Travel agencies are full of brochures touting “girlfriend getaways” (you know, another name for an overdue trip to a spa with your best gal pals… or a chance to hit a few outlet malls with them), but rarely do you hear about “mancations” or a special vacation aimed totally at guys.
Calm down ladies, I know what you are thinking… a mancation—isn’t that what your better half gets every Sunday when he plops in front of the television for a football-a-thon, leaving you to cook, clean and tend to the kids yourself—yes, well, we’ll leave those frustrations for another blog. In all seriousness, travel agents say “mancations” are the hottest new thing and the travel industry is stepping up promotions for these types of weekend travel getaways specifically for guys.
“Mancation” travel packages include everything from golf outings and bass fishing trips to sports adventures and Porsche driving experiences. It’s true; men have been going away together forever on fishing trips, and let’s not get started talking about the gun deer season. But, the “mancation” is considered a more formalized trend because of the involvement of a growing number of hotel chains, which are creating unique packages for men.
For example, some major hotel chains are currently offering “poker nights,” where a nightlife concierge will create a suite complete with a bucket of beer and a well-stocked poker table for a night of serious male bonding.
So how much will a mancation put you back? Travel agents say it depends on how elaborate you want to get. Trips range from hundreds (think golfing and poker parties), to tens of thousands of dollars (think NASCAR training and parasailing expeditions).
If you think your man is in need of a mancation you may consider giving him one for the holidays. (Just a thought.)
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