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!