Ever planned a surprise trip?
 

As the travel planner in my household, I am always the one to make the reservations, plan the itinerary, etc. I have a fantasy that someone will hand me tickets, tell me to pack a quick bag, and take me away on a vacation where everything will be a surprise because I didn't plan any of it.

Have you ever suprised someone like that? Or been the recipient of a surprise trip? If so, tell us about it!

And yes, I do have an ulterior motive. I plan to print out this thread and leave it casually on the kitchen counter!

It sounds okay as a fantasy, but I think it would be disruptive in practice. Unless you do not have a job, children, parents who require assistance, volunteer commitments, etc. I can't imagine being surprised and not having a chance to fix up all of those odds and ends before going. It would make me too anxious to enjoy the trip.

Maybe you have a better chance of getting what you want if you tell your spouse that you want him or her to plan out the next trip, to keep it a surprise other than the dates, and you will not interfere in any way in any aspect?

Gosh, I expected this to be much more light-hearted! Something fun to dream about on a dreary Friday. It's not so much about "getting what I want". I just think it would be kinda cool to be surprised in that way.

I am fortunate to have a flexible job, no children, and parents in good health, so for me, it would be easy. I do appreciate that not all people have that flexibility.

I have the same fantasy!!! I hope that it happens sometime, and if it does, I hope I can "let go" enough to enjoy it!

KirRoyale, I didn't mean to sound too negative. If you would like a surprise trip, I hope you get it. I just don't get the hinting game very well, but I know lots of people enjoy it.

I've planned two such trips that I took with my mom. She definitely isn't a planner and enjoys everything ... plus, she much prefers to let me plan, drive, read maps, etc. and literally sit back and enjoy the ride. Once we're on the ground, she's picked restaurants and chosen between visiting Site A or Site B.

The first trip was a week in Venice during Easter break in 1999. She was desperate to get away and I found cheap airfare. She loved it and the luxury of visiting Venice for 6 full days ... no rushing at all and gorgeous weather. She didn't know where we were going until we got to Frankfurt for the plane change.

The second trip was in 2000 (I posted notes here afterwards) for three weeks, Paris-Alsace-Annecy-Provence-Villefranche Sur Mer-Monterosso. If forced to choose, this might be my favorite trip.

If I didn't know her tastes so well, I wouldn't presume to make so many plans without her input. But all has worked out very well and she's been thrilled.

Chicago_Heather, that sounds great that you did that for your mom. Although nowadays I would be a little nervous about sending someone through airport security who did not know where she was going :)

No problem Will Travel! Yeah - the "hinting " thing works sometimes and sometimes it doesn't, but what the heck, it's worth a try!

WillTravel ... you are so correct and I was just thinking the same thing when reading the original post. Not sure airport security at O'Hare would like her answer of "I have no idea" to "What's your final destination?" :-)

2 years ago I surprised my wife with a long weekend trip to Paris as holiday gift. I called her boss and told him and he gave the time. She did not know antyhing until I surprised her a few days ahead of leaving.

I love the idea of being surprised with a trip! Of course, the person doing the surprising would have a clue and would know to arrange for the pup to go to the sitter and all those pesky details that must be seen to.
I sort of had a surprise trip once, my husband did all the research first, checked into the details then at lunch one day in our favorite cafe in Soho, he asked me how I would like to go to Italy. Just like that..I said yes I would, then he slowly let drop the little plans that he had already made, then all he had to do was confirm the reservations and we were on!
So, do leave that this lying on the table, and on another table leave some brochures or articles about where you would like to go :)
Good Luck , KirRoyale~

I, too, do all the planning for our vacations. My husband is just not that interested in the details of planning and so far, he loves every place I've taken us to. I took him to the Lungarno in Florence, Villa Cipriani in Asolo, Europa Regina in Venice, Villa Brunella in Capri...all stellar places. He says I'm so good at researching places and planning so why mess up a good thing (he likes to wing it more). I did have the wish that someday he would surprise me with something...so just 2 days ago he surprised me by telling me we were going away for the weekend for our anniversary, to an extremely expensive hotel and he said he had already taken care of where the kids would go, the dinner reservations, etc. So what do I do? I start analyzing everything he planned, started wondering if he got the best rates available, starting second guessing whether the kids were really welcomed at the friends homes where they were staying. The whole thing made me nervous. So, I have to admit it, I'm a control freak; I couldn't sit back and let things happen. I don't think he'll be surprising me anymore.

Scarlett, that is fabulous, and davidj, thanks for reinforcing my idea that this can happen!

Darling, I would simply LOVE for someone to plan a surprise trip for me! Unfortunately, well-intentioned relatives tend to only want to plan a surprise wedding for me! Can you imagine?

BC

We're planning a surprise trip for my husband's birthday right now. Friends of ours are coming along, too. They work with him, and they are taking care of his work obligations. I've planned for the grandparents to sneak into town to babysit. I am the planner and control freak in our family, so I think this should work out pretty well.

This is a great conversation. I think Maggy is my lost twin... My husband purchased tickets to Grand Cayman this past spring and rented us a VERY secluded villa on the north shore as a surprise trip for me. He was smart enough to give me plenty of notice to ready all the zillions of details, but I too second-guessed his pricing on car rental, etc.
But I think I'm cured now. We had the most magnificent time and all I had to do was pack swimsuits and snorkel gear.
Hey there, Mr. KirRoyale --- take this good woman to a balmy island !!
You will thank me, just do it.

I use to work as a bounty hunter and arranged many exciting surprise trips for some rather unappreciative folks. The hostile responses were rather disappointing given all the time and effort I spent making sure they had a smooth journey up the river!

Many years back, I planned a surprise honeymoon trip for my new bride to the San Juan Islands. Because of all the money we had spent on a wedding, I had her believing we were going to drive to a rather mundane resort. Instead, we went to the airport where I told her we were flying to a surprise destination. It was then I found out she had never flown before and was deathly afraid of flying. She didn't want to go.

We had some time before our flight so I took her to the airport bar to talk, actually hoping to get her to relax. Fortunately, she wasn't normally a drinker so after a couple of drinks, I convinced her to get on the plane. She was scared the whole time we were flying. It got worse when we landed in Seattle and had to transfer to a small single engined airplane to take us to Orcas Island. Along the way, we had to land and take off from two other islands. The only other time I remember my wife squeezing my hand like that was during the birth of our two daughters.

The honeymoon ended up being wonderful. Even the flight home wasn't as bad. I'm really glad I did it because even though my wife doesn't enjoy flying to this day, she's willing to do it and we've managed to travel all over the world. I doubt that would have ever happened if I hadn't got her to make that first flight.

maztoz, LOL! I think I'll highlight your message to Mr. KirRoyale.

bookchick, good heavens! A surprise wedding?! Hmmm. . . a reminder that not all surprises are welcome!

And Chicago Heather, you're a good duaghter!

maztoz, LOL! I think I'll highlight your message to Mr. KirRoyale.

bookchick, good heavens! A surprise wedding?! Hmmm. . . a reminder that not all surprises are welcome!

And Chicago Heather, you're a good daughter!

KR
(You can cut this part out before you place it on the kitchen counter)
An airplane reservation, a car rental and a visit to Caymanvillas.com is well within the abilities of any husband, even my brilliant but totally absentminded beloved. (Still don't think I'd let him book anything TransAtlantic) He was SO proud of himself !! Go have fun.

I think a surprise trip only comes from Mars. I have planned trips that were not evan a surprise and the people involved with the planning backed out. I have lost lots of money and time, and I decided years ago that I will never be the guy who plans a trip.

Years ago I surprised my partner with a trip to New York for four days for his birthday. I planned to tell him, but then got nervous about it. I had booked the hotel, the flights, show tickets, restaurant reservations and all. He thought we were going to go to Ft. Lauderdale for the weekend (a couple hour drive for us). We had packed our bags and planned to leave work about noon that day (a Friday). I went home early and repacked his bag with what I thought he'd need. At noon we left work and he thought we were driving to Lauderdale, but instead I turned into the airport and he thought we were picking someone up as a surprise. I didn't tell him we were going until they called our flight. Would I do this again??? Never! He was upset because it wasn't what he had planned, he didn't have the clothes he wanted, etc. But we ended up having a great time. He hates surprises though.

For my husband's 40th birthday, I gave him a gift-wrapped copy of Bob Marley's biography, and stuck in as a bookmark were 2 tickets to Jamaica. What he did not know until we arrived was that very close friends from the other side of the country were meeting us there for the vacation. Our friends were hanging out in the airport lounge when we arrived, and as we walked past them not really noticing them, they asked if we wanted to buy some ganja, in their best imitation of the other "vendors" at the airport. Boy, did he do a double take!

Kir, I'll just have a word with your husband at the SF GTG.

Scarlett, I swear, you lead the most romantic life.

As for me, my husband knows me well enough to know that he could plan the trip but I'd have to know where we were going in advance in order to pack the right stuff. :-D

This is my husband's attitude: just tell me when to pack! Of course he never complains whenever anything goes wrong. I can only dream of him making any reservations!

About four years ago, my husband picked me up at the airport from a weeklong business trip. As I picked the bags, thinking we are heading home, he turned around and told me we had an hour to catch another flight. I had no clue, but an hour later we were on our way to Puerto Rico. No special ocassion, just a nice surprise. Great memories.

Kir, thanks but it's very easy to be nice to my mom. She's been terrific and is a whole lot of fun to travel with ... she also enjoys lots of "wine breaks". Though, she's been pouting of late that she hasn't been to Europe since 2000 (hopefully next year will be another trip with her ... and it'll be another surprise but am thinking southern Germany and Austria perhaps).

Thank you Marilyn, but what would you expect from a Yankee that carries me up that staircase like that ? :D

I've frequently surprised my husband with trips. The first, and most surprising, was a 50th birthday trip to the Bahamas. We celebrated his birthday with a family dinner on Sunday, and when he opend his gifts he found his present from me was a three-day weekend on Paradise Island, leaving that Thursday. He was pleased and flabbergasted.

I've also surprised him with trips to New Orleans, Portugal, and Arizona, but these were given as Christmas gifts and taken on Spring Break.

He returned the favor and surprised me with a trip to Las Vegas for my 50th.

We're retired now, and enjoy planning trips together. At the moment we're plotting our Spring trip to London. And next week I'll take him away to the Jersey shore for a few days, for his birthday.

I have friends (married couple) that decided to surprise each other on their anniversary. The male has the "odd" years and the female the "even" years. They usually try to stick to the week of their wedding anniversary so that the other knows how/when to coordinate with work.

Whomever has the year, plans the trip without telling the other from start to finish including packing for the "surprised" spouse. The planner makes the pet arrangements (no kids yet) also.

Basically the "surprised" person knows there will be a trip, but has NO IDEA the destination until they land in the city and/or arrive at the location. (As soon as the dates are set in stone, they advise the spouse so no problem with work).

We (my husband & I) joined them one year and learned of their system. In order to keep the "surprised" one in suspense, the "planner" usually does flights that make a stop or books one airline into the city and another one out. It was great fun keeping my friend in the dark until we arrived at the final destination. She kept guessing all along the way (Houston to Tampa to Newark, rental car to the Pennsylvania Mts.) thinking first we were going on a cruise from Florida or to Walt Disney World, etc.

They also agree not to snoop in the mail or arrange to have the tickets or confirmation #'s, etc. sent to work email and such.

After hearing and somewhat experiencing their fun, my husband came home and planned a birthday weekend a couple of months later and kept me in the dark until our arrival!

So KirRoyale, maybe you have some mutual friends that you can hint to or can plan a surprise trip for your partners and it will grow from there.

Good Luck!

I doubt if even my wife of 45 years could anticipate where I would want to go on a trip and what I would want to see. Hence I figure the planner would come up short.
That is a heck of an expense for most people to throw several thousand out the window with an event that does not meet the objectives.

I fail to see the benefit of spending big sums of money for something that may or may not suit the surprisee.
I supposed is money was no object or if the beneficiary of the effort did not care where he or she went it might work.
But I am quite sure I would not be entralled if someone hauled me off on a cruise that saw only the ocean when my preferences were Scotland, Paris and Switzerland.

I would think that a couple who has been married for a few years would know what each other likes and know their tastes and preferences in travel. My husband knows better than to plan a trip somewhere in -say, Africa. I like to read about it and look at the photos, but I don't want to go there!
On the other hand, I know that he would be happy in a small village in England just driving around in a small car (reliving his past)..so I think surprises are not such a bad thing. How bad can it be? You get to go on a trip somewhere and get to see and do different things~

Wow, there are some great ideas out there about how to do something like this. Thanks everyone for sharing.

My DH would not have too much trouble picking a destination that would please me as I am a major Francophile, with Italy running a very close second. Any place in either country would make me soooo happy. And the earlier Cayman Island idea is pretty fantastic, too.

Thanks Marilyn - I will steer DH over to you immediately upon arrival!

My husband and I are hoping to surprise our nephew with a trip to Italy. It will be his Christmas and graduation present and given to him this Christmas. The challenge will be that we would like to use our FF points for our airfare and, of course, pay for his fare on the same flights. Getting exact dates that will work for all of us could be a problem. I hope we don't have to tell him of our plans in order to make it work. He has never been to Europe, and I know we can give him a fun and wonderful experience. If we are unable to use our FF points, we will just have to bite the bullet and pay for all three tickets.

Carroll, I did something similar many years ago, but a reservations agent at American Airlines made a brilliant suggestion.

Instead of using your FF points for your tickets and buying your nephew's, use the FF points for your husband's and nephew's tickets, and pay for your own ticket. That way you will get FF miles for the trip.

I thought that was pretty nifty, and great customer service!

My husband surprised me many years ago with a brief get-a-way for my 34th birthday. Our youngest was only a few weeks old, so it was a simple overnight to a hotel at the nearby beach. He tried to think of everything, bless his heart. I had no matching clothes, nothing he brought fit post-baby and he brought every cosmetic I owned including the stuff that had been at the back of the drawer for years. His crowning moment was when he pulled out my electric breast pump!

It sounds so romantic and I would just hate it for the following reasons:
1) I love planning trips. Can't imagine that a trip would be as good without the planning, reading, and anticipation.
2) On some Friday nights, I have given my all and want to do nothing more than crash on the couch.
3) Opening a suitcase that was packed for me by my husband would make me cry and not want to leave the room.
Surprise me with really good chocolate, but PLEASE let me be in on the travel plans!

Oh MaryZ, #3 says it all for me.