9 Super Tips to Give Travel Adventure Surprises to Your Family

The Free Dictionary defines surprise (n) as: “To cause to feel wonder, astonishment, or amazement, as at something unanticipated.” Planning to give travel adventure surprises to your family, would definitely qualify as an event to cause astonishment and would capture all of the wonder and amazement possible.

In this article, I will share the most creative ways on how to surprise someone with a trip, whether it is your spouse, partner, parent, children, or friend. What are you waiting for? Keep reading as I reveal the top tips to give travel adventure surprises.

9 Tips to Give Travel Adventure Surprises

1. KEEP IT A SECRET!!!
2. Make it memorable
3. Make it age appropriate
4. Do your research
5. Set a budget
6. Plan and book everything in advance
7. Pack their bags for them (if appropriate)
8. Take care of all the arrangements for booking time off in advance
9. KEEP IT A SECRET!!!

When you consider the creative ways to surprise someone with a trip or travel adventure—I am including families of all ages, even intergenerational travel opportunities—think about some of the once-in-a-lifetime events that they would just love to experience.

Consider your audience! You might be a young parent with children under the age of 12, a parent with teens, a parent with kids in their twenties and thirties, a friend planning a weekend getaway for your crew, or maybe a grandparent with kids who have kids of their own.

Would Your Family or Friends even WANT Mystery Holidays?

Some of you might ask, “Well, why wouldn’t they want a surprise trip?”

A little personal story here about surprises:

Chris pulled off a great surprise this time. But I have come to realize that I am not really a fan of surprise birthday parties.

We had planned to go out for dinner on Saturday evening. As the day progressed, Chris got involved in working on installing surround sound in the basement. And he just kept on working, saying he would be done in 45 minutes, then 20 minutes. I was becoming more annoyed with him as time passed. We had planned to go to out for dinner to celebrate and the restaurant was about 45 minutes away. By the time we got there, it would be closer to 8 pm with this schedule.

I was not impressed. In fact, I didn’t even bother to dress up. I was that annoyed. He didn’t seem to care so why should I? Add to that, a friend had requested to borrow my fitness ball and Chris was more than willing to drop it off on the way to the restaurant.

I kept telling myself, “Don’t be annoyed.” It didn’t help.

So when we drove up to my friend’s house and Chris suggested that I take the fitness ball to the door, I was not feeling happy. My friend opened the door, and I could see birthday decorations on the wall and it hadn’t clicked yet. I was wondering who in their family was having a birthday when all of a sudden more friends popped around the corner yelling, “Surprise.”

Indeed.

I looked like a scruff. A scruff having hot flashes. I put on a happy face and tried to make the best of it. Chris and my friends had made a lot of effort to celebrate me. Chris had ordered food from a local restaurant and friends had brought some wonderful desserts.

I can now safely say I don’t need another surprise birthday party. Ever.

BUT…

On a positive note, my husband surprised me with a trip via Amtrak to Glenwood Springs as a Christmas gift. I loved it. Some surprises are good.

Apparently (according to Science Daily), the human brain loves surprises; there are plenty of ways to make that happen with fun ways to surprise someone with a trip.

So, when you set out to surprise your family members or friends—male, female, children, grandchildren—whatever their age, you need to sincerely think, “How will they respond to a travel adventure given as a surprise?”

How to Surprise Someone With a Trip

Giving the gift of travel and adventure involves a lot of stealth, planning, and creativity.

One of my friends once booked a cruise for her and her husband with a group of friends and surprised her husband with the cruise a few days before they were scheduled to leave. She had taken care of all of the details and had even contacted her husband’s boss to request days off and then swore the boss to secrecy. She kept that secret for over a year. And…her husband LOVED the surprise of a travel adventure.

Again, the BEST way to surprise someone with a trip is to:

• KEEP IT A SECRET!!!
• Make it memorable
• Make it age appropriate
• Do your research
• Set a budget
• Plan and book everything in advance
• Pack their bags for them (if appropriate)
• Take care of all arrangements for time off in advance

Tip * You could also gift the “IDEA” of an Adventure with Family without making actual bookings or plans as an option.

If you will be using the frequent flyer number of family members to book a surprise trip, be aware that they might receive emails regarding the trip. The same goes if you are using their reward points. If you use them, they may be notified.

Why You Should Surprise Someone with a Trip

When you give travel adventure surprises to your family, friends or someone special, you give something amazing to yourself and to them—TIME!

Your presence is the most precious gift you can give to another human being.

~ Marshall B. Rosenberg

Travel experiences build memories that will last a lifetime, surely more than electronics or clothes or gadgets wrapped and placed under a Christmas tree.

You give travel adventure surprises for the time you get to spend together right? Time spent together is valuable and sometimes hard to achieve.

As a parent, husband, wife, sibling, friend or child, you might have come to appreciate the concept of PRESENCE versus PRESENTS.

Consider these benefits for both the recipient and yourself:

• You create memories and add to your family bonding time
• You recognize that they don’t always need or want more stuff (especially if it is giving stuff just for the sake of finding a gift)
• You instill the love of travel in your children at an early age and help them to cultivate adventurous souls
• You experience new cultures, foods, traditions, and languages together
• You meet amazing people all around the world
• You can do family history research
• You can go on a trip where you can relax and decompress
• You can enjoy the anticipation of a trip

Give travel adventure surprises to your family and you give the gift of time.

What are Some Ideas for Mystery Holidays?

The possibilities for destinations are endless when you are looking for fun ways to surprise someone with a trip. You could pick one of the top 20 places US News suggests for best family vacations in the United States or discover dreamy international destinations.

A word of advice * Don’t go into debt for your vacations.

You may be limited by your finances and time available, but let your imagination, creativity, and planning abilities run wild with the resources you have available to you.

Destination Ideas for an Adventure with Family

• Cruise
• The South of France
• A road trip to Grandma’s house
• Humanitarian Trip
• All-inclusive vacation
• Island travel to relax by the beach
• A Staycation with special excursions and day trips close to home
• A State-cation within the bounds of your home state
• Cooking class adventure to learn a new skill or to learn about a new culture
• Trip to Disneyland, Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Universal Studios, etc.
• Weekend hiking or a camping getaway to the mountains
• Visit to a hot springs close to home
• Weekend stay at a vacation rental
• Adventure travel in the USA
• Road trip to a National Park

The Surprise Trip Reveal

If you love an adventure with family and friends and you love to plan, then coordinating the SURPRISE TRIP REVEAL is a huge part of the fun. You can go as big and intricate as you want or just keep it simple when you wrap a printout of your itinerary and place it under the Christmas tree, give it as a Mother’s Day present, or surprise your kids for Spring Break.

As you plan, be sure to keep track of all of the “Surprise” travel adventure details. You can easily do this with the Ultimate Travel Planner.

Creative Ways on How to Surprise Someone with a Trip

• Wrap a box filled with gift items that represent travel: a suitcase, necklace, earrings, bracelet, toy boat, luggage tag, compass keychain, lanyard
• Mail a surprise box with travel items in it: goggles, new beach towel, sunscreen, toiletry bag, etc.
• Create a shadow box filled with pictures of the destination, a boarding pass, or small tokens that represent your adventure destination
• Frame a map and add a big red heart over the surprise destination
• Frame a print of something iconic from your destination—the Eiffel tower, tent, beach—include a note on the back of the picture with the surprise announcement.
• Plan an escape room adventure to uncover clues
• Create a crossword puzzle
• Find scratch-off cards online that you can personalize (or make your own)
• Wrap a suitcase filled with the travel items they would need for this travel adventure.
• Create a custom puzzle or buy one that features a picture of your destination
• Plan a scavenger hunt with clues that they will have to piece together
• Create a candy or chocolate bar poster

You are only limited by your creativity and ability to search Pinterest and the Internet when planning your surprise trip reveal. There are so many awesome ideas out there on how to give travel adventure surprises!

Ideas on How to Surprise Kids with a Trip and Adventure with Family

• Plan a trip, pack your kids’ suitcases, sign them out of school, and head to the airport. Tell them they have a dentist appointment and see how long it takes them to figure out that they are going to the airport instead of the dentist. Keep them guessing on the destination until they arrive at the gate at the airport
• Make your own fortune cookies with a small note about your surprise
• Plan for them to find a message in a bottle
• Create a custom puzzle or buy one that features a picture of your destination
• Create an age-appropriate scavenger hunt around the house
• Wrap a small toy boat or plane
• Fill balloons with something representative of your travel adventure. This would be awesome if you are needing Disney trip reveal ideas
• Reveal day by day clues leading up to Christmas, their birthday, etc.
• String yarn through your house that is tied to the gift

>> Related: Plan the Perfect Disneyland Paris Day Trip from Paris

Quotes for Travel and Adventure for Instagram

• I follow my heart and it leads me to the airport.
• Anxiety is not knowing where you put your passport.
• Good things come to those who travel.
• I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I may have ended up where I intended to be. ~Douglas Adams
• I feel as though most of my problems can be solved with a trip to…anywhere!
• There’s no time to be bored in a world as magnificent as this one.
• I googled my symptoms. Turns out I just need to travel.
• You don’t always need a plan. Sometimes you just need to breathe, trust, let go, and see what happens. ~Mandy Hale
• Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go. ~ T. S. Eliot
• Live life with no excuses, travel with no regret. ~ Oscar Wilde
• Wish for it. Hope for it. Dream for it. But by all means: Do it!
• Roads were made for journeys not destinations.
• Wherever you go go with all of your heart. ~ Confucius
• I wish travel therapy was covered by my health insurance. 
• I follow my heart and it leads me to the airport.
• Do you ever just feel homesick for travel?
• Stay calm and adventure on.
• Never go too long without watching a sunset.
• Oh darling, let’s be adventurers!
• Everyone should believe in something. I believe I should go to the beach.

Frequently Asked Questions

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Final Thoughts on 9 Super Tips on How to Give Travel Adventure Surprises to Your Family

You should have plenty of ideas on HOW to surprise someone with a trip now. The next step is deciding where you want to go on your travel adventure. There are so many fun and creative ways to surprise someone with mystery holidays.

You may find that you have just as much fun planning your adventure with family as you will on the actual trip. Surely, the anticipation that builds as they unbox the gift, discover clues, or reveal the destination will be a highlight.

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