I like surprises. For me, there’s just something fun about planning something fun for someone else. When my wife Carolyn and I went on our first real getaway trip in 15 years to Miami, the trip itself wasn’t a surprise, though I did have a few tricks up my sleeve. After 2 nights at a Country Inn and Suites (thanks to the Club Carlson “Last Night free” on award redemptions), I pretended that I had screwed up the hotel reservation and we had to go find another hotel. But in reality, I had booked us a beachfront suite at the Hilton Fort Lauderdale :-D. Read the full Miami trip report for the entire story.
(SEE ALSO: Club Carlson Q1 2015 promo – Extend your Stay: Up to 40,000 points per person)
And apparently I am not alone. Recently, I’ve seen posts about planning surprise trips from Mommy Points, a two part series from Pearls of Travel Wisdom, and of course there was the several part round-the-world trip that Ben from One Mile at a Time planned for his dad.
I have the advantage in that my wife is a stay-at-home mom, so I don’t have to worry about coordinating time off from her job – I just need to plan a babysitter. We actually have a friend of mine coming over as part of a plan where we are bartering some of my excess airline miles for her babysitting – it’s a win-win for both of us!
For Christmas, I surprised Carolyn with 2 plane tickets for later this month, but the destinations only said “Somewhere Warm”. You may remember a recent post I had about wanting to just get somewhere warm.
(SEE ALSO: Comprehensive guide to Caribbean airport taxes and fees)
So far, I have managed to avoid spoiling the secret, though I have given a few clues. With our surprise trip coming up soon, I thought I’d check in with Carolyn to see what her thoughts were on the upcoming trip.
Sorry for the low audio on her part – apparently I did not miss a career as an aspiring filmmaker. I will try to do better with the next one.
I do realize that I have mentioned our destination to some folks on Twitter and other social media. So if you know, please indulge me in not spoiling it for her!!!
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Dan Miller travels with his wife and 6 (SIX!) children. He loves to help families travel for free / cheap, especially larger families. If you are looking for help, drop him an email at 
So what you’re saying is if I stalk your Twitter account I’ll find some clues?? 🙂
Your an awesome Husband and seem to care for your wife deeply. I wish you the best trip ever !