The #GreatGirlfriendEscape: Akiya

[gallery ids="58397,58396,58395"]Waterfalls, zip-lining, horses and more along the Pacific Coast of Central America. Check out how Akiya and her group of homegirls made some unforgettable  #GreatGirlfriendEscape memories while in Costa Rica:

My "Sister Friends" and I have been traveling together now for over 8 years. We've traveled to Mexico, California, Miami, Toronto and Las Vegas a host of other places together and have explored new horizons through our travels. Our best trip and most memorable has to be Visiting Guanacaste, Costa Rica in 2012.

Costa Rica was a very new and different type of location for us to travel too. We had never been to Central America and none of us spoke Spanish. We stayed on the west Pacific Ocean side of Costa Rica. We rose horses up mountains in the rain, heard white face monkeys howling at night, zip-lined through the jungle, bathed at natural hot springs and even stood under a waterfall.

The Costa Rica trip was the most intriguing trip for us " Traveling Sister Friends" because we actually experienced the culture of Costa Rica, ventured out and weren't concern with our looks, resulting in an unforgettable experience! We're planning our next trip for 2015 to Europe and I will be happy to update Parlour on our travels!

- Akiya

Although we believe in a solo trip to soothe the soul, there is nothing like traveling with your girls. Just in time for our annual meet up in Barbados for the Food Wine Rum Festival, we are introducing the #GreatGirlfriendEscape - a collection of the best girl trip memories from women just like you!Have a story to tell? Email yours to travel@parlourmagazine.com and/or post it to Instagram with #GreatGirlfriendEscape and we will repost it and publish it to Parlour. The best story wins a $300 gift certificate towards a fabulous night in Barbados —perfect for creating new memories!