Budget Travel Magazine Debuts "Girlfriend Getaways"

NEW YORK — The first issue of Girlfriend Getaways, the new magazine from Budget Travel, is now on newsstands nationwide. Call your best girlfriends, pack a bottle of chardonnay and a cute pair of sunglasses, and jump on the fastest growing trend in travel.

ISSUE HIGHLIGHTS:

* AFFORDABLE DESTINATION SPAS

They exist! 15 of the best in the USA, where good value is one of the special treatments.

* 40 BEST GIRLFRIEND GETAWAYS PACKAGES

Belly

* SHOE LOVER'S GUIDE TO TRAVEL

For some, stalking fabulous shoes is reason enough to travel. Fantastic handmade shoes, vintage finds, the best repair shops, plus strategies for scoring at DSW.

* WHERE TO MEET MEN!

Flirting in the safety of good friends is part of the thrill. The top destinations where the ratio of men to women rules. For example, Jackson Hole — 10 gorgeous guys for every lucky girl.

* 8 LONG WEEKEND DESTINATIONS

Got a weekend? Head to the best spots, including Santa Fe, Austin, West Palm Beach, Portland and... Las Vegas!

HIGHLIGHTS ON BudgetTravelOnline.com:

* REAL TIME BLOGGING

Gawker's Jessica Coen and Wonkette's Ana Marie Cox bring laptops on girlfriend getaways this summer and report back with all the details.

* WEEKEND BAG GIVEAWAYS

Enter to win a gorgeous weekend bag featured in the issue.

* EVERYTHING WE KNOW WE LEARNED FROM CHICK FLICKS

Lessons learned from Thelma & Louise, How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Enchanted April, and more.

SIDEBAR

Who's America's ideal celebrity for a "girlfriend getaway" trip?

According to Budget Travel magazine's totally unscientific on-line poll:

— The overwhelming winner is Oprah Winfrey, with 20% of the vote.

— Runners-up: Jennifer Aniston (8.7%) and cooking diva Rachael Ray (9.4%)

— "Thelma and Louise" lives! Susan Sarandon rated 6.8%.

— Angelina Jolie got 6.3%

— Hillary Clinton got 4.2%; Laura Bush got 4.1%

— Diane Sawyer got 4.8%; Katie Couric got 4.3%

— Condoleezza Rice (3.2%) and N.Y. Times columnist Maureen Dowd (2.2%) outranked Madonna (1.3%)

— Less than 1%? Martha Stewart, Anna Wintour, Mary-Kate Olsen, Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Kate Moss, Gwyneth Paltrow and Lindsay Lohan.

Girlfriend Getaways is $3.95 at newsstands and bookstores. Budget Travel is published by Newsweek Budget Travel, a subsidiary of Newsweek.