Most people like surprises. Well, the good kind anyway. Longtime readers may remember when I planned a surprise trip with my husband a couple years ago. He had no idea where we were going except for the daily clues. Each day in December, I posted another clue to where we were traveling. It was fun to plan, fun to read all the comments where we were going, and so much fun to give away the prizes at the end.
So what’s involved if you want to plan a surprise trip for someone? It all begins with a destination. This might be something specific like Disney World, a cruise, a trip to the beach, or a larger geographical area like southern California. The next important ingredient is the amount of time. You need to know if you will have two days or two weeks. Then reality sets in because you need to have a budget.
Yes, there are a few more requisites. For most people, this means arranging time off from work for the other person. If it’s necessary, you can still keep the destination a secret but tell the other person they need to request time off for certain dates. That’s what I did and it worked out fine.
But there may be other pieces of the puzzle, depending on your living arrangements. If you have children who are not going on this trip, where will they stay and how will they be cared for? If the surprise is a family vacation, you and your partner can have lots of fun planning the trip but not telling your children where they are going. Each day you can give them a clue and share in their excitement.
If your surprise trip is an overnight getaway, you may be able to pack for them. Anything longer, few people can pack for their traveling partners. Of course, you will need to tell them what kind of clothing to bring. There is a world of difference between packing shorts and sandals vs sweaters or ski gear. If you are affluent enough, skip this step and just purchase all your needs once you arrive at your destination.
Next, decide how many clues, if any, you want the other person to have. In my case, it was daily in the month of December leading up to Christmas. And it takes some cooperation from the surprised person. My husband could have Googled the clues and probably figured it out but he was enjoying it much more by seeing what others were guessing.
Like with all trips, surprise or not, do you have any pets or other commitments that need to be addressed before going away? Preparing a checklist can come in handy.
If you have a shared credit card, it is possible your surprise partner might have online access and could see if you prepaid any expenses. That could ruin the surprise immediately. If this is an issue, there are a few workarounds. One thing you may be able to do is purchase gift cards through your credit card account, then use the gift cards to make your travel reservations. Another possibility is using a friend or relative’s account for the charges, then reimbursing them.
Depending on your shared account situation, you may be able to change the online password but you want to be careful here. Some people would look at this suspiciously and wonder what’s going on if they can’t access this information. You don’t want to create a problem out of such a fun event. If you have a really good trusting relationship, this shouldn’t be too much of a concern.
If you are planning a surprise trip where you need a passport, make sure you have all the necessary information beforehand. You need to know things like the other person’s exact name on their passport, the ID number, date and place of birth, and the passport expiration date. Also be sure to check whether a visa is required. If you don’t have the other person’s passport info, here’s what I said in order to get it: “Hey, I’m always watching for great travel deals. Just in case one comes up and I want to jump on it, I’d like to be ready with your travel info.”
Airline tickets also pose some unique issues. You can purchase tickets in your name for other passengers but remember, they may find out about the trip if they check their online airline account. One way around this would be to not include their frequent flier number on their reservation. That would keep it out of their account but that would also mean you would have to forego the award and elite status miles on their ticket until the information was added.
Here’s what I did… My husband is a longtime Delta Diamond so I knew if I arranged to fly Delta, he would see where we were going right away. Instead, I made the reservation through United Airlines. Yes, he has an account there and does sometimes fly United but knowing his travel schedule, I knew there would be no reason for him to check that account. It worked.
Alternatively, consider using airline miles and hotel points instead. One benefit to using them is that it’s easier to keep the trip a secret but be careful, you don’t want to forego a chance for upgrades or other benefits either. Another advantage here, depending on the travel provider and maybe your status with them, you may have flexibility to adjust your travel dates or redeposit the miles and points in your account without a penalty or charge if your plans change or don’t work out.
It should go without saying that if you are planning to surprise someone with a trip, that person needs to be someone you trust very much. A lot of travel costs today – and this includes hotels, car rentals, cruises, airfares, tours, and other costs – are frequently nonrefundable. If you purchase nonrefundable airline tickets, for example, and the other person does not go, any potential airline credit (possibly after change fees, depending on the airline) would actually go to them, not you. If you have any doubt, it may be wise to purchase the appropriate type of travel insurance.
I admit planning this surprise trip was a lot of work. There were so many pieces that had to fall into place perfectly, not to mention the research and creating all the daily clues and posting these blogs every day. But as I said at the top, my reward was enjoying all the comments trying to guess the destination as well as the expression on my husband’s face when he finally found out.
A side note never mentioned before, my husband narrowed his guess down to Copenhagen or Florence a few days before the trip began. While we have been to both cities, he leaned toward the first one because we have spent more time in the latter. Well, he guessed wrong and didn’t know where until we arrived at the airline gate. Even then, he didn’t know the destination was not just Florence but actually touring the Tuscany region of Italy.
Travel insurance may not be a bad idea. A travel insurance company worth checking out is Allianz Travel Insurance.
So would I do it again? Absolutely, a labor of love. My husband frequently surprises me, whether at home or traveling. Even on this trip he surprised me with a gold pendant replica of the first Florin coin used in commerce. Every time I wear it, I think of him and our surprise trip. These are the kind of trip memories that last a lifetime.
Be sure to read more about this, as well as thousands of more travel tips, in my book Business Travel Success: How to Reduce Stress, Be More Productive and Travel with Confidence.
I hope these tips help you out. Now check out these travel tips that will really have you enjoying your travels!
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p.s. Here’s a template for creating a fake boarding pass — I use this to create a personalized ‘announcement’ of the trip. Tuck it inside a book about your destination and voila! You’ve got a perfect way to gift your surprise.
What fun it was to have you join us for Music and Markets New Year’s Jazz in Italy – we’ll be thinking of you as we stroll those Florence and Orvieto streets later this month!
Sounds like your surprise turned out perfectly! I think you also have to know the person you’re surprising will like being surprised. I have to say that for me, I wouldn’t mind being surprised with the destination, but I would not want my husband to pack for me (disaster) and to learn of the destination just prior to departing. A big part of my enjoyment of a trip is anticipating the trip, learning about the destination ahead of time, and imagining myself there. Maybe I would feel differently about being surprised if it was a familiar destination that I had wanted to go back to.
I’ve been giving clues to my husband all December and will reveal on Christmas Day…any suggestions on how to reveal the trip?
How fun! How about getting a big stocking and fill it up with things he’ll use on this trip? Or having the hotel where you’re staying give him a call on Xmas? Or doing a Pictionary-type of game on Xmas Day where some easy clues are drawn out? Or everyone in the family gives him an index card with one letter of the city’s name and he’s got to figure out the word? Let me know how it goes and where you’ll be going!! Happy holidays! Carol
I surprised my husband 30 years ago with a trip to Disneyland and the Rose Bowl. He had no idea he was going anywhere! I had to arrange the time off at Christmas with his boss (which was no easy feat) and I wrote a poem about the trip and put it in his birthday card. So much fun to organize! #bestsurpriseever
How exciting, Barb! Even after 30 years, it’s a very special memory. Even if it’s a weekend getaway, surprising someone is great fun for the giver leading up to the trip, and a great memory for both for years to come! Thanks for sharing your surprise success!
We have not been on a family vacation in in 7 years, we have 5 kids aged 16-10, well we just purchased a vacation package to cancun for a week, I’m thinking I start tomorrow night with a Mexican dinner but how do we tell them ??? I want to video be oust they will all flip !!! The trip is in 2 weeks.. I’m so cited to tell them.. Any suggestions ???
How exciting for you and your family, Lynda! If you want to get them on video as they find out your secret, maybe get them each a greeting card — probably a “You’e Invited” card — and write them each a unique note. “Because you’re the oldest and have always helped out so much, you’re invited to relax and have fun in Mexico on a family vacation” or “Because you’re too young to remember our last family vacation, you’re invited ….” If you can get some Mexican pesos, put a bill or two in each of their cards. Have them all open their cards at the exact time while you’ve got the video going. Tell me how it goes and have a wonderful family vacation! Carol
Carol…such a fun suggestion!!! I’m also making a big Mexican dinner tonight ..I’m excited to tell them, they will be so happy …thank you !!!!
This sounds great I have booked a city break to Prague for my partner which I want to give him at christmas but I just have no idea what to do to make it great. Any ideas would be amazing 🙂
I love surprises! Here’s an idea: Take a photo of Praque and cut it into puzzle shapes (overlay the photo with a jigsaw puzzle template). Then give him one piece of the puzzle for each day leading up to Christmas, with the final piece in his Christmas card. Simple and fun.
Let me know how it goes!
Carol
I am surprising my husband with a cruise the week before his birthday for his birthday present. I am working on arranging the time off from work but I’m also having him take the time off. I told him we were going to visit and surprise my Dad this way there was no questions with flying. I’m doing all the planning of flights, hotel after cruise, transportation to and from airport. When it comes to packing my husband wears shorts year round so the attire would not be a problem. I’m also going to tell him to bring a bathing suit as the “hotel” we are staying in will have a pool. I was thinking of not letting him in on the secret until we hit our layover airport. Any suggestions on how else I can surprise him?
Hi Chris – Two ideas come to mind to add to the great plan you’ve already got: (1) Ask a few of his friends to send him messages on the day of travel. Whether video, text, Facebook… have them give him a “Happy Birthday and Bon Voyage!” message. No more details than that… he’ll be wondering what’s up. Also have a message from your Dad wishing him the same. That’ll really get him wondering! And he’ll have a story to tell that everyone knew but him! (2) Using the template I mentioned above in the ‘p.s.’ create one ticket for each day’s port and/or excursion planned. Even do tickets for ‘Captain’s Dinner’, ‘day by the pool’ or whatever else you have planned. Put these in a big envelope with some brochures from each of the ports (if you have time before your trip, email the Visitors Bureau for each port and ask that they mail you info) and perhaps some of the photos from each port decorating the envelope.
Let me know how the surprise goes and have a wonderful time!!!
Carol
Thank you Carol those are great ideas I never thought of. I will definitely let you know how it goes. Its not until the end of June but I will keep you know. If you have anymore ideas please feel free to send me ideas please!! Thank you Chris
Hey, I want to surprise my little sister for her 18th Bday, and this post has helped me a lot!
I thought about takong her to Barcelona, and the trip is in November, any suggestions? (On how to find good deals, good places to travel there and things to do, because it’s winter)
Thanks!