Women are taking knitting trips, adventure trips and spa trips. The Fine Living Network is launching a series on April 24 called "All-Girl Getaways," hosted by Stephanie Oswald, editor-in-chief of travelgirl magazine. And Marybeth Bond, the author of "50 Best Girlfriends Getaways in North America," has just written a sequel, "50 Best Girlfriends Getaways Worldwide."

Bond, who has been tracking data since 1993, said there has been a 230 percent increase in the number of women-only travel companies in the past seven years. And many women who are taking girlfriends' getaways are married but leaving their husbands at home.

April Merenda, co-founder of Gutsy Women Travel, sees more time-pressed career women in their 30s and 40s taking girlfriends' getaways. But not everybody goes with friends; about 60 percent of her business is from women booking a solo trip. She said that her business is up 25 percent from last year.

There is also more multigenerational travel as baby boomers travel with their daughters or even their mothers. Marcia Walker, 57, of Taylorsville, S.C., went on a 10-day tour to China earlier this year with her daughter and noticed other groups where women were shopping while their spouses waited outside for them to finish.

"You don't have that burden," she said, adding that her ex-husband never wanted to travel unless he could drive there. "I didn't have anybody breathing down my neck."

The phenomenon of girlfriends' getaways and women traveling alone represents a cultural shift. Thirty years ago, women didn't vacation without their families, said Susan Eckert, founder and president of AdventureWomen, a travel company for women ages 30 and over.

But because so many women work these days, they can afford to travel. At the same time, they've moved away from childhood friends and college roommates and they see travel as a way to reconnect. Going away with other women is an opportunity for them to really "recharge their batteries," said Oswald.

"The industry has rolled out the red carpet," said Oswald. "Everyone is coming up with girlfriend getaway programs. I think that's a great sign that this is a phenomenon and not a trend. It's here to stay." *

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