Your Thoughts on Surprise Trips

[rastahomie]

Mrs. Homie and I were planning on going in December 2010 with friends, but that has fallen through as the other couples have dropped out. We decided a couple of months ago that we wouldn't go either, mostly due to not having the money.

However, I've come into some money (not a lot, but enough to pay for the originally-planned trip). I'm thinking about not telling Mrs. Homie and instead just showing up at her workplace the day we leave and saying that we're going NOW. I've e-mailed her boss about this idea and her boss thinks it's clever.

The problem is that Mrs. Homie has a mild form of Asperger's and gets a little out of sorts with changes to her routine. Not destructively so; but it does take her a while to process things and even in a best-case scenario she can be pretty crabby. There's an outside possibility that she'll be overwhelmed and the flight down there will be miserable. Of course she could also be totally overjoyed. Who knows?

Does anyone have any experience with surprising an adult with a trip?

 

[Sadie22]

Just a personal preference. I wouldn't want my DH to surprise me with a trip. I'd want to have time to plan what I wanted to take with me, and the anticipation of a trip is part of the fun. Although I would be happy to be going, I would be mad if he did it as a surprise. In fact, I just got back from buying new clothes for him for our upcoming trip, and I've been making the packing list and setting items aside for a couple of weeks now. I wouldn't rely on him to pack for himself, let alone for me. It just wouldn't work.

 

[Amber Leigh]

I've never had a suprise trip but as a woman... from my point of view I have to agree with Sadie. I like to plan and pack ahead of time. If someone came up to me and said we were going THAT day, I would be totally stressed over if I had everything I needed at that last second.

But that doesn't mean you can't still suprise her. Suprise her, but give her a little time. Perhaps the week before. So it's last minute, but it still gives her some time to plan out what she wants to take with her. Cus when you tell her, I'm sure one of the first reactions is gonna be "what about work" and I'm sure she'd be a little touched that you planned ahead to get her the time off. Perhaps just say, "Hey... let's go to Disney next week. What do you think?" She'll say your silly or something like that and then you'll pull out the plane resevation and hotel conformation number and stuff to show her you are totally serious and you planned it for her.

A sort of suprise compromise. Just be careful with the MAIL. Most of the time they send you the conformation stuff to your home address. Might be a good idea when you plan to call and talk to someone to get it sent to an alternate address. So she doesn't catch on.

 

[carrie80]

I agree. I love the surprise idea, but having even a couple of days to pack last minute things can really help. But it really all depends on how much planning you are going to do. My wonderful boyfriend is not a planner. So if he had a surprise trip for me I would be really touched.

 

[Bill Brown]

I go along with making it a surprise with a bit of a heads up, maybe a week's notice at least to enjoy a 10-day visit.

 

[nurse.darcy]

This happened to me. My SO decided that he was going to surprise me with a last minute trip to WDW over the 4th weekend. I hadn't heard anything about us doing anything over the long weekend so on Thursday evening as I was leaving work, I booked extra shifts to help with cash flow for my longer summer trip. It was too late to cancel the shifts by the time I found out about the trip.

 

[LSchrow]

This happened to me. My SO decided that he was going to surprise me with a last minute trip to WDW over the 4th weekend. I hadn't heard anything about us doing anything over the long weekend so on Thursday evening as I was leaving work, I booked extra shifts to help with cash flow for my longer summer trip. It was too late to cancel the shifts by the time I found out about the trip.

OUCH!

did he still go, or was the money lost?

 

[nurse.darcy]

OUCH!

did he still go, or was the money lost?

Oh, he went, but luckily there was no money lost. He hadn't purchased airline tix or paid deposits yet. . .it truly was, "last minute"

 

[rastahomie]

I told her just a few minutes ago that we're back on. I took Sadie's advice and decided that surprising her would be a little too much.

 

[labmom67]

I told her just a few minutes ago that we're back on. I took Sadie's advice and decided that surprising her would be a little too much.

Smart move The planning is all part of the fun! Enjoy your trip!!

 

[Sadie22]

I told her just a few minutes ago that we're back on. I took Sadie's advice and decided that surprising her would be a little too much.

That's great to hear! Thanks! Have a wonderful trip!

 

[watank]

OP - sounds like the best decision to tell the Mrs. ahead of time

This happened to me. My SO decided that he was going to surprise me with a last minute trip to WDW over the 4th weekend. I hadn't heard anything about us doing anything over the long weekend so on Thursday evening as I was leaving work, I booked extra shifts to help with cash flow for my longer summer trip. It was too late to cancel the shifts by the time I found out about the trip.

What my "better half" didn't mention:

• Fourth of July weekend was our first anniversary of going out
• We have an Owner's Locker with toiletries etc, so the only thing to pack would have been clothes for the long weekend
• Darcy had already said that she wasn't working extra shifts... yet changed her mind on Thursday (7/1) and didn't say anything about it until Friday (7/2)
• The longer summer trip she's getting money for is a mom&son trip (S.O. specifically excluded, although it's ok for other friends of hers to go along)

Maybe I was being naive in expecting to surprise her with an anniversary weekend getaway to where we met (WDW)?
A quick call or text from her that she was looking at taking extra shifts would have gotten me to "spill the beans", but unfortunately she chose not to say anything until after she took the shifts...

All I know is that I wasn't going to let the hotel money go to waste, was bad enough that anniversary weekend plans were ruined.

I guess ours is a cautionary tale that couples need to communicate (although for some reason she keeps saying I'm the one with the issue communicating... even though this isn't the first time she took extra shifts without saying anything).

-Ken

 

[nurse.darcy]

OP - sounds like the best decision to tell the Mrs. ahead of time



What my "better half" didn't mention:

• Fourth of July weekend was our first anniversary of going out
• We have an Owner's Locker with toiletries etc, so the only thing to pack would have been clothes for the long weekend
• Darcy had already said that she wasn't working extra shifts... yet changed her mind on Thursday (7/1) and didn't say anything about it until Friday (7/2)
• The longer summer trip she's getting money for is a mom&son trip (S.O. specifically excluded, although it's ok for other friends of hers to go along)

Maybe I was being naive in expecting to surprise her with an anniversary weekend getaway to where we met (WDW)?
A quick call or text from her that she was looking at taking extra shifts would have gotten me to "spill the beans", but unfortunately she chose not to say anything until after she took the shifts...

All I know is that I wasn't going to let the hotel money go to waste, was bad enough that anniversary weekend plans were ruined.

I guess ours is a cautionary tale that couples need to communicate (although for some reason she keeps saying I'm the one with the issue communicating... even though this isn't the first time she took extra shifts without saying anything).

-Ken

Again, my SO takes the public forum to air our dirty laundry. Unfortunately, we didn't hook up at WDW. That happened in Vegas. Packing toiletries is nothing, packing clothing involves planning and usually laundry. I also hate surprises. Anyway, not important now that you have already told your SO about the trip.

 

[watank]

Again, my SO takes the public forum to air our dirty laundry. Unfortunately, we didn't hook up at WDW. That happened in Vegas. Packing toiletries is nothing, packing clothing involves planning and usually laundry. I also hate surprises. Anyway, not important now that you have already told your SO about the trip.

Unfortunately, you keep saying that I've aired dirty laundry but won't elaborate further - and from what I see, you're the one that started posting details... I'm only correcting the half-truths you posted.

Indeed, we hooked up in Vegas, but wemet before that at WDW during the May Meet.

 

[nurse.darcy]

Unfortunately, you keep saying that I've aired dirty laundry but won't elaborate further - and from what I see, you're the one that started posting details... I'm only correcting the half-truths you posted.

Indeed, we hooked up in Vegas, but wemet before that at WDW during the May Meet.

Ken, let it go. . .this is someone elses thread. . .thank you.