This past weekend was my brother’s 17th birthday and he was the supporting lead in his school musical. The show was performed by the theatre troupe I participated in for all four years of high school and several of my close friends were heavily involved. Back in December, I decided to come back and visit…except I decided to keep it a complete secret. Here’s how I made my trip a success.
1. Pick something significant
Surprise trips are the most special when they allow you to be there for an important event in a loved one’s life. Choose a time when you can actively support a family member, friend or significant other in something that matters to them and they’ll appreciate your effort even more.
2. Plan ahead
Spontaneous visits are super fun but the more planning you have, the lower stress it will be. Book your plane, bus, train ticket ahead of time in order to save money and helping with your planning. If your surprise trip doesn’t occur during a break time you may have to miss some class to make it work. Make sure your communicate with your professors to make up any missed work so that you can thoroughly enjoy your trip.
3. Keep the secret
Of course there may be instances when you have to tell people such as communicating pickup and lodging. But if you truly want your trip to stay a surprise, do not tell anyone in the location you are visiting unless it is essential. I pulled off my trip by telling only my parents and telling everyone else I was too busy to make it. A way to express your excitement without ruining the surprise is to tell your college friends as they mostly won’t know the people you are surprising.
I write this at the airport, waiting for my flight to leave. While some may think me crazy to fly so far for such a short amount of time, especially close to the end of the semester, the look on my brother’s and best friends’ faces when they saw made it 100% worth it.