Top Tips on How to Plan a Surprise Holiday
"Planning a holiday is so easy," said no one, ever. Planning a holiday is perhaps one of the most stressful parts of traveling; and this hardship is complicated even more when you are planning to surprise someone with a "spontaneous" trip. However, the look on the recipient’s face—especially if he or she loves to travel—will make all the time, effort, and money you have spent worth it.
Here are some tips to ease the process of planning a surprise holiday.
Know your partner
One of the most important elements of a surprise holiday is the surprise part. You cannot directly ask the person you are surprising where he or she wants to go—that will give away the surprise. You are probably gifting the holiday to a person close to you, and this makes it easier for you to identify his or her dream destination? Does the recipient love art, architecture, and history? Then a European holiday is something that we would recommend. Does the recipient love stretching out on the sand under the golden sun? Then beach destinations at the Caribbean or Southeast Asia might be a good choice.
If possible, take the recipient to a destination he or she have never been to. Or somewhere special to the both of you, if the recipient is your significant other. However, if you still have no clue on what the recipient’s dream destination is, you can ask their best friend or someone they confide in.
Do your homework
Narrow down the recipient’s dream destination to three locations—this way, you can research which destination is the most practical, if money is an issue. If you want the surprise holiday to be truly stress-free, you can go to a travel agency that will book and plan everything for you. However, this option is not only expensive, but also feels impersonal. Booking your tickets and reservations online would definitely save you a lot of money.
If you want to make sure that you are getting the best deals, you can ask the travel agency for a quote on your holiday, and then going on the Internet to look for cheaper prices. Do not, however, go full-on cheapskate mode. Sometimes, better option are just a little bit more expensive than the cheapest ones, and the recipient will definitely feel like a million bucks (even if you have tried to scout for cheaper options for the surprise holiday).
Plan the tours ahead of time
If you have chosen a new place that you are not familiar with yet still want to explore, a tour will be a great idea. Most tours include transportation, entrance fees, and other such minute details in the fees, which means that there is less for you to think about and stress over.
If you want a more personalized tour, on the other hand, you could research online by asking in travel forums or reading travel blogs to customize your stay in the recipient’s dream destination.
Do not forget to have fun
The reason why you have planned the surprise holiday in the first place is because you want the recipient to have fun. Stop obsessing over the minute details and minor disappointments, and just enjoy your holiday!
