Not So Lonely Planet

Travel agents, hotels and tour operators are also embracing the trend. In October, Walt Disney World introduced Magical Gatherings, a package for multihousehold groups. Sporting-event agencies that specialize in corporate outings to the Super Bowl or the Kentucky Derby are organizing more trips for smaller groups of buddies. And a bevy of resorts and hotels are fashioning female-friendly packages. Last year the Four Seasons Hotels in Atlanta, Miami and Chicago created "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" weekends. The tres girly Chicago trip, for example, features makeovers at Neiman Marcus, tickets to the Oprah Winfrey Show and a cooking class. Fairmont Hotels' "girls-only getaways" include a PMS (Pralines, Martinis and Shopping) Package in Vancouver and a Pajama Party Getaway in Boston.

That was the idea behind Stephanie Wilkinson's recent weekend at the Mirbeau Inn & Spa in the Adirondacks with her college friends Elisabeth and Jennifer. The three traveled separately from Lexington, Va., Rochester, N.Y., and Boston, leaving a total of six children under 7 behind at home. "In our crazy, busy lives, I feel as if we have no real time with our friends," Wilkinson says. "It seems the only way to maintain a friendship is to go away with them."