Pulling of a SURPISE trip with teens

princesskimberella · Aug 3, 2015

We are planning a surprise trip for our 3 kids for the Christmas holiday and man is it hard keeping it a secret ! I'm just too excited and just want to plan plan plan and it is hard during the summer when they are always around! We are pulling them a few days early from school so we can have some time before the huge holiday rush. We leave early Sunday morning on the 13th of December so hopefully I can pack either at night or maybe they can stay the day before at their Grandparents house and I can pack all day and stash the suitcases in the basement till morning and hope they don't realize that 1/2 their wardrobe is missing lol.

SO who has successfully pulled off a surprise trip ???

Alesia · Aug 3, 2015

I have to be honest, I would never attempt a surprise trip with teens. There is a very good chance that at least one of them is going to be less than happy. But you know your kids better than I do.

You need to be sure that they aren't going to have finals during the days you're pulling them out early - that could be disastrous.

princesskimberella · Aug 3, 2015

They (ages 12, 13, 15) really want to go and have been asking, we just haven't had the finances to go since the last trip 2 years ago, we have saved and now can make it happen. Also we don't have exams until late January and our district is really good about family trips and giving homework accordingly to work on after we come back during the rest of the break.

powellrj · Aug 3, 2015

Alesia said:
I have to be honest, I would never attempt a surprise trip with teens. There is a very good chance that at least one of them is going to be less than happy. But you know your kids better than I do.

You need to be sure that they aren't going to have finals during the days you're pulling them out early - that could be disastrous.

I agree with this. There is no way I would try to surprise my kids when they were teens. At that age they always had their own plans over the holidays and could be really had to get along with if we changed them.

Dizlvr · Aug 3, 2015

I'd have to tell my dd because she'd want to pack her own outfits. I don't think I could get away with picking out my kids clothes for a week :rotfl:

Good luck OP, I hope it works out for you!

theyoungs07 · Aug 3, 2015

I planned a surprise trip for my 14 year old son to celebrate is Confirmation. I then realized that even though we went as a family in April, that he was still constantly reading through the Unofficial Guide. How could I leave him out of the joy of helping to plan the trip?? I told him shortly before the 180 day mark so he could help me plan ADRs (but he didn't care) and now he has created a list of all of the things he wants to do. We did surprise him, and basically had him open the Mickey box that had our new AP Magic Bands for just the two of us. So I got to surprise him, AND let him in on the fun before the actual trip. Every kid is different, but I think he is better off this way with some input.

You could surprise them, but ahead of time...then they can pack what they want, help plan...etc. I was probably going to explode if I had to keep it until actual take-off day...so this helped me as well

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scrapquitler · Aug 3, 2015

powellrj said:
I agree with this. There is no way I would try to surprise my kids when they were teens. At that age they always had their own plans over the holidays and could be really had to get along with if we changed them.

+1 my kids would NEVER go for a surprise trip, especially around the holidays. They always had plans and agendas that they would not have been happy to have to change at the last minute even for a trip they had been wishing for. And don't your kids have activities like dance classes, sports, etc? All my kids activities that last week or two before the holidays have parties and things that they kdis would never want to miss out on.

Pesky · Aug 3, 2015

I managed it when my kids were little. And DD loved being surprised so much she wants every trip to be a surprise now! The one thing I did that was so much easier was use a cover trip. For DLR, we went into LA for a night first and said we were going to drive to the ILs in the desert. True, but AFTER our DLR trip so the kids were surprised and it was easy to pack stuff without questions (easier when they are little too). For the upcoming trip next year, we've talked about saying might be nice to go to PHX to visit family. Now we aren't saying we are GOING to PHX but rather talking about how nice it could be and probably a bit hot, etc., nothing saying we are going (yes, yes, lie by omission). But again, lets me pack without questions. Honestly with teens, I might consider using a cover trip to avoid any wondering about packing.

Disney Khaleesi · Aug 4, 2015

Honestly if you wake me up anytime earlier than I already have to for school, I will be less than pleased. Especially on a weekend.

High school teachers will expect their kids to be proactive about their absences. They will want their students to come to them beforehand and let them know how much time they will be missing and work out a plan to do makeup work. Teachers also tend to give a lot of tests and projects around this time as well, so as not to give homework over Christmas. I missed four days of school last year due to illness and no lie, it took me a month to catch up with everything I had to do because I had to balance it with current work. I'm an AP student so that might have added to the workload. I also make plans with my friends around the holidays and if I don't know that I'm leaving, I'll feel like a real jerk for having to cancel suddenly.

Also, there's no way anyone in my family would get away with picking out my clothes for a week. That's not happening, and I'm a pretty low-key dresser as it is. I literally only own t-shirts. I don't mean to be a downer but it's the reality. I don't think you're going to get the reaction you'll want.

sk!mom · Aug 4, 2015

As I said on the other "surprise" thread-

Do your kids love surprises in general? We surprised DD19 once when she was 8. It fell flat- she cried!

In retrospect, I realize that she's like me and needs to prepare for things and the planning is part of the fun- A big part for DD and I. Thinking and talking about vacation gets us through some cold, stressful school and work days.

So in a nutshell...my advice, don't keep it a secret. Find a good time, tell them, and enjoy planning together!

To add to that, teens would be an absolutely not. The packing alone would be reason enough. My teens would have wanted to pack their own things and it was good times for me when I no longer had small children that I had to pack for. Once I could just announce our departure time and only had to pack for myself...happy days!

shnoukys · Aug 15, 2015

Who in the world does'nt want to be surprised with a Disney Trip? So what if you don't get the reaction you wanted. If you want to do it, just do it and have fun. If you don't like their reactions then it's their problem. My eldest is not the surprise type and I'm quite aware that I will not get the reaction I want but I know that once they are there they will have so much fun (cry, whine and be tired) so I'll sprinkle some fairy dust on their sutcases and make a evil laugh

If they don't appreciate it just don't take them next time. Enjoy your surprise

ChitownFamily · Aug 15, 2015

shnoukys said:
Who in the world does'nt want to be surprised with a Disney Trip? So what if you don't get the reaction you wanted. If you want to do it, just do it and have fun. If you don't like their reactions then it's their problem. My eldest is not the surprise type and I'm quite aware that I will not get the reaction I want but I know that once they are there they will have so much fun (cry, whine and be tired) so I'll sprinkle some fairy dust on their sutcases and make a evil laugh If they don't appreciate it just don't take them next time. Enjoy your surprise

If you don't like their reactions then it's their problem. Huh? Don't you think that's a little inconsiderate . You know your oldest doesn't like surprises, why not surprise your oldest a week or two ahead of time. Making it a better situation for their personality and bringing them into the family surprise or planning.

Fueledbycoffee · Aug 15, 2015

Not to sound redundant but my kids wouldn't like that kind of surprise either...
We surprised them with a Spring Break Trip as a Christmas Present one year and that's as close as I could get..They immediately wanted to know what was planned and what they could help planning! Part of the "value" is the time we spend planning and talking about the trip as a family :smickey:

Soarin4us · Aug 15, 2015

Who wouldn't want to be surprised...?
Kids in a rigorous academic program who take their work seriously. If AP or IB students miss a day or 2 or 3 of classes the disadvantages of the trip outweigh the fun.

dizzyr · Aug 16, 2015

I'm surprising my kids at Christmas - they will be 13 & 10. It will be their Christmas present and we leave jan 22 and arrive in the morning on the 23rd which is my youngest dd's birthday. She always wants a family dinner at Boston Pizza on her birthday and I know she will be sad if we didn't do that so I'm going to plan it for the evening we leave and then everyone can see us off at the airport. I would stick with your plan and if they make plans and things just do your best to come up with reasons they can't make it. I would probably let them pack on their own if you think they are particular - my friend is leaving on Monday with her three teen 13,15 & 17 and they couldn't care less what she packed.

InStitchesinNE · Aug 16, 2015

We're doing a surprise trip too, because I know my children and that's what they want! We told them they night before when we went three years ago, and they still tell us that "next time don't tell us until we're leaving!" we will have a DD10 and twin DD6 when we go. Planning has been so hard because I'm not sure what DD10 will have outgrown, but I'm just booking things I think she'll like and we can cancel when we get there if we need to. Also, I've asked them about what they remember and what they think they'd love to do again. Yes, they do suspect we are going, but have no idea when so it will be a surprise. Because so many of these questions were before our 180 day mark in June they think we're going at the end of the summer, so by December I think it will be off their radar.

I have a plan set up for packing too. I normally work on Fridays (we arrive Saturday December 12 so our vacations overlap!), so I'm going to take the day off and pretend I'm working. My MIL will pick them up from school as usual, so I'll have all day and evening to pack and load the van for the airport. She will bring them home at bedtime so they won't notice the packed van. We'll wake them up when it's time to leave for the airport! Can someone take your kids out that Saturday so you can pack up? If it's late enough when they get back maybe they won't notice empty drawers? Or stop doing laundry for a few days ahead of time then wash and pack it all that Saturday so they assume their missing clothes are still in the wash?

I agree planning with them home for summer has been a nightmare. They are in the next room with a friend right now, and I have to keep switching tabs every time they walk in the room! I booked BBB in the bathroom because I couldn't do it online before they woke up like all of our ADRs. Booked Minnie's Holiday and Dine by pulling off the highway and using my phone on my way home from work (I work some days and some nights). Rebooked our hotel room three times while they were sleeping in when we were on vacation at the lake because they released the fall discounts that week. Anyways, good luck with your surprise, and have a great trip!

shnoukys · Aug 18, 2015

ChitownFamily said:
If you don't like their reactions then it's their problem. Huh? Don't you think that's a little inconsiderate . You know your oldest doesn't like surprises, why not surprise your oldest a week or two ahead of time. Making it a better situation for their personality and bringing them into the family surprise or planning.

If I tell him he will spill the beans to his brothers.

shnoukys · Aug 18, 2015

Soarin4us said:
Who wouldn't want to be surprised...?
Kids in a rigorous academic program who take their work seriously. If AP or IB students miss a day or 2 or 3 of classes the disadvantages of the trip outweigh the fun.

I work in a IB school and let me just say that more then half our kids miss more then 2 weeks every year. Yet they still manage to succesfully complete the rigorous curriculum. We all want as parents the best for their future, but you're a kid once, they'll have the rest of their lives to work hard.

Aunt Bee · Aug 18, 2015

Heck, my 5 teens (yes, I had 5 teens at once) were thrilled when we surprised them and two of their cousins with a trip to WDW during spring beak. Would have been impossible to pack for all, so we told them at dinner the night before we left the next morning. Gave them plenty of time to pack, phone their friends, and discuss plans. Don't think they slept a wink. The youngest of those teens is now 35 years old and they still talk about that trip. In 2012 all 23 of us went at Christmas and we managed to surprise all of the grandkids again, including the teens. No one was disappointed. I've always loved family surprises, guess it's genetic. Anyhow, follow your own instincts when it comes to your own kids. Sounds like fun to me. Oh, and all 5 kids grew up and are amazing. If we had plans that interfered with school, the plans won out. They follow that with their own kids now. Life is short. School passes away, days missed isn't relevant to life's big picture. Who remembers every day of school and who remembers the day you played hooked and did something wonderful?

luvmy2babies · Aug 18, 2015

Just depends on the child(ren). My daughter isn't a teen yet; but she's told me she wants to be surprised after me having done it both ways. For her, she's the impatient kind and knows if she's surprised with the trip it means less time waiting. I told them a day out about our last trip specifically so she could go through what was in her suitcase and approve what was packed. She couldn't have cared less what was in the bag.

I will say though, when we see videos of children being surprised during school, I could tell by her reaction she wouldn't want to miss school even for Disney World. She just wouldn't want to deal with the makeup work. We have always gone during a break of some kind. But she's been ill and had to make up work before (missed 3 days once with strep) and doing the makeup work with the current work about drove us both batty.

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