{"id":7830,"date":"2019-05-19T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-05-18T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/?p=7830"},"modified":"2020-08-19T12:40:20","modified_gmt":"2020-08-19T02:40:20","slug":"surprise-romantic-getaway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/couples\/tips\/surprise-romantic-getaway\/","title":{"rendered":"10 tips for planning a surprise romantic getaway"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s become a habit for my husband and I to plan surprise trips for each other every year and we LOVE it! Not only is it amazing having a mini holiday when you thought you\u2019d be cleaning the house, but knowing that your partner has gone to all that effort to create an experience just for you makes it even more special! If you haven\u2019t already, we definitely recommend you try it. Here are our top tips for planning your own surprise romantic getaway\u2026 make sure you read to the end!<\/p>\n

1. If you\u2019re a newbie to this, start small\u2028<\/strong><\/h3>\n

When my husband and I lived in London, he would randomly plan nights away for us as a bit of a \u201cstaycation\u201d. He would pick me up from work and just say \u201cWe\u2019re not going home until tomorrow\u201d and have all our luggage packed! After a few of these he gained a bit more confidence and started planning longer trips, with more complexity. If planning a whole trip sounds a bit daunting, just start with a surprise date night that has a few elements to it (drinks, dinner, dessert, and a plush hotel stay) and work your way up.<\/p>\n

Enjoying a surprise night away at the Gold Coast #fancy<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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2. Make the whole getaway a surprise (if possible)<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I\u2019m talking planning the day\/s off with their boss, packing their bag (if you dare \ud83d\ude01), organising all the transport and accommodation, arranging baby\/pet\/plant-sitting for any dependents. The bigger the effort, the bigger the surprise.<\/p>\n

3. Make sure you\u2019re going at a time that suits them<\/h3>\n

Do some undercover research into your partner\u2019s schedule and make sure it\u2019s not Aunt Judy\u2019s birthday that weekend, or that they haven\u2019t planned a spa day with the dog (extra points if they have though, that sounds amazing). If you know that a particular time of the year is busy for them, make sure you pick a date that works around it.<\/p>\n

4. Do your browsing\/planning\/booking in private mode<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I once found out about a surprise holiday when our shared laptop was retargeted with ads for the Sunny Coast \ud83d\ude1d Researching online is amazing, but be sure to cover your tracks!<\/p>\n

5. And while you\u2019re on the stealth bandwagon, have a good friend pay for your getaway and pay them back later<\/strong><\/h3>\n

I watch our accounts like a hawk (a friendly hawk \ud83e\udd13\ud83e\udd85), so if a large charge came through, I would immediately know about it! This is a quick giveaway that you\u2019re planning something amazing – DON\u2019T fail me here, people!<\/p>\n

On holidays courtesy of Karen \u2013 thanks, lady! (I\u2019ll pay you back, promise \ud83d\ude09<\/span>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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6. Become a pro at lying\u2026 in a good way<\/strong><\/h3>\n

This is the only part where my husband falls down on \u2013 he can\u2019t keep a straight face if I question him on anything! Practice your poker face, because you\u2019re going to need it a lot in the days before the getaway. Watch the movie 21<\/em> for some inspo \ud83d\ude0e<\/p>\n

7. Throw them off the scent<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Make a few false plans for that weekend so you know your partner can\u2019t book anything else and to keep them preoccupied. If you\u2019re normally busy but suddenly have nothing planned, they might become suspicious.<\/p>\n

Not even this guy could sniff out your sneaky plans<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
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8. Allow room for splurging<\/strong><\/h3>\n

As good as it is going all fancy on a hotel, we always leave a bit of room for splurging as well. Your partner\u2019s spotted something special while you\u2019re (supposedly) window shopping? Surprise them and say \u201cGet it, honey\u201d \ud83d\ude31\ud83d\udcb8 Buying something frivolous and fun is way more satisfying than an everyday purchase \u2013 especially on holiday.<\/p>\n

9. Keep them on their toes the whole time<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The surprise isn\u2019t just the holiday. Plan some activities \u2013 even something as small as researching the best cafe in town. On one of our trips, my husband took us to a perfumery to create our own scent. Bonus points for romantic activities \ud83d\ude0d<\/p>\n

10. Don\u2019t worry if parts of it fail!<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Trust me, it really is the thought that counts. Sometimes things don\u2019t go 100% to plan, but try to roll with it as much as possible. Making a big deal out of what is probably a small (or non) fail will ruin the mood. Because, let\u2019s be honest, your special someone is happy just to be on holidays and that they scored you as a partner!<\/p>\n<\/i> Plan your surprise getaway <\/a>\n

Heads up!<\/strong> Due to COVID-19, government restrictions are in constant review and travel guidelines may change between when you make your booking and when you travel. We strongly recommend that all travellers seek further information about destinations and attractions before visiting, take extra care and follow all rules to ensure their own health and safety.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s become a habit for my husband and I to plan surprise trips for each other every year and we LOVE it! Not only is it amazing having a mini holiday when you thought you\u2019d be cleaning the house, but knowing that your partner has gone to all that effort to create an experience just …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":7833,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[755,80],"tags":[],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7830"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7830"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10889,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7830\/revisions\/10889"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7833"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wotif.com\/vc\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}