The We-Moon Trend: What It Is and How Single Women Can Plan One

It's not a honeymoon, and it's not a girls trip either. Here's what a we-moon actually is, who's taking one, and exactly how to plan it without the drama.

When somebody gets engaged, there's a bachelorette trip on the horizon. And even before the wedding, honeymoon plans are already in place. When the baby arrives, there's the babymoon to look forward to.

But if you're single, there's no trip waiting for you when you land the promotion, finish the degree, or write the book. Don't they deserve celebratory trips too?

Turns out, they do. It's called a we-moon, and it might be the best travel idea nobody's told you about yet.

What Is a We-Moon, Exactly?

The concept is simple. A we-moon is a trip that celebrates any kind of achievement. It's built specifically for single women, who are so often the ones celebrating everyone else's milestones and rarely their own.

So instead of waiting for an engagement ring to grace your finger or a belly bump to show, you call your closest friends and say, "I did something big. Let's go celebrate it."

That's exactly what Jessica Cruel, editor in chief of Allure and SELF, did after she inked her first book deal. She and two girlfriends headed to Anguilla, and when she returned, she didn't just have a tan, she had a blueprint for how to plan the perfect we-moon,

How to Plan a We-Moon Without the Drama

Cruel sought the advice of Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, author of "Sisterhood Heals," on how to plan a we-moon without the drama, and Dr. Bradford's advice is practical.

Discuss the budget before you land. Make sure you're all on the same page on how much you are willing to spend — for accommodations, activities, food, and dining.

Book separate rooms if the budget allows. The purpose of a we-moon is to have that balance of together time and alone time. Separate rooms give each one space to be by themselves, and it also respects each other's sleeping habits — early risers need not bother those who like to sleep in.

Decide on the activities ahead of time. How many group activities does everyone actually want to do? Because nothing drains a trip faster than an overpacked itinerary and one exhausted friend quietly resenting the schedule. Leave room for rest for that one friend who needs it or would want to do their own thing.

Do something new together. See if you can fit in something silly you can all do together, something you'll laugh about later.

Make time for real talk and deep conversations. This is where the real trip happens. The moment that allows you to connect at a deeper level, to say the things you haven't said out loud but need to be heard. The stories that were never told, the work stress you've been struggling with.

The Bigger Trend Behind the We-Moon

The we-moon fits into something bigger happening across the travel industry right now. Companies like Backroads, Road Scholar, and AdventureWomen have all expanded their women-only trips in recent years, with Road Scholar seeing enrollment in women-only departures nearly double between 2014 and 2024.

A Skift survey also found that women make 82 percent of all travel decisions, and searches for "solo female travel" have jumped more than 1,000 percent in the past decade. Women aren't waiting for permission anymore. They're booking the flight, the villa, the whole trip.

So the next time you find yourself achieving a milestone, call your friends. Book that flight. Reserve that villa. You earned that trip. Go take it.