's partner may lead to satisfaction for only one individual of the dyad. Thus, there may be potential negative impacts, as it is possible the non-traveling partner may form resentment and/or mistrust in the relationship for not being included. The current study provided further research in this specific realm. 2.2. Vacation satisfaction Research has categorized vacation satisfaction as an affective emotional post purchase evaluation and a cognitive response to an experience (Lounsbury & Hoopes, 1985; Oliver, 1993). Lounsbury and Hoopes (1985) were among the first researchers in the field of tourism to acknowledge a need for measuring vacation satisfaction to determine the psychological and individual benefits a vacation might provide. Their work included the notion that vacation satisfaction was a result of the actual experience, to include where the vacation was and how long it lasted. However, they further expanded on this to also consider an individual's satisfaction with job, family and spouse as causal factors or antecedents of vacation satisfaction, thus considering affective and cognitive factors be included to determine overall satisfaction. Past research has shown that travel party companions may also have an effect on the evaluations people make regarding their satisfaction with a vacation (Newman & Newman, 2008; Kozak & Duman, 2012). A study of 466 international leisure travelers in the Netherlands concluded that attitudes toward the travel party and stress associated with the actual act of travel were the most important determinants of
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a tourist's happiness and satisfaction on any given day of travel (Nawijn, 2011). As a suggested implication of his findings, Nawijn (2011) recommended finding the right travel party to enhance a traveler's experience and lead to vacation happiness and satisfaction. It is postulated in the current research that vacation and relationship satisfaction could be altered based on travel party companion(s). To measure this, the current study investigates vacation satisfaction of trips taken without one's partner and additionally questions if vacation satisfaction may have been different had the partner accompanied the traveling individual. Considering the impact of vacations on relationships drawn from previous research, and the importance of understanding the girlfriend getaway market, the current research seeks to better understand this phenomenon by addressing three research questions: RQ1: Why do women in relationships take vacations without their partners? RQ2: What effect do women perceive these vacations have on relationship satisfaction? RQ3: What effect do women perceive these vacations to have on their vacation satisfaction?
3.2. Participants Forty four surveys were attempted in the Fall of 2014, with thirty eight fully completed. All of the respondents were women. Respondents ranged from 29 to 63 years old (x̄ = 44), and all were in a current relationship with the same partner for 1 to 47 years (x̄ = 13.96). Thirtyfive percent lived with their partner, 44% lived with a partner and child(ren), and 18% had different living situations. Respondents took an average of 4.2 vacations per year with their partner, and 3.4 trips per year without their partner. For the purpose of reporting the qualitative responses, respondents were given a pseudonym to personify their quotes in the results. They were also asked to respond honestly as their responses would be kept confidential. When considering the last vacation taken without a partner, travel companions could be generally divided into four categories: 73% had traveled with friends, 10% with relatives, 13% with children, and 16% traveled solo. Twelve percent had traveled with a combination of travel companions (relatives and children, or friends and children) and are counted in both categories. Travel party size ranged from 1 to 11 travelers, and 31% traveled with four or more people. 3.3. Data analysis
3. Methods 3.1. Data collection As the study sought to understand specifically the motivations of women who have traveled without their partner, a snowball sample was used by presenting the survey link to a known respondent who met the criteria for the study. A typical use of a snowball sample is to identify hard-to-reach populations, and there have been many applications to reach sub-segments of tourists including those on girlfriend getaways (Berdychevsky et al., 2013). For cost considerations, a widereaching nationwide sample was not possible, therefore a snowball sampling method was deemed appropriate and cost effective. In order to increase diversity, the referral chain was not started with a single individual. Instead, three individuals were asked to pass the survey to those they knew who met the set criteria. Given the inductive nature of this study, research questions were presented via an online survey containing both quantitative questions (e.g. age, number of years married) and open ended questions (e.g. describe the reasons you travel without your partner, where would you travel without your partner). Frequency of travel, travel party make-up, destination choice, motivations for travel without a partner, and vacation and relationship satisfaction questions were asked. As the study was exploratory in nature and sought to understand the reasons women travel without their partner, questions were posed in an open-ended manner. To enhance recall ability, respondents were asked to reflect on their last leisure vacation taken without their partner when answering survey questions, and indicate: who had accompanied them and the reason(s) they chose to travel without their partner. Additionally, they were asked to report any vacations types or destinations they would prefer to travel to without their partner and why and which locations they would not travel to without their partner. As a self-report measure of their current relationship status, respondents were asked to rate their relationship on a standard US grading scale, where “A” represented their relationship was excellent, to “F”, which represented their relationship was failing. Finally, overall vacation satisfaction of the last trip without their partner was asked on a 5 point Likert-type scale anchored by very dissatisfied to very satisfied. This was followed by a question that asked if vacation satisfaction would have been impacted if their partner had accompanied the respondent on the vacation. This was presented on a 5 point Likert-type scale anchored by much more dissatisfied to much more satisfied. Vacations, for purpose of this study, were defined as a trip encompassing at least one overnight stay, away from home, and not for business purposes.
To categorize the open-ended responses, thematic analysis was employed. Thematic analysis is a method of identifying, analyzing, and notating themes from a set of responses (Boyatzis, 1998; Tuckett, 2005). Following previous research from the tourism field (Prayag & Ryan, 2011) a multi-step thematic analysis procedure as suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006) was followed. The first step required both researchers to individually and separately read responses while noting initial ideas, and individually categorized unique findings into initial codes. For example, motives for travel without one's partner, such as the need for girl talk and the need to be an individual, were attributed to codes one and two respectively. Once codes were developed, themes were developed from the coded responses. For example, similar motivations for traveling without one's partner such as ‘a need for girl talk’ and ‘desire to do girl things,’ were grouped into an initial theme of ‘female social bonding.’ Once this process was completed, both authors reviewed one another's coding to discuss and agree upon themes which were ultimately used to understand the findings and offer implications as a result of the data. 4. Results 4.1. Reasons for traveling without one's partner Similar to previous research in this realm (Gibson et al., 2012), an initial theme that emerged was that travel with female friends played an important role in cementing the bonds among those in the travel party. When asked to explain why the respondent chose to travel without her significant other, female bonding played a role, as 44% mentioned wanting ‘girl time.’ MaryBeth responded that if her partner had accompanied her, ‘my friend and I couldn't have had the quiet time or intimate bickering over directions, toothpaste and turning off lights. We wouldn't have had the bonding or caring for one another. We have years of learning how to put up with each other's travel quirks, that [partners] would interrupt and not understand.’ Kate added, ‘We were free to discuss ‘girl’ topics and issues. It was more freeing and less stress knowing we [females] all enjoy the same things.’ Additionally, Maize said, ‘I have been in a relationship with my best friend longer than I've been with my spouse. She and I can revel in our past in a way not possible in our daily lives. Everyone needs friend time to share & explore.’ Over one third of respondents (n = 14) mentioned their partner's personal constraints prevented travel together. This included responses varying from their partner being too busy with work, not having enough vacation time, or not being able to afford the trip. Pam commented that, ‘we just don't travel together more often than not because we have
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conflicting work schedules.’ Dottie added that her partner ‘stayed home with the dog,’ and thus both could not take the trip together. Escape from daily routine emerged as a third theme, which was explicitly stated by Pippa who expressed that it was ‘good to get away from the daily routine.’ Michelle said she vacationed without her partner as a means of ‘regenerating my soul.’ Travel with others was also seen a break from routine roles in their lives or relationships. Erika ‘wanted a break from parenting,’ while Liz added that travel without her significant other allowed her to, ‘be me on a trip… I'm not a mom, I'm not a wife, I'm ME!’ Several respondents noted differing vacation interests than their partners. Over one third (n = 13) disagreed with the statement ‘my vacation interests are similar to those of my significant other.’ It is likely that separate vacations may have allowed women to participate in activities at the vacation destination that their partner may not have enjoyed or not shared the same affinity for. Respondents indicated that they spent an average of 86% of the time during the vacation taken without their significant other doing activities the individual preferred and enjoyed. This may not have been the case when traveling with a partner as two separate interests would have to be acknowledged and considered when choosing vacation activities. These results suggest that adding a partner may have changed vacation dynamics, and potentially the vacation satisfaction levels as the women would need to compromise on activities to include their partner's interests. A need for individuality emerged as a theme as respondents indicated the couple had differing hobbies and interests they preferred to pursue. Regarding a vacation without her significant other, Madlyn said, ‘We did a lot of shopping, chatting and going out. My husband doesn't enjoy these things.’ Abbey added, ‘We did things like wine tours and leisure skiing. Men would have wanted to do what they like and would have caused stress for the girls.’ ‘We have different interests… I love the beach and being outdoors, he prefers to be inside watching TV,’ said Joie. Kim added, “My partner is competitive. If we had biked together on this trip, I would have felt the need to ride faster rather than enjoy a leisurely bike ride.” Suze reaffirmed relationship issues were not the reason for separate travel, rather, ‘We were not mad at each other, just need time with our friends to do our own thing.’ 4.2. Impact on vacation satisfaction When asked to comment on their vacation satisfaction, almost all participants (n = 36) were either satisfied or very satisfied with the vacation taken without their partner. Seventy-two percent (n = 26) indicated they would have been more or much more dissatisfied with the overall vacation if their partner had accompanied them. Only four respondents stated they would have been more satisfied had their partner joined, while six women stated the vacation would not have been any different if a partner had accompanied. In regards to how the vacation may have been different if the partner had joined, women revealed a lack of control and plan changes that would have been made. Beverly noted that, ‘Shopping and chatting would not have been enjoyed by my husband, and [we] would have changed our plans to accommodate men.’ Others enjoyed the freedom of not worrying about their partners. ‘I didn't feel like I had to worry about how he was feeling. I could focus on having fun,’ added Dottie. ‘We would have camped rather than rented a cabin. I prefer a modern bathroom,’ stated Donna. ‘The control would no longer be mine, I would be the follower not a leader,’ said Sue. 4.3. Impact on relationship satisfaction When asked to grade their current relationship on a scale of letter grades from A being excellent, to an F representing dissatisfaction, the majority of respondents gave their relationship an ‘A’ grading (65.7%), followed by ‘B’ (22.9%), and ‘C’ (8.6%). Only 1 person scored their current relationship with a grade of ‘F’ (the lowest grade in the United
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States educational system). To determine if the vacation without their significant other had a positive or negative effect on their current relationship, respondents were asked if their relationship had changed after the vacation in question. Over 35% of the respondents (n = 15) indicated their relationship improved as a result of the trip, while 60% (n = 22) felt that their relationship was the same post-trip as it had been pre-trip. Only one person felt that her relationship was worse after the trip, who was the same individual who had previously rated her overall relationship satisfaction the lowest of any respondent. Respondents were further instructed to consider how their partners felt about the trip. Over three-fourths (77.1%) believed their partner would say their relationship was the same before and after the trip taken without them. Aside from relationships with their partners, over half of the women (52.8%) believed the trip improved their relationship with friends, while 44.1% said the relationship with their friends was the same from pre to post-trip. Only one individual commented the trip had hurt their relationship with members of their travel party. 5. Discussion This research advances the study of how trips taken without one's significant other may impact the traveling individual and their relationship. The results from this study coincide with previous research which suggests that there are several unique reasons women vacation without their partners, and add to the literature travel without a partner may offer positive benefits to the relationship. As an exploratory study, the sample size is limited. Therefore, comparing the results with previous studies is essential in demonstrating that this study advances the literature. As found through this study, several reasons females travel without their partner include: travel for escape, need for individuality, female bonding, and as an alternative to their partner's personal travel constraints. These themes arose from multiple respondents, indicating that they accurately represent the respondents. To further analyze these responses, these travel motivations were compared to the links between girlfriend getaways and well-being (escapism, gender dynamics, existential authenticity, and empowerment) identified by Berdychevsky et al. (2013) and found to be similar. Thus, the motives for traveling away from a partner in this study mirror the outcomes of traveling with female friends. In comparing themes, escapism/escape and gender dynamics/ female bonding were very similar. Likewise, the need for individuality is similar to the “existential authenticity” cited by Berdychevsky et al. (2013). The similarity is more impactful because the previous researchers considered a feminist perspective and utilized particular questions on the role of women. Even in the absence of gender-specific survey questions, similar results surfaced. As a new contribution, because the current study included only partnered women, the theme of a partner's personal constraints arose. While a trip with only women may be necessary for the gender dynamics/female bonding aspects, it appears that women also traveled with others to enjoy something different from what their partner may enjoy. This shows the distinction between the motives for “all female” travel from travel separately from a partner. Vacations with others may offer unique opportunities that would not be possible either by staying at home or traveling with their partner. While past studies have consistently shown that leisure satisfaction can lead to relationship satisfaction (Newman & Newman, 2008; Presser, 2000), the current findings more specifically examined satisfaction enhanced through travel. Respondents indicated that vacations taken with and separately from partners can ‘coexist,’ as each may offer unique benefits. While respondents gave reasons for traveling to some destinations without their significant other, they also provided reasons to travel together to other destinations. Several respondents commented on an increased feeling of ‘safety’ when traveling with significant others, while others wanted
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to share travel together whenever their partner was available, or experience new destinations together. While respondents indicated they would ‘rather’ vacation with their partner, they also overwhelmingly indicated that traveling apart did not have negative repercussions and served to fill a purpose. Women's travel without a partner may provide a unique benefit to a relationship that may not be possible with other forms of travel. In this study, traveling without a partner showed no significant negative impacts on relationship satisfaction, in fact, almost 35% of respondents reported improvements in their relationship after the getaway. This may indicate while travel together may be a part of a healthy relationship, for many couples vacation taken separately may also positively impact a relationship. Partners taking occasional vacations separately may be viewed as one building block to successful relationships. While respondents indicated a need for time alone and to escape, the overwhelming majority did not indicate that their relationships were unsatisfactory before or after the vacation. Seventy six percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I am satisfied with my relationship.’ Only one respondent indicated a worsening of a relationship after her trip, and she also admitted the relationship was not favorable before said vacation. Vacations with others also had a role in maintaining (and sometimes improving) relationships with travel companions. Over half of the respondents indicated that their relationship with travel companions improved as a result of the trip, while others said their relationships were the same after the trip. This provides additional support to several previous studies which have shown that shared leisure leads to increases in relationship satisfaction (Johnson et al., 2006; Strauss-Blasche, Ekmekcioglu, & Marktl, 2000). In an era with increasing divorce rates (Copen, Daniels, Vespa, & Mosher, 2012), travel may play a role to increasing happiness and relationship satisfaction. As many adults continue to work longer hours and take on multiple roles with careers and family, the amount of time couples spend together and the ways leisure time is utilized is changing (Hellerstein & Morrill, 2011). Thus, resources which may help increase relationship satisfaction are likely to become increasingly important. The current study offers the initial investigation of the benefits that travel away from a spouse may provide one partner (in this case, women) while not significantly affecting the other. The reasons given that women travel without their significant other may provide a blueprint for marketing messaging based on escape from routine, exploring your individuality, and improving relationships with friends or family. Additionally, tourism practitioners can use the results to design ‘girlfriend getaways’ by focusing on travel as a chance to do something that one's partner may not also enjoy. While some respondents indicated that shopping is something that their partners did not enjoy, others indicated they preferred hiking, biking and professional sporting events as part of vacations without their significant other. It may be suggested that tourism marketers focus less on stereotypical female activities (i.e. shopping) when promoting girlfriend getaways, but instead on showcasing a large variety of activities women may enjoy on a vacation. While it may seem obvious, travel with a significant other requires compromise, at times participating in travel for the appeasement of the other. This may suggest during the travel planning stage that both individuals participate to coordinate vacation activities each person desires. It may also be suggested that while onsite, tourism industry positively promote. activities focused on each individual of the dyad as well as activities for the couple together. Couples may need the affirmation of the industry to understand the need to pursue one's individual interests on a vacation along with the interests of the dyad. Travel was also viewed as a way to rekindle relationships with friends that had existed before couples got together. For many, the activity was less important than the simple opportunity to ‘gossip’ or ‘be with the girls.’ While this is just a small sample, the informal use of ‘girl’ by the respondents may also indicate that the term ‘girlfriend
getaway’ captures a return to youth and simpler times before the individual became a ‘wife,’ ‘mother,’ or ‘employee.’ Utilizing the push factor of returning to simpler times (Crompton, 1979) may be beneficial when targeting women for a ‘girlfriend getaway.’ It may be suggested that marketing centered on rekindling childhood or lifelong friendships may trigger a desire for increased travel with one's friends. Travel without one's significant other was found to be important to most of the women in this study. Separate vacations seem to provide unique benefits for the individual as well as the couple. Just as Chicago suggested decades ago, lovers may truly benefit from holidays away from the ones that they love. 6. Limitations & suggestions for future research As with most studies, this research has limitations. First, a relatively small snowball sample was utilized. While some results correlate generally to previous findings about the phenomenon of girlfriend getaways, it cannot be stated that the findings will apply to an entire population of female travelers. Additionally, the study only considered the outcome of a single leisure vacation; it is possible there may be differences based on the destination and length of the trip. Future research may investigate a greater variety of trips, including business trips and longer trips, to assess their impact on relationship satisfaction, especially for couples with children. In this study, respondents indicated that many of the trips taken did not appeal to their partner. The study did not provide a satisfaction outcome for trips taken to a place both partners may have wanted to visit which may in turn impact satisfaction. Additionally, satisfaction differences when traveling with different travel party members was not considered. For example, it's possible a partner may desire to travel with mutual friends but not with in-laws. Another limitation is that this study only investigated the perceived benefits to one partner in the relationship. This study did not measure the partner's perceptions of the impact of the vacation on the relationship. While the majority of women said a vacation without their partner improved their relationship, 77% also said their partner would say the relationship was the same before and after the vacation. This may indicate benefits only exist for the traveling partner. Future research could address this by surveying both partners in a relationship, as well as utilizing pre- and post- trip surveys to better measure the variables. Additionally, only women were surveyed. The results of this study will help to advise future in-depth research into this increasing trend. Lastly, the term “girlfriend getaways” has been used by the industry in previous research, both academic and practitioner based, and therefore the term was used by the authors of this paper. While this was not a study in grammar or gender equality, a recent study has examined the impact of using the term “girl” when referring to vacations taken by adult women (Berdychevsky, Gibson, & Bell, 2016). While coining this trend a “girlfriend getaway” was likely not done so with malice, it may be suggested future industry coined terms reflect more positively on the target they reflect. References Amato, P. R., & Previti, D. (2003). People's reasons for divorcing gender, social class, the life course, and adjustment. Journal of Family Issues, 24(5), 602–626. Amato, P., Booth, A., Johnson, D., & Rogers, S. (2007). Alone together: How marriage in America is changing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Berdychevsky, L., Gibson, H. J., & Bell, H. L. (2013). Girlfriend getaways and women's wellbeing. Journal of Leisure Research, 45(5), 602. Berdychevsky, L., Gibson, H. J., & Bell, H. L. (2016). “Girlfriend getaway” as a contested term: Discourse analysis. Tourism Management, 55, 106–122. Bond, M. (2008, April 15). Girlfriends' getaways a booming trend in travel. MSNBC Retrieved October 3, 2012 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24114207/ns/travelseasonal_travel/t/girlfriends-getaways-booming-trend-travel/#.UId13MXA_JY. Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, London, & New Delhi: SAGE Publications. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. Bruess, C. J., & Kudak, A. D. H. (2010). What happy women do. Minneapolis: Fairview Press.
A.M. Durko, M.J. Stone / Tourism Management Perspectives 21 (2017) 18–23 Bui, K. T., Peplau, L. A., & Hill, C. T. (1996). Testing the Rusbult model of relationship commitment and stability in a 15-year study of heterosexual couples. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 22, 1244–1257. Cavallari, R. (2008). What women want: Girlfriend getaways make up $6 billion travel segment. Hotel & Motel Management, 223(9), 8–24. Copen, C., Daniels, K., Vespa, J., & Mosher, W. (2012, March 22). First marriages in the US: Data using the 2006–2010 national survey of family growth. National health statistics report N49. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. Crompton, J. L. (1979). Motivations for pleasure vacation. Annals of Tourism Research, 6(4), 408–424. de Bloom, J., Geurts, S., Taris, T., Sonnentag, S., de Weerth, C., & Kompier, M. (2010). Effects of vacation from work on health and well-being: Lots of fun, quickly gone. Work and Stress, 24(2), 196–216. Dolnicar, S., Yanamandram, V., & Cliff, K. (2012). The contribution of vacations to quality of life. Annals of Tourism Research, 39(1), 59–83. Durko, A., & Petrick, J. (2013). Family and relationship benefits of travel experiences: A literature review. Journal of Travel Research, 0047287513496478. Durko, A. M., & Petrick, J. F. (2015). Travel as relationship therapy examining the effect of vacation satisfaction applied to the investment model. Journal of Travel Research, 0047287515592970. Gibson, H. J., Berdychevsky, L., & Bell, H. L. (2012). Girlfriend getaways over the life course: Change and continuity. Annals of Leisure Research, 15(1), 38–54. Hellerstein, J., & Morrill, M. (2011). Booms, busts, and divorce. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, 11(1), 54. Holman, T., & Jacquart, M. (1988). Leisure-activity patterns and marital satisfaction: A further test. Journal of Marriage and Family, 50(1), 69–77. Johnson, H., Zabriskie, R., & Hill, B. (2006). The contribution of couple leisure involvement, leisure time, and leisure satisfaction to marital satisfaction. Marriage & Family Review, 40(1), 69–91. Kasanicky, L. (2009). The complete idiot's guide to girlfriend getaways. New York: Penguin. Khoo-Lattimore, C., & Gibson, H. J. (2015). Understanding women's accommodation experiences on girlfriend getaways: A pragmatic action research approach. Current Issues in Tourism, 1–19. Khoo-Lattimore, C., & Prayag, G. (2015). The girlfriend getaway market: Segmenting accommodation and service preferences. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 45, 99–108. Kozak, M., & Duman, T. (2012). Family members and vacation satisfaction: Proposal of a conceptual framework. International Journal of Tourism Research, 14(2), 192–204. Le, B., & Agnew, C. R. (2003). Commitment and its theorized determinants: A meta–analysis of the investment model. Personal Relationships, 10(1), 37–57. Lounsbury, J. W., & Hoopes, L. L. (1985). An investigation of factors associated with vacation satisfaction. Journal of Leisure Research. Manske, L. (2013, May 9). “Plan a girlfriend getaway.” women's day. Retrieved March 2016 from http://www.womansday.com/life/travel-tips/tips/a5652/plan-a-girlfriendgetaway-117620. Nawijn, J. (2011). Determinants of daily happiness on vacation. Journal of Travel Research, 0047287510379164. Newman, B., & Newman, P. (2008). Development through life: A psychosocial approach. 10. (pp. 422). Wadsworth Publishing, 422.
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Oliver, R. L. (1993). Cognitive, affective, and attribute bases of the satisfaction response. Journal of Consumer Research, 418–430. Pennington-Gray, L. A., & Kerstetter, D. L. (2001). What do university-educated women want from their pleasure travel experiences? Journal of Travel Research, 40(1), 49–56. Prayag, G., & Ryan, C. (2011). The relationship between the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors of a tourist destination: The role of nationality – an analytical qualitative research approach. Current Issues in Tourism, 14(2), 121–143. Presser, H. B. (2000). Nonstandard work schedules and marital instability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(1), 93–110. Roach, A. J., Frazier, L. P., & Bowden, S. R. (1981). The marital satisfaction scale: Development of a measure for intervention research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 537–546. Strauss-Blasche, G., Ekmekcioglu, C., & Marktl, W. (2000). Does vacation enable recuperation? Changes in well-being associated with time away from work. Occupational Medicine, 50(3), 167–172. Tuckett, A. G. (2005). Applying thematic analysis theory to practice: A researcher's experience. Contemporary Nurse, 19(1–2), 75–87. Yorio, N. (2010). Doctor's orders: Escape on a girlfriend getaway! Redbook, 215(2). Angela M. Durko, PhD, is a lecturer in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. Her research interests include tourism marketing, with a focus on how cultural perceptions impact destination image and visit intentions.
Matthew J. Stone, PhD, is assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management at California State University, Chico. His research focuses on consumer behavior and marketing in tourism and hospitality, as well as the educational outcomes of travel experiences.
Contents lists available at ScienceDirect
Tourism Management Perspectives journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/tmp
Even lovers need a holiday: Women's reflections of travel without their partners Angela M. Durko, Ph.D. a,⁎, Matthew J. Stone b a b
Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences, Texas A&M University, 2261 TAMU, College Station, TX 77843-2261, United States Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management, , California State University, Chico, 400 West First Street, Chico, CA 95929-0560, United States
a r t i c l e
i n f o
Article history: Received 27 August 2015 Received in revised form 1 November 2016 Accepted 6 November 2016 Available online xxxx Keywords: Benefits of travel Girlfriend getaways Vacation satisfaction Relationship satisfaction
a b s t r a c t “Girlfriend's getaways” have been said to potentially increase satisfaction with an individual's leisure choices and potentially improve the couple's relationship satisfaction (Durko & Petrick, 2015; Cavallari, 2008, Bond, 2008). This qualitative study sought to identify reasons women travel without their partners and what impact these vacations may have on their relationship and vacation satisfaction. Women traveled without their partners for several general reasons: female bonding, partner's personal constraints, escape from daily routine, and a need for individuality. The vast majority of respondents believed that taking trips separate from their partner was a beneficial component of a healthy, romantic relationship. Nearly all were satisfied with the vacation taken without their partner, and would have been less satisfied if their partner had joined them. About two-thirds felt that their relationships were the same after the trip, while 31% believed the trip improved their relationships. Additionally relationships with travel companions were also enhanced. Marketing and operational implications for the tourism industry are offered. © 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
1. Introduction Tourism providers have noticed an increasing trend of individuals traveling without their spouses or significant others. This phenomenon includes “girlfriend getaways” (women traveling with other women) and “mancations” (men traveling with male friends). In 2008, AAA Worldwide Travel found that girlfriend getaways alone were a $6 billion market. This trend has been attributed to women and men desiring to take part in vacation destinations and activities their partners may not enjoy (Bond, 2008). Practitioners in the field of travel have begun to build on this notion that joint travel may lead to satisfaction for only one individual of the dyad, and have recently started to examine the trend of couples traveling (as a means of leisure) without their significant other as means to increase vacation and relationship satisfaction (Durko & Petrick, 2015; Gibson, Berdychevsky, & Bell, 2012). Industry coined “girlfriend's getaways” and “mancations,” are noted by some as a means to potentially increase satisfaction with an individual's leisure choices as well as potentially leading to increases in the couple's relationships satisfaction (Bond, 2008; Cavallari, 2008). Many destinations (e.g. and travel providers (e.g. JetBlue Airlines) feature girlfriend getaway itineraries or vacation deals on their websites, while J the website girlfriendsgetaways.com is solely dedicated to travel with female friends. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail addresses: [email protected] (A.M. Durko), [email protected] (M.J. Stone).
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2016.11.001 2211-9736/© 2016 Published by Elsevier Ltd.
All-women escapes have also been mentioned in popular media such as What Happy Women Do (Bruess & Kudak, 2010) and are the complete focus of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Girlfriend Getaways (Kasanicky, 2009). Additionally, industry magazines from Midwest Living to Travel + Leisure, and even the Economic Times of India have dedicated articles to the subject. While many articles focus on destinations, some suggest reasons to take a girlfriend getaway include: friends keep you healthy, reconnecting with your pre-mom self, new experiences, and free therapy from friends (Yorio, 2010). Manske (2013), writing in Woman's Day, provided anecdotes of how girlfriend getaways can be energizing, empowering, and even healing, as women share time away from daily responsibilities, and how these trips can give women a sense of fulfillment and make them better mothers. In 1982, the rock band Chicago sang, ‘even lovers need a holiday, far away from each other.’ This may allude to the notion of girlfriend getaways to meet this need. Bond's (2008) research found that the majority of those partaking in the girlfriend getaways were married women (73%), with children under 18 (88%). Girlfriend getaways, defined as all-women based leisure travel (Berdychevsky, Gibson, & Bell, 2013), is a common example, but travel without a spouse may also include travel with friends, coworkers, family members, and children. While the term “girlfriend getaways” is used frequently by popular media and travel providers, it must be noted that the term should be used with caution because the use of “girl” may not be appropriate to refer to adult women. Because of the prevalence of the term “girlfriend getaways” in the travel industry, it is used here.
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While previous research has considered motives and outcomes of “girlfriend getaways,” (Berdychevsky et al., 2013; Khoo-Lattimore & Prayag, 2015), this study considers the impact the vacation may have on relationships and the overall vacation satisfaction outcome. It is possible that traveling without a significant other could make one value their relationship and time spent together that much more. It is also possible that the non-traveling partner forms resentment and/or mistrust in the relationship for not being included. This study seeks to begin to understand how travel without one's significant other contributes to perceived vacation and relationship satisfaction from the perspective of the traveling partner. 2. Review of literature Several research studies have found that shared leisure leads to increases in relationship satisfaction (Durko & Petrick, 2013; Holman & Jacquart, 1988; Johnson, Zabriskie, & Hill, 2006; Newman & Newman, 2008). Additionally, studies have cited ‘travel’ as a leisure activity which provides a break from the mundane, fast-paced routine way of life, and may lead to increases in quality of life (Dolnicar, Yanamandram, & Cliff, 2012; de Bloom et al., 2010). Thus, both shared leisure and vacation may positively impact relationship satisfaction. For many people, daily routines include duties to family, career and partner. In relationships, individuals may have different likes/dislikes in terms of leisure activities, friends, and travel styles. A source of relationship discord has been attributed to a loss of individualism when personal preferences are not considered or met by a partner (Amato, Booth, Johnson, & Rogers, 2007). A longitudinal study of marriages in America conducted in 1980 and again in 2000, found a significant decrease in the amount of time couples spent together over the course of the 20 year study (Amato & Previti, 2003). This was attributed to demanding career responsibilities for both partners and an increasing need for independence over the course of a relationship. Amato and Previti (2003) found that couples who were satisfied in their relationships cited the importance of time apart as a contributing factor to this satisfaction. Thus, individual travel away from a significant other may be offered as a suggestion to increase relationship satisfaction, as it may give the individual an opportunity to escape the everyday routine, participate in their preferred leisure activities, and enjoy the camaraderie of others outside of their relationships. Recently, academic researchers have begun to investigate the trend of girlfriend getaways from various perspectives. Berdychevsky et al. (2013) used a constructivist grounded-theory approach in an investigation of girlfriend getaways and well-being. They concluded that escapism, different gender dynamics, existential authenticity, and empowerment, were the four “domains” that led to well-being as a result of traveling with other females. Their research, guided by feminist theory, included questions about travel as well as questions considering women's role in society. In a related paper, Gibson et al. (2012) considered these getaways in reference to the four life stages of women (adolescence, early/middle/late adulthood). Khoo-Lattimore and Prayag (2015) considered girlfriend getaways in Malaysia, concluding that, although the sample was homogeneous in its demographic characteristics, it was heterogeneous in its accommodation and service preferences. Their study was split between single (45%) and married (44%) women, but it was not clear whether or not they were partnered or married. Motives for girlfriend getaways have also been found to have a heavy focus on female bonding time (Khoo-Lattimore & Gibson, 2015) and relaxation and/or excitement with girlfriends (Pennington-Gray & Kerstetter, 2001). A comprehensive tourism literature review by Durko and Petrick (2013) revealed travel may contribute to positive increases in adult and family relationships, which in turn can contribute to increases in satisfaction with life. Furthermore, a study by Durko and Petrick (2015) found individuals traveling without their significant other had higher levels of vacation satisfaction than those traveling without their partner or children. The current study sought to understand the
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activities occurring during these vacations without a partner, to explain how these activities may be contributing to high levels of vacation satisfaction. The current study also furthered the previous research by questioning if travel without one's partner had an effect on the overall relationship. 2.1. Relationship satisfaction Satisfaction, in general, is a measure of expectations across a variety of situations. As individuals, we contrive our own acceptable experience outcome level and base our satisfaction on whether a product, service or person meets or exceeds such acceptable standards. These acceptable outcomes are noted as a comparison level of which we base our experiences (Le & Agnew, 2003). When outcomes surpass our comparison level, we are typically satisfied. When outcomes are less than our selfcontrived comparison level, satisfaction is generally negative or unmet. Bui, Peplau, and Hill (1996) stated that satisfaction is one of the most essential components to remaining committed to a relationship. Additionally, a meta-analysis conducted by Le and Agnew (2003) found satisfaction was the strongest indicator of commitment to a relationship. Thus, when a relationship exceeds expectations, relationship satisfaction is assumed and expected. However, when a relationship does not meet a self-determined satisfaction level, relationship satisfaction is not achieved, and likely the commitment level is not strong. Relationship satisfaction has also been defined as favorability that individuals report with their significant other (Roach, Frazier, & Bowden, 1981), and it is often a self-report interpretation of the quality of the respondent's relationship and their overall happiness with the relationship. Relationship satisfaction includes the positive and negative affects an individual experiences in a relationship, and is an indicator of how well a partner fulfills a variety of an individual's needs. Aside from the direct economic impacts benefitting the tourism industry, trips taken without one's significant other may benefit the individual and their relationship. These vacations have been proposed as a means to potentially increase satisfaction with an individual's leisure choices as well as potentially leading to increases in the couple's relationship satisfaction (Bond, 2008; Cavallari, 2008; Durko & Petrick, 2015). Travel without one's partner has been found to lead to slight increases in relationship satisfaction on behalf of the traveling partner (Durko & Petrick, 2015). However, there is the potential that travel without one's partner may lead to satisfaction for only one individual of the dyad. Thus, there may be potential negative impacts, as it is possible the non-traveling partner may form resentment and/or mistrust in the relationship for not being included. The current study provided further research in this specific realm. 2.2. Vacation satisfaction Research has categorized vacation satisfaction as an affective emotional post purchase evaluation and a cognitive response to an experience (Lounsbury & Hoopes, 1985; Oliver, 1993). Lounsbury and Hoopes (1985) were among the first researchers in the field of tourism to acknowledge a need for measuring vacation satisfaction to determine the psychological and individual benefits a vacation might provide. Their work included the notion that vacation satisfaction was a result of the actual experience, to include where the vacation was and how long it lasted. However, they further expanded on this to also consider an individual's satisfaction with job, family and spouse as causal factors or antecedents of vacation satisfaction, thus considering affective and cognitive factors be included to determine overall satisfaction. Past research has shown that travel party companions may also have an effect on the evaluations people make regarding their satisfaction with a vacation (Newman & Newman, 2008; Kozak & Duman, 2012). A study of 466 international leisure travelers in the Netherlands concluded that attitudes toward the travel party and stress associated with the actual act of travel were the most important determinants of
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a tourist's happiness and satisfaction on any given day of travel (Nawijn, 2011). As a suggested implication of his findings, Nawijn (2011) recommended finding the right travel party to enhance a traveler's experience and lead to vacation happiness and satisfaction. It is postulated in the current research that vacation and relationship satisfaction could be altered based on travel party companion(s). To measure this, the current study investigates vacation satisfaction of trips taken without one's partner and additionally questions if vacation satisfaction may have been different had the partner accompanied the traveling individual. Considering the impact of vacations on relationships drawn from previous research, and the importance of understanding the girlfriend getaway market, the current research seeks to better understand this phenomenon by addressing three research questions: RQ1: Why do women in relationships take vacations without their partners? RQ2: What effect do women perceive these vacations have on relationship satisfaction? RQ3: What effect do women perceive these vacations to have on their vacation satisfaction?
3.2. Participants Forty four surveys were attempted in the Fall of 2014, with thirty eight fully completed. All of the respondents were women. Respondents ranged from 29 to 63 years old (x̄ = 44), and all were in a current relationship with the same partner for 1 to 47 years (x̄ = 13.96). Thirtyfive percent lived with their partner, 44% lived with a partner and child(ren), and 18% had different living situations. Respondents took an average of 4.2 vacations per year with their partner, and 3.4 trips per year without their partner. For the purpose of reporting the qualitative responses, respondents were given a pseudonym to personify their quotes in the results. They were also asked to respond honestly as their responses would be kept confidential. When considering the last vacation taken without a partner, travel companions could be generally divided into four categories: 73% had traveled with friends, 10% with relatives, 13% with children, and 16% traveled solo. Twelve percent had traveled with a combination of travel companions (relatives and children, or friends and children) and are counted in both categories. Travel party size ranged from 1 to 11 travelers, and 31% traveled with four or more people. 3.3. Data analysis
3. Methods 3.1. Data collection As the study sought to understand specifically the motivations of women who have traveled without their partner, a snowball sample was used by presenting the survey link to a known respondent who met the criteria for the study. A typical use of a snowball sample is to identify hard-to-reach populations, and there have been many applications to reach sub-segments of tourists including those on girlfriend getaways (Berdychevsky et al., 2013). For cost considerations, a widereaching nationwide sample was not possible, therefore a snowball sampling method was deemed appropriate and cost effective. In order to increase diversity, the referral chain was not started with a single individual. Instead, three individuals were asked to pass the survey to those they knew who met the set criteria. Given the inductive nature of this study, research questions were presented via an online survey containing both quantitative questions (e.g. age, number of years married) and open ended questions (e.g. describe the reasons you travel without your partner, where would you travel without your partner). Frequency of travel, travel party make-up, destination choice, motivations for travel without a partner, and vacation and relationship satisfaction questions were asked. As the study was exploratory in nature and sought to understand the reasons women travel without their partner, questions were posed in an open-ended manner. To enhance recall ability, respondents were asked to reflect on their last leisure vacation taken without their partner when answering survey questions, and indicate: who had accompanied them and the reason(s) they chose to travel without their partner. Additionally, they were asked to report any vacations types or destinations they would prefer to travel to without their partner and why and which locations they would not travel to without their partner. As a self-report measure of their current relationship status, respondents were asked to rate their relationship on a standard US grading scale, where “A” represented their relationship was excellent, to “F”, which represented their relationship was failing. Finally, overall vacation satisfaction of the last trip without their partner was asked on a 5 point Likert-type scale anchored by very dissatisfied to very satisfied. This was followed by a question that asked if vacation satisfaction would have been impacted if their partner had accompanied the respondent on the vacation. This was presented on a 5 point Likert-type scale anchored by much more dissatisfied to much more satisfied. Vacations, for purpose of this study, were defined as a trip encompassing at least one overnight stay, away from home, and not for business purposes.
To categorize the open-ended responses, thematic analysis was employed. Thematic analysis is a method of identifying, analyzing, and notating themes from a set of responses (Boyatzis, 1998; Tuckett, 2005). Following previous research from the tourism field (Prayag & Ryan, 2011) a multi-step thematic analysis procedure as suggested by Braun and Clarke (2006) was followed. The first step required both researchers to individually and separately read responses while noting initial ideas, and individually categorized unique findings into initial codes. For example, motives for travel without one's partner, such as the need for girl talk and the need to be an individual, were attributed to codes one and two respectively. Once codes were developed, themes were developed from the coded responses. For example, similar motivations for traveling without one's partner such as ‘a need for girl talk’ and ‘desire to do girl things,’ were grouped into an initial theme of ‘female social bonding.’ Once this process was completed, both authors reviewed one another's coding to discuss and agree upon themes which were ultimately used to understand the findings and offer implications as a result of the data. 4. Results 4.1. Reasons for traveling without one's partner Similar to previous research in this realm (Gibson et al., 2012), an initial theme that emerged was that travel with female friends played an important role in cementing the bonds among those in the travel party. When asked to explain why the respondent chose to travel without her significant other, female bonding played a role, as 44% mentioned wanting ‘girl time.’ MaryBeth responded that if her partner had accompanied her, ‘my friend and I couldn't have had the quiet time or intimate bickering over directions, toothpaste and turning off lights. We wouldn't have had the bonding or caring for one another. We have years of learning how to put up with each other's travel quirks, that [partners] would interrupt and not understand.’ Kate added, ‘We were free to discuss ‘girl’ topics and issues. It was more freeing and less stress knowing we [females] all enjoy the same things.’ Additionally, Maize said, ‘I have been in a relationship with my best friend longer than I've been with my spouse. She and I can revel in our past in a way not possible in our daily lives. Everyone needs friend time to share & explore.’ Over one third of respondents (n = 14) mentioned their partner's personal constraints prevented travel together. This included responses varying from their partner being too busy with work, not having enough vacation time, or not being able to afford the trip. Pam commented that, ‘we just don't travel together more often than not because we have
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conflicting work schedules.’ Dottie added that her partner ‘stayed home with the dog,’ and thus both could not take the trip together. Escape from daily routine emerged as a third theme, which was explicitly stated by Pippa who expressed that it was ‘good to get away from the daily routine.’ Michelle said she vacationed without her partner as a means of ‘regenerating my soul.’ Travel with others was also seen a break from routine roles in their lives or relationships. Erika ‘wanted a break from parenting,’ while Liz added that travel without her significant other allowed her to, ‘be me on a trip… I'm not a mom, I'm not a wife, I'm ME!’ Several respondents noted differing vacation interests than their partners. Over one third (n = 13) disagreed with the statement ‘my vacation interests are similar to those of my significant other.’ It is likely that separate vacations may have allowed women to participate in activities at the vacation destination that their partner may not have enjoyed or not shared the same affinity for. Respondents indicated that they spent an average of 86% of the time during the vacation taken without their significant other doing activities the individual preferred and enjoyed. This may not have been the case when traveling with a partner as two separate interests would have to be acknowledged and considered when choosing vacation activities. These results suggest that adding a partner may have changed vacation dynamics, and potentially the vacation satisfaction levels as the women would need to compromise on activities to include their partner's interests. A need for individuality emerged as a theme as respondents indicated the couple had differing hobbies and interests they preferred to pursue. Regarding a vacation without her significant other, Madlyn said, ‘We did a lot of shopping, chatting and going out. My husband doesn't enjoy these things.’ Abbey added, ‘We did things like wine tours and leisure skiing. Men would have wanted to do what they like and would have caused stress for the girls.’ ‘We have different interests… I love the beach and being outdoors, he prefers to be inside watching TV,’ said Joie. Kim added, “My partner is competitive. If we had biked together on this trip, I would have felt the need to ride faster rather than enjoy a leisurely bike ride.” Suze reaffirmed relationship issues were not the reason for separate travel, rather, ‘We were not mad at each other, just need time with our friends to do our own thing.’ 4.2. Impact on vacation satisfaction When asked to comment on their vacation satisfaction, almost all participants (n = 36) were either satisfied or very satisfied with the vacation taken without their partner. Seventy-two percent (n = 26) indicated they would have been more or much more dissatisfied with the overall vacation if their partner had accompanied them. Only four respondents stated they would have been more satisfied had their partner joined, while six women stated the vacation would not have been any different if a partner had accompanied. In regards to how the vacation may have been different if the partner had joined, women revealed a lack of control and plan changes that would have been made. Beverly noted that, ‘Shopping and chatting would not have been enjoyed by my husband, and [we] would have changed our plans to accommodate men.’ Others enjoyed the freedom of not worrying about their partners. ‘I didn't feel like I had to worry about how he was feeling. I could focus on having fun,’ added Dottie. ‘We would have camped rather than rented a cabin. I prefer a modern bathroom,’ stated Donna. ‘The control would no longer be mine, I would be the follower not a leader,’ said Sue. 4.3. Impact on relationship satisfaction When asked to grade their current relationship on a scale of letter grades from A being excellent, to an F representing dissatisfaction, the majority of respondents gave their relationship an ‘A’ grading (65.7%), followed by ‘B’ (22.9%), and ‘C’ (8.6%). Only 1 person scored their current relationship with a grade of ‘F’ (the lowest grade in the United
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States educational system). To determine if the vacation without their significant other had a positive or negative effect on their current relationship, respondents were asked if their relationship had changed after the vacation in question. Over 35% of the respondents (n = 15) indicated their relationship improved as a result of the trip, while 60% (n = 22) felt that their relationship was the same post-trip as it had been pre-trip. Only one person felt that her relationship was worse after the trip, who was the same individual who had previously rated her overall relationship satisfaction the lowest of any respondent. Respondents were further instructed to consider how their partners felt about the trip. Over three-fourths (77.1%) believed their partner would say their relationship was the same before and after the trip taken without them. Aside from relationships with their partners, over half of the women (52.8%) believed the trip improved their relationship with friends, while 44.1% said the relationship with their friends was the same from pre to post-trip. Only one individual commented the trip had hurt their relationship with members of their travel party. 5. Discussion This research advances the study of how trips taken without one's significant other may impact the traveling individual and their relationship. The results from this study coincide with previous research which suggests that there are several unique reasons women vacation without their partners, and add to the literature travel without a partner may offer positive benefits to the relationship. As an exploratory study, the sample size is limited. Therefore, comparing the results with previous studies is essential in demonstrating that this study advances the literature. As found through this study, several reasons females travel without their partner include: travel for escape, need for individuality, female bonding, and as an alternative to their partner's personal travel constraints. These themes arose from multiple respondents, indicating that they accurately represent the respondents. To further analyze these responses, these travel motivations were compared to the links between girlfriend getaways and well-being (escapism, gender dynamics, existential authenticity, and empowerment) identified by Berdychevsky et al. (2013) and found to be similar. Thus, the motives for traveling away from a partner in this study mirror the outcomes of traveling with female friends. In comparing themes, escapism/escape and gender dynamics/ female bonding were very similar. Likewise, the need for individuality is similar to the “existential authenticity” cited by Berdychevsky et al. (2013). The similarity is more impactful because the previous researchers considered a feminist perspective and utilized particular questions on the role of women. Even in the absence of gender-specific survey questions, similar results surfaced. As a new contribution, because the current study included only partnered women, the theme of a partner's personal constraints arose. While a trip with only women may be necessary for the gender dynamics/female bonding aspects, it appears that women also traveled with others to enjoy something different from what their partner may enjoy. This shows the distinction between the motives for “all female” travel from travel separately from a partner. Vacations with others may offer unique opportunities that would not be possible either by staying at home or traveling with their partner. While past studies have consistently shown that leisure satisfaction can lead to relationship satisfaction (Newman & Newman, 2008; Presser, 2000), the current findings more specifically examined satisfaction enhanced through travel. Respondents indicated that vacations taken with and separately from partners can ‘coexist,’ as each may offer unique benefits. While respondents gave reasons for traveling to some destinations without their significant other, they also provided reasons to travel together to other destinations. Several respondents commented on an increased feeling of ‘safety’ when traveling with significant others, while others wanted
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to share travel together whenever their partner was available, or experience new destinations together. While respondents indicated they would ‘rather’ vacation with their partner, they also overwhelmingly indicated that traveling apart did not have negative repercussions and served to fill a purpose. Women's travel without a partner may provide a unique benefit to a relationship that may not be possible with other forms of travel. In this study, traveling without a partner showed no significant negative impacts on relationship satisfaction, in fact, almost 35% of respondents reported improvements in their relationship after the getaway. This may indicate while travel together may be a part of a healthy relationship, for many couples vacation taken separately may also positively impact a relationship. Partners taking occasional vacations separately may be viewed as one building block to successful relationships. While respondents indicated a need for time alone and to escape, the overwhelming majority did not indicate that their relationships were unsatisfactory before or after the vacation. Seventy six percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement ‘I am satisfied with my relationship.’ Only one respondent indicated a worsening of a relationship after her trip, and she also admitted the relationship was not favorable before said vacation. Vacations with others also had a role in maintaining (and sometimes improving) relationships with travel companions. Over half of the respondents indicated that their relationship with travel companions improved as a result of the trip, while others said their relationships were the same after the trip. This provides additional support to several previous studies which have shown that shared leisure leads to increases in relationship satisfaction (Johnson et al., 2006; Strauss-Blasche, Ekmekcioglu, & Marktl, 2000). In an era with increasing divorce rates (Copen, Daniels, Vespa, & Mosher, 2012), travel may play a role to increasing happiness and relationship satisfaction. As many adults continue to work longer hours and take on multiple roles with careers and family, the amount of time couples spend together and the ways leisure time is utilized is changing (Hellerstein & Morrill, 2011). Thus, resources which may help increase relationship satisfaction are likely to become increasingly important. The current study offers the initial investigation of the benefits that travel away from a spouse may provide one partner (in this case, women) while not significantly affecting the other. The reasons given that women travel without their significant other may provide a blueprint for marketing messaging based on escape from routine, exploring your individuality, and improving relationships with friends or family. Additionally, tourism practitioners can use the results to design ‘girlfriend getaways’ by focusing on travel as a chance to do something that one's partner may not also enjoy. While some respondents indicated that shopping is something that their partners did not enjoy, others indicated they preferred hiking, biking and professional sporting events as part of vacations without their significant other. It may be suggested that tourism marketers focus less on stereotypical female activities (i.e. shopping) when promoting girlfriend getaways, but instead on showcasing a large variety of activities women may enjoy on a vacation. While it may seem obvious, travel with a significant other requires compromise, at times participating in travel for the appeasement of the other. This may suggest during the travel planning stage that both individuals participate to coordinate vacation activities each person desires. It may also be suggested that while onsite, tourism industry positively promote. activities focused on each individual of the dyad as well as activities for the couple together. Couples may need the affirmation of the industry to understand the need to pursue one's individual interests on a vacation along with the interests of the dyad. Travel was also viewed as a way to rekindle relationships with friends that had existed before couples got together. For many, the activity was less important than the simple opportunity to ‘gossip’ or ‘be with the girls.’ While this is just a small sample, the informal use of ‘girl’ by the respondents may also indicate that the term ‘girlfriend
getaway’ captures a return to youth and simpler times before the individual became a ‘wife,’ ‘mother,’ or ‘employee.’ Utilizing the push factor of returning to simpler times (Crompton, 1979) may be beneficial when targeting women for a ‘girlfriend getaway.’ It may be suggested that marketing centered on rekindling childhood or lifelong friendships may trigger a desire for increased travel with one's friends. Travel without one's significant other was found to be important to most of the women in this study. Separate vacations seem to provide unique benefits for the individual as well as the couple. Just as Chicago suggested decades ago, lovers may truly benefit from holidays away from the ones that they love. 6. Limitations & suggestions for future research As with most studies, this research has limitations. First, a relatively small snowball sample was utilized. While some results correlate generally to previous findings about the phenomenon of girlfriend getaways, it cannot be stated that the findings will apply to an entire population of female travelers. Additionally, the study only considered the outcome of a single leisure vacation; it is possible there may be differences based on the destination and length of the trip. Future research may investigate a greater variety of trips, including business trips and longer trips, to assess their impact on relationship satisfaction, especially for couples with children. In this study, respondents indicated that many of the trips taken did not appeal to their partner. The study did not provide a satisfaction outcome for trips taken to a place both partners may have wanted to visit which may in turn impact satisfaction. Additionally, satisfaction differences when traveling with different travel party members was not considered. For example, it's possible a partner may desire to travel with mutual friends but not with in-laws. Another limitation is that this study only investigated the perceived benefits to one partner in the relationship. This study did not measure the partner's perceptions of the impact of the vacation on the relationship. While the majority of women said a vacation without their partner improved their relationship, 77% also said their partner would say the relationship was the same before and after the vacation. This may indicate benefits only exist for the traveling partner. Future research could address this by surveying both partners in a relationship, as well as utilizing pre- and post- trip surveys to better measure the variables. Additionally, only women were surveyed. The results of this study will help to advise future in-depth research into this increasing trend. Lastly, the term “girlfriend getaways” has been used by the industry in previous research, both academic and practitioner based, and therefore the term was used by the authors of this paper. While this was not a study in grammar or gender equality, a recent study has examined the impact of using the term “girl” when referring to vacations taken by adult women (Berdychevsky, Gibson, & Bell, 2016). While coining this trend a “girlfriend getaway” was likely not done so with malice, it may be suggested future industry coined terms reflect more positively on the target they reflect. References Amato, P. R., & Previti, D. (2003). People's reasons for divorcing gender, social class, the life course, and adjustment. Journal of Family Issues, 24(5), 602–626. Amato, P., Booth, A., Johnson, D., & Rogers, S. (2007). Alone together: How marriage in America is changing. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Berdychevsky, L., Gibson, H. J., & Bell, H. L. (2013). Girlfriend getaways and women's wellbeing. Journal of Leisure Research, 45(5), 602. Berdychevsky, L., Gibson, H. J., & Bell, H. L. (2016). “Girlfriend getaway” as a contested term: Discourse analysis. Tourism Management, 55, 106–122. Bond, M. (2008, April 15). Girlfriends' getaways a booming trend in travel. MSNBC Retrieved October 3, 2012 from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24114207/ns/travelseasonal_travel/t/girlfriends-getaways-booming-trend-travel/#.UId13MXA_JY. Boyatzis, R. E. (1998). Transforming qualitative information: Thematic analysis and code development. Thousand Oaks, London, & New Delhi: SAGE Publications. Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77–101. Bruess, C. J., & Kudak, A. D. H. (2010). What happy women do. Minneapolis: Fairview Press.
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Oliver, R. L. (1993). Cognitive, affective, and attribute bases of the satisfaction response. Journal of Consumer Research, 418–430. Pennington-Gray, L. A., & Kerstetter, D. L. (2001). What do university-educated women want from their pleasure travel experiences? Journal of Travel Research, 40(1), 49–56. Prayag, G., & Ryan, C. (2011). The relationship between the ‘push’ and ‘pull’ factors of a tourist destination: The role of nationality – an analytical qualitative research approach. Current Issues in Tourism, 14(2), 121–143. Presser, H. B. (2000). Nonstandard work schedules and marital instability. Journal of Marriage and Family, 62(1), 93–110. Roach, A. J., Frazier, L. P., & Bowden, S. R. (1981). The marital satisfaction scale: Development of a measure for intervention research. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 537–546. Strauss-Blasche, G., Ekmekcioglu, C., & Marktl, W. (2000). Does vacation enable recuperation? Changes in well-being associated with time away from work. Occupational Medicine, 50(3), 167–172. Tuckett, A. G. (2005). Applying thematic analysis theory to practice: A researcher's experience. Contemporary Nurse, 19(1–2), 75–87. Yorio, N. (2010). Doctor's orders: Escape on a girlfriend getaway! Redbook, 215(2). Angela M. Durko, PhD, is a lecturer in the Department of Recreation, Park and Tourism Sciences at Texas A&M University. Her research interests include tourism marketing, with a focus on how cultural perceptions impact destination image and visit intentions.
Matthew J. Stone, PhD, is assistant professor in the Department of Recreation, Hospitality, and Parks Management at California State University, Chico. His research focuses on consumer behavior and marketing in tourism and hospitality, as well as the educational outcomes of travel experiences.