You're Never Too Old for a Girls' Road Trip: Friendship, Fun & Life After 50

Remember when gas was cheap, you had a full tank, you took hours to make a playlist for the journey, and you and your bestie were on a road trip with one clear mission: have fun? When was the last time you traveled like that? And maybe the better question is, when did we decide we were too old, too busy, or too responsible to travel like that anymore?

I don’t know about you, but as I approach my 54th birthday, I can’t tell you the last time I took a road trip with girlfriends. Sure, I’ve taken a solo road trip with Arnie, my best travel companion, and I’ve traveled with my husband, but that “Thelma and Louise” kinda vibe? I don’t know. Maybe it’s been twenty years?

Well, cue the road trip!

When Was the Last Time You Took a Girls’ Trip?

I have been playing Mah Jongg with my neighbors for almost a year. Most weeks we begin the week together, playing Mah Jongg and really catching up on life. In the last few weeks, our neighbor, friend, and the woman who introduced us to Mah Jongg moved away. To say we are sad and feel her loss is a gross understatement. Truthfully, the three of us still play weekly, but we have yet to even invite a substitute to sit in her chair.

A few days after Joyce, our teacher, mentor, and friend moved, Marie suggested that Anna and I meet her in Denver after her work trip. The idea was to fly one-way to Denver and road trip our way back to Texas, with a stop in Amarillo to see Joyce before eventually making our way home to Dallas. It would be a last-minute getaway and perhaps the first of many trips together as the Mah Jongg group. We had to start somewhere, so why not a road trip?

What makes a girls’ trip worth it? Mah Jongg, of course. Time together, check. A carry-on bag, check. And wine and laughter? Obviously.

So yep, with just a few days to say yes, we booked our flights.

Sometimes You Just Have to Say Yes

Anna and I met Marie in Denver early on a Thursday morning in the middle of August, and our adventure began. We stopped, we stopped, and we stopped some more. We chatted each other up like it had been weeks since we’d seen each other (I think it had maybe been a week?). We had a floating Mah Jongg mat as our fourth passenger in the backseat, crammed ourselves into the car, turned on the playlist, and started driving.

I had never been to this part of Colorado, so we were all about the views, the playlist, and the conversation. We wandered around Vail, made our way to Glenwood Springs, and eventually decided we needed adult beverages and a little time at the hot springs along the Colorado River. We relaxed, laughed, and literally watched the sunset. Was this the most efficient route back to Texas? Absolutely not. Did we care? Hell no.

Eventually, it was time to head to our Airbnb for the night. Okay, so we hadn’t checked the map quite closely enough. It had started to rain, we still had another two hours in front of us before reaching Breckenridge, and yet there we were—together, laughing, sharing things we somehow hadn’t managed to share in the last year, and soaking up the LOVELY Colorado cool weather.

We stopped by the wine store and continued on our way. Upon finally unfolding ourselves out of the car after at least eight hours of driving that day, we changed into pajamas, poured the wine, and played Mah Jongg until the wee hours of the morning.

Friendship After 50 Looks a Lot Like Friendship at 20

Friday morning came early. We had gotten very little sleep, but we were anxious to get back on the road. It was 48 degrees outside—a huge difference from the 100-plus-degree Texas heat—and we grabbed breakfast in Breckenridge before beginning the next leg of our journey. Another seven or eight hours in the car awaited us, this time headed to Amarillo to see our dear friend.

Joyce and her husband had only been in their new house for about a week, but somehow there were beds ready, boxes unpacked, and the house looked like they’d moved in a month ago. No surprise there. We took a quick tour, stretched our legs, and then, naturally, got out the Mah Jongg tiles and wine.

We played way past our bedtimes, talked smack, showed our competitive Mah Jongg sides, and laughed like we were teenagers at a sleepover. Honestly? I highly recommend it.

Saturday morning we were up for coffee and a little time dipping our feet in the pool. We had a five-plus-hour drive ahead of us, so naturally Marie said, “Let’s play Mah Jongg before we leave.” And of course we did. We weren’t going to pass up one more chance to sit around the table with Joyce before heading home.

Somewhere during those late nights, ridiculous conversations, competitive games, and endless hours in the car, I realized something: we weren’t trying to be 20 again. We were simply remembering that you don’t have to be 20 to have this much fun.

Sure, our backs might require a little more recovery time these days. I definitely needed a long soak after 20-plus hours in the car, and next time I might build in a little more stretching or one extra pool day. I mean, we aren’t the spring chickens we used to be. But the laughter, the silliness, the friendship, the adventure? Turns out we didn’t age out of any of that.

The Best Girls’ Trips Aren’t Really About the Destination

Finally, after lunch, we decided it was probably time to begin the last leg of our journey home. We stopped and stopped some more. We explored a pecan and farm store somewhere along the way, we laughed, and I don’t think anyone ever really napped because, well, you might miss something.

Over the course of those three days, we naturally fell into our roles: navigator, driver, comic relief/music DJ. Marie shared her family’s tradition of looking up historic mile markers and the names of towns to learn their history as they traveled, so we started doing the same. For three days, we learned little pieces of the history of the West as we drove through it. And yes, we also confirmed that the playlist is CRUCIAL.

So is the company.

Collectively, we spent more than 20 hours in the car. My body definitely knew it when we returned home. But guess what? We figured out that we can travel together, and we learned a little more about what’s important to each of us. We shared stories about ourselves, our families, our partners, and everything else it seems. We wandered without worrying whether we were doing the trip “right.” We stopped when we wanted to stop. We changed plans. We laughed. We listened. We just enjoyed being together.

In this case, it really wasn’t so much about the destination. It was the journey.

Maybe Friendship Is Part of Aging Well, Too

As I approach 54, I’ve been thinking a lot about what it means to live well as we get older. We talk about taking care of our bodies, eating well, moving more, getting enough sleep, managing stress, and doing all the things that are supposed to help us age well. And yes, all of those things matter.

But I think friendship, laughter, adventure, connection, and fun belong in that conversation, too.

Maybe the goal isn’t to feel 20 again. Maybe it’s to keep doing the things that make us feel alive at 54, 64, 74, and beyond.

So here’s my challenge to you: text the girlfriends. Pick somewhere to go, even if it’s only an hour or two away. Make the playlist. Pack the snacks. Bring the wine. Leave a little room in the itinerary to wander. And GO.

Your version doesn’t have to involve a one-way flight to Denver, more than 20 hours in a car, or a floating Mah Jongg mat as your fourth passenger. It doesn’t even have to be an elaborate vacation. Maybe it’s an overnight trip to a town you’ve always wanted to explore or a weekend somewhere you’ve all been a hundred times.

The point is to choose each other before another five or ten years quietly pass.

Would I do our road trip again? In a heartbeat. We had nothing to prove. We were simply soaking up the memories, the connection, supporting one another, laughing until way past our bedtimes, and choosing friendship.

And if that’s what girls’ trips in your 50s look like? Sign me up for the next one.