Somewhere between school WhatsApp groups and fully booked flights, Chennai mothers are having a girls-trip renaissance. For some, their kids have moved out for college, work or marriage. For others, their children’s school WhatsApp group has evolved into a travel-planning committee. Either way, women who once planned holidays entirely around family schedules, are now booking trips for themselves, too.‘WE’RE STILL MOTHERS, JUST LESS RESPONSIBLE’For many women, the biggest thrill is in the temporary disappearance of responsibility. “For the longest time, I thought girls trips were something you do only after your children grow up,” says consultant Aarthi, who recently traveled to Phuket with mothers from her daughter’s school. “Then, we realized life never actually becomes less busy.”“We still came back to homework, lunch boxes and PTA messages. But for four days, nobody — including our husbands — was asking where things were kept or what was for dinner,” she laughs.Entrepreneur and mother of two Shreya agrees. “If I waited for life to become calm before travelling, I would never leave Chennai,” she says. “We’re still mothers the whole time, just slightly less responsible for 72 hours.”And that tiny rebellion is precisely what makes the trips exciting: sleeping late, shopping without rushing, lingering over cocktails and not having to organize the next day for everyone else. Traveling as themselves again For years, these women traveled as mothers first — carrying wet wipes, medicines, chargers, snacks and water bottles for everyone else. Now, they are learning to travel as themselves again. Which perhaps explains the coordinated airport looks, aggressively photographed sunsets and endless selfies.“My son jokes that I travel more now than he does,” laughs boutique owner Ritu A, who now does yearly girls trips after her son moved to Bengaluru. “But it’s nice to finally travel without worrying about who forgot their charger or needs something every five minutes.” ‘Before every trip, the group chat becomes complete madness’ Ironically, the planning is often more chaotic than the holiday. “Before every trip, the group chat becomes complete madness,” says homemaker Nivetha, who recently traveled with mothers she met at her toddler’s sensory play class. “One person panics about baggage allowance, somebody keeps sending outfit references, and one always forwards reels about tourist spots we absolutely have to visit,” she describes. “The funniest part,” she adds, “was all of us pretending we were completely relaxed about leaving our kids behind while secretly checking back about things at home at the airport itself!”Written By: Aashna Reddy
