The girlfriend getaway as an intimacy

Abstract

The girlfriend getaway, as a popular form of all-woman travel, has rarely been interpreted from the perspective of intimacy. Drawing on the concept of intimacy, this study employs a qualitative approach to explore Chinese women's experiences of girlfriend getaways. Three distinctive characteristics that encapsulate young Chinese women's girlfriend getaways are identified: a pure intimacy freeing women from oppressive social expectations and gender norms; an individualised intimacy that spans individualised boundaries and togetherness; and, a feminist intimacy stretching into sisterhood. The girlfriend getaway emerges as a feminist practice infused with intimacy. Applying intimacy theory to gender and tourism studies, this paper illustrates how women approach empowerment through intimacy and enriches the study of intimacy by encompassing social structures and China's context.