Epic Mother Daughter Trips to Bond with Your Best Girl

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mother daughter on smiling on hiking trip
On the road again! Read why our mother daughter trip was #BetterThanCabo. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

If you’re looking to plan an extra special trip this year, consider a mother-daughter vacation. A girls-only getaway creates unforgettable memories you’ll share for a lifetime.

Begin your adventure by choosing where to go…together. We’ve polled our SheBuysTravel moms to get their favorite mother-daughter destinations. Some of these trips are best for teens or young adults. Others are great for all ages. So start here and begin planning the trip of a lifetime.

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mother, daughter and pilot in front of helicopter on a mother daughter trip to Hawaii
Adventure-loving moms and daughters can get their fix on a helicopter tour to Jurassic Falls. Photo credit: Mimi Slawoff

Mother-Daughter Trip to Hawaii

Hawaii is one of my favorite destinations. My family of five has traveled together to Hawaii many times on family vacations. And I’ve also traveled with my son and two daughters separately. On mother/daughter getaways, each trip is different and customized for my daughters. For example, Christina and I go horseback riding and have spa treatments. Meanwhile, my adventurous daughter, Megan, and I enjoy snorkeling, hiking, kayaking and trekking through rainforests. We’ve also rappelled down to waterfalls. One of our most exciting excursions was a helicopter tour to Jurassic Falls on Kauai. These types of adventures are a bonding experience.

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Smiling mother and daughter on a Disney trip
For Dee Dean, an epic mother-daughter trip is Disney World. Photo credit: Dee Dean

Disney World Trip With Your Daughter

For SheBuysTravel writer Dee Dean, a mother-daughter trip to Florida’s Disney World is magical. And she’s done it twice, once with each of her daughters. Each trip was a unique way to bond with her girls one-on-one. Her best tip for daughter trip ideas? “Convey excitement! A daughter needs to know that you anticipate having a great time with her,” said Dee.

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Mother and daughter holding hands on a winery trip
Wine tasting in Temecula. Photo credit: Christina Mendelson

Mother-Daughter Getaways to Wine Country

Most recently, for a combined birthday and Mother’s Day celebration, my daughter Christina planned a lovely weekend trip to Temecula. It’s a great destination for wine tasting in Southern California. Christina has become quite the connoisseur and introduced me to her favorite wineries and boutique hotels. Her favorite is Ponte Vineyard Inn, where we spent two nights. My daughter Megan joined us for one night, making it a special mother-daughter trip.

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Northern California Wineries

Situated north of San Francisco, Napa Valley has hundreds of wineries to suit all tastes. My daughter and I went wine tasting with my friend and her daughter. And we watched a sommelier sabrage a champagne bottle with a saber.

Another great place for wine tasting is Sonoma. In particular, we enjoy Healdsburg. It’s a small town with several wineries, boutique hotels and a nearby state park. It’s also a foodie’s haven.

Smiling mother and daughter on a Southern California road trip
Kim Orlando and daughter Sophia on one of their many California road trips. Photo credit: Kim Orlando

A Mother-Daughter California Road Trip

SheBuysTravel founder Kim Orlando and her daughter Sophia love road trips together. Sophia was planning to go on a spring break trip with Arizona classmates to Cabo San Lucas. She passed that up to join her mom on a California road trip. Now that says something about their bond!

For their mother-daughter vacation, they soaked up sun at several beaches in Manhattan, Mission Bay and Pacific Beach San Diego. The foodies also took a cooking class, went kayaking and wine tasting. “After all, California is wine country, right?” said Kim.

Boardway theater in Times Square
Score tickets to a Broadway blockbuster for a memorable mother/daughter NYC getaway. Photo credit: Cathy Bennett Kopf

New York City for a Mother-Daughter Trip

Moms and daughters who love Broadway shows and museums should head to NYC. As a cultural mecca, the Big Apple promises lots of fun on a mother-daughter vacation. With so much to see and do, plan your NYC trip together and hear out your daughter’s trip ideas.

Put on your walking shoes and visit famous historic sites like the Statue of Liberty and Times Square. Then take your best girl to dinner and a show. Plus, New York City is among the best places to enjoy drinks and views from a rooftop bar.

In addition, New York has many beautiful places outdoors. Did you know New York State has 22 national parks, with 10 in New York City?

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Mother and two daughters dressed for formal night on a cruise
Formal night is a fun mother-daughter activity on a cruise. Photo credit: Mimi Slawoff

Cruises for Mother-Daughter Vacations

Cruises offer many opportunities for a bonding mother-daughter trip. First of all, most cabins are fairly small, so you’ll be sharing tight quarters. But you’re used to sharing, right? It’s fun getting ready together and even sharing clothes and make-up. Or at least getting style and make-up tips from the young ladies! My daughters and I enjoy cruising together so much we sail every year or two. It’s become a tradition.

If you’ve cruised before, you know there are many options. Caribbean cruises typically visit sunny islands. Or maybe you and your daughter love cool weather adventures. On Alaska cruises, you’ll see wildlife, glaciers and more. Activities range from scenic train rides and seaplanes to rafting and hiking.

A France river cruise begins and ends in Paris. The daily excursions allow you to explore Normandy towns or countryside alongside the Seine, with the cruise company handling logistics.

Mother daughter posing on their vacation
Author Mimi Slawoff and daughter in Quebec City. Photo credit: Mimi Slawoff

Mother-Daughter Trip to Quebec City

My daughter Christina and I spent a few days in Quebec City thinking we could practice our French. Mais non! Although, we sure had fun trying. We found out quickly that the French spoken in Quebec is different from Parisian French. However, that didn’t spoil our fun. And anyway, English is spoken in Quebec City.

Quebec is such a pretty city. And so walkable. We took a foodie walking tour to explore the city and visit historic sites. We also took a day trip to Île d’Orleans. There, we had a delicious farm-to-table lunch on the little island.

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Sunset aerial view of a wooded Lake Arrowhead resort
A quiet lakeside resort is conducive for meaningful mother-daughter talks. Photo credit: Mimi Slawoff

Laid-Back Lakeside Weekend

From Los Angeles, it’s about a 90-minute drive to the Lake Arrowhead Resort and Spa in the San Bernardino National Forest. It had been years since I’d been to Lake Arrowhead. The last time was when my kids were little. So Christina and I thought it would be fun to go there on a mother-daughter vacation. We had a blast!

The resort has a prime location on the sparkling private lake, which is owned by residents. Our spacious balcony room overlooked the lake and swimming pool. We filled the mini fridge with snacks and drinks, and then walked to the village. There, we had tropical drinks and a late lunch at Jetties Waterfront Kitchen. The drinks and food were delicious, and the service was top-notch.

Everything about the woodsy spa resort makes this a great mother-daughter weekend getaway. We relaxed in the spa, swam in the pool and soaked in the Jacuzzi. The resort also offers yoga, meditation and other wellness activities. In addition, the resort has a private beach, which is a perfect place to sip wine and watch a sunset. The onsite Bin 189 is an elegant restaurant with lake views.

Read More: 12 Fun Things to Do in Cannon Beach on the Rugged Oregon Coast

Wellness Mother-Daughter Getaway

A wellness resort takes a spa getaway to the next level. You can have your spa (the menu is extensive!) and enriching experiences, too. Connect on a mother-daughter holistic getaway at Mirval wellness resorts in Arizona, Texas or Massachusetts. The resorts offer enriching experiences, such as exercise physiology, wellness counseling and outdoor adventure. Additional wellness experiences include sound bathing, chakra balancing and meditation.

Miraval Arizona in Tucson is credited with pioneering the destination wellness spa resort category more than 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Miraval Austin in Texas recently debuted a new state-of-the-art, three-tiered Challenge Course. Finally, Miraval Berkshires in Massachusetts features an open studio for guest art, reflection, introspection and collaborative journaling.

Mother and daughter looking at wildflowers on a hike in Deer Valley Utah
Hike and explore nature on a visit to Deer Valley Resort, Utah. Photo courtesy: Deer Valley Resort

Outdoorsy Mother-Daughter Vacations in Utah

For outdoorsy duos, Deer Valley Resort in Park City offers four seasons of activities. Utah has 14 diverse mountain resorts, most easily accessible from the airport. Skiing and snowboarding rule in winter. And when the snow melts, the resorts leap into mountain biking, hiking, fly fishing, horseback riding and other activities.

Native Angeleno and seasoned travel journalist Mimi Slawoff writes for numerous print and digital publications. She is also the author of Oldest Los Angeles (Reedy Press, 2022). A lifelong world traveler, Mimi is an award-winning journalist who writes about outdoor adventures, cruises, Europe and cultural activities. Mimi has three grown kids and lives with her husband and their dog, Maya, in Los Angeles.
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