The concept of the gender specific trip has been around since the caveman, yet mancation has become a buzzword in travel these days. It is estimated that 20 million American men go on these mancapades every year and collectively spend approximately $10 billion dollars during these excursions. While women have been indulging in girlfriend getaways for years, men typically would wrangle a friend or two for a traditional golf or fishing outing, however the trend seems to be shifting toward trips that involve extreme sports that range from off-road racing to machine-gun training. The majority of men are married and between the ages of 30-55 years old, and these adventure weekends are not to be confused with drunken bar crawls or male bonding The Hangover-style . Rather, spiritual healing, culinary instruction and yoga are some of the- more tame- activities guys partake in to deepen friendships, teach each other skills or take a mental vacation away from work, the stress of being a father, husband or provider.
As there seems to be more individualism in marriage these days, separate getaways are the new normal as many women believe it’s important for their man to stay socially connected with male friends. Although guys feel that pampering does have its place, they’re opting for adrenaline pumping odysseys such as rock-climbing in Colorado, ice climbing in Iceland, paragliding in Aspen, cigar smoking in Cuba, rappelling and canyoneering in Utah, 24-hour mountain bike races, or grabbing a sherpa and heading for a week-long trek to Macu Picchu.
One such website, mantripping.com devotes itself entirely to mancations and guys weekends, and even the travel site tripadvisor highlights their top 10 mancations, while luxury resorts across the country- like the Four Seasons- offer 3-4 day packages, and Shark Diver which is an expedition guide in Marin County offers yep…you guessed it. These getaways eventually turn into annual trips, of which a handful of buddies embark on some serious power-play where the only baggage they bring is in the form of a suitcase or backpack. And when they return home, there’s always that mancave to retreat to.
