There is a moment, somewhere between the Atlantic breeze and the sound of thirteen women laughing together on a catamaran off the coast of La Graciosa, when something shifts. The to-do lists fade. The responsibilities loosen their grip. And for the first time in a long time, you are simply present. That moment happened. Repeatedly on GirlsTrip26.
Why I Created GirlsTrip
I have spent over a decade working in financial inclusion through Financial HUG® — Helping U Grow — because I believe that true wealth is never just about money. It is about time, joy,
community, and the freedom to pause without guilt. But I kept seeing something that troubled me. The women I worked with — ambitious, capable, extraordinary women, were not resting.
Not really. Their annual leave was consumed by school holidays, sick children, family obligations. The idea of taking four days purely for themselves felt indulgent. Even selfish. I refuse that narrative.
GirlsTrip was born as a permission slip. A declaration that rest is not a reward you earn after enough productivity. Rest is a strategy. A financial strategy. A life strategy. A success strategy.
GirlsTrip26: Lanzarote, 30th April– 4th May
This year, thirteen women flew from London Stansted to Lanzarote for four nights at the Barceló Lanzarote Active Resort in Costa Teguise — a beautiful 4★ spa resort just a stroll from the Atlantic coast. The itinerary was intentionally light. Our group session anchored the first full morning. The rest of each day was entirely theirs. But what unfolded went far beyond relaxation.
The Vision Session: A Card, a Canvas, and a FOCUS
On our first full morning together, I asked every woman one question: How do you want the rest of 2026 to feel? Not what they wanted to achieve but how they wanted to live. Emotionally. Physically. Culturally. Financially.
We used the FOCUS framework as our guide:
- F —Feel: How do you want to feel?
- O — One thing: What truly matters next?
- C — Commit: Decide to show up for it
- U — Understand: Why it matters to you
- S — Start small: Take one step
Each woman was given an A4 card —folded to A5, with an envelope. Simple, intentional, portable. They could use it as one open vision board or divide it into four sections. There were no rules. No right way. Just their own thoughts, their own words, their own art. Some wrote. Some decorated. Some did both. And every single one was different because every single one of these women is different.
That was the point.
We also painted on canvas —freely, expressively, whatever each woman chose. Some took their canvases home. Others left them as a memory of the moment. But every woman left with her
vision card sealed in an envelope, a private letter to her future self, small enough to keep in a bag, powerful enough to last the year.
“Success is liking yourself, liking what you do, and liking how you do it.” — Maya Angelou
The One-Word Moment
When I asked for one word to describe how the session felt, the room gave me this
Therapeutic · Inspirational · Gratifying · Enlightening · Amazing Soothing · Reflective · Impactful · Heavenly · Encouraging . - Therapeutic was said three times, independently, by three different women.
The Five Cs in Action
At Financial HUG® I talk about the Five Cs of Financial Equality: Clarity, Control, Confidence, Consistency, and Choice.
On GirlsTrip26, I watched those five principles come alive not in a lecture, but in lived experience. A woman who had never travelled without her family painted a canvas that expressed freedom she had not felt in years.
A woman who had spent decades putting everyone else first wrote on her vision card what she wanted for the very first time. Another woman who had been stuck at a financial crossroads found clarity — not at a desk, but poolside in the Canary Islands.
Financial freedom is not a number. It is a feeling. And for four days in Lanzarote, thirteen women felt it.
Sip & Sail Saturday: LaGraciosa by Catamaran
Our signature experience did not disappoint. Thirteen women on a catamaran, sailing to the pristine, car-free island of La Graciosa, with kayaking, open sea swimming, unlimited sangria, beer, soft drinks, and more laughter than I can put into words.
That is the thing about sisterhood. You can be surrounded by women you met only days ago, with paint still on your fingers from the session that morning, and feel completely at ease.
GirlsTrip creates that. Every time.
What the Women Said
“I can’t find any fault in the trip. The location was lovely, the cost was reasonable, well organised with plenty of information. Some good friendships made.” — Kathy
“This is my first ever girls trip. I’m 54. My children and family was my only world…the vision board workshop and painting was amazing and thoughtful. I came home with a canvas and a card sealed for myself. Sip and Sail is a must. 10 out of 10.” — Charmaine
“Travelling with women that share similar cultural values removes travel anxiety. Can’t
wait for the next one.” — Hazvi
“Great trip — I made some wonderful connections!” — Rebecca
A Word About Our Sponsor: Pepper Money UK
GirlsTrip26 was proudly supported by Pepper Money UK — an award-winning specialist mortgage lender whose values align beautifully with everything Financial HUG® stands for.
Pepper Money exists to support people who are often overlooked by high street lenders. They take a human approach to decision-making, and their dedicated Financial Wellbeing Hub offers tools, guidance and empathy for customers navigating every stage of their financial journey. Their ‘Be More You’ campaign and wellbeing retreat programme for brokers show a company that genuinely invests in the wellbeing of people, not just products. Their branded beach bags made the trip to La Graciosa alongside our vision cards, notepads & pens and canvases.
A perfect fit. - Thank you, Pepper Money. 🌶️
What Comes Next
The GirlsTrip wishlist for 2027 is already open.
I’m not ready to reveal the final destination just yet theirs still some planning to do — but if GirlsTrip26 is anything to go by, it will be somewhere that makes your soul exhale, your brush find its way to a canvas, and your vision card say something you’ve never given yourself permission to write before. If you want to be first to know, follow me here or visit www.thefinancialhug.co.uk.
Rest is not the opposite of ambition. Rest is what ambition runs on.
To every woman who joined us on GirlsTrip26 — thank you for choosing yourself. That took courage. And it was worth every brushstroke.
With love and a Financial HUG® - Aleka Gutzmore