The Ladies Special runs on a fuel mixture of coffee, questionable cocktails with umbrellas, and carbs. Specifically, the night you order three desserts for four people because "we are on vacation." The memory of passing a single slice of molten lava cake around the table with four forks, arguing over the last bite, is more intimate than any five-star meal.

There is a specific kind of magic that happens when a group of women gets together, packs their bags, and leaves the rest of the world behind. We’ve all seen the movies—the road trips, the beach houses, the late-night glasses of wine—but nothing quite prepares you for the reality of a "Ladies Special" summer holiday.

When the suitcases are unpacked, the tan lines begin to fade, and the routine of daily life resumes, the true value of a ladies' summer holiday reveals itself. The memories you carry back are not just souvenirs; they are a source of emotional sustenance.

Summer holidays are fleeting, but the memories don’t have to be. My own Ladies Special crew has a tradition: after every trip, we create a shared photo album on Google Photos, complete with captions that only we find hilarious. We also record a short voice memo—each of us sharing her favourite moment from the trip. On difficult days during the rest of the year, listening to those memos is like a warm hug from across the miles.

We boarded a Ladies Special compartment on a sweltering June afternoon, heading from Mumbai to Udaipur. Within an hour, the woman across from us—a complete stranger—had shared her homemade thepla and was teaching us a card game from her village. By sunset, six of us (including two newly befriended fellow travellers) were singing old Hindi film songs, passing around pakoras, and exchanging WhatsApp numbers. That’s the secret superpower of women-only spaces: they dissolve formality with astonishing speed.

: Engaging in conversations, giving gifts, and completing specific tasks increases "favorability" or "desire" levels for each character.

I remember watching my best friend finally cry after a year of being "strong" for everyone else. We were on a cliff overlooking the sea. We didn't say much. We just sat there, shoulders touching, while the wind carried the weight away. By the end of that afternoon, she was laughing again. The ocean had taken her tears, and the sisterhood had given her back her smile.

Summer holidays are traditionally viewed as family time, which frequently translates to invisible labor for women who manage the packing, cooking, and schedules. A "Ladies Special" trip flips this script entirely.

Whether you’ve experienced a dedicated women-only train compartment, a girls-only road trip, or a carefully planned retreat with your favourite female travel buddies, summer holidays with the ladies hold a unique kind of nostalgia. They are messy, colourful, loud, and beautifully imperfect. And they remind us why female friendship—especially when unleashed under the summer sun—is one of life’s greatest treasures.

Instead of buying magnets, establish the tradition of the "Thrift Souvenir." Each lady buys the others the ugliest, cheapest, or most ridiculous thing they can find for under $5. A ceramic frog. A velvet painting. A keychain that plays "Despacito" when you press it. These objects become legendary inside jokes.