Travel Trend: Secret Vacations

The actual act of planning a big trip can be a major contributor to the excitement surrounding the adventure. Some people love to pore over pages of content to craft the perfect travel itinerary, hour by hour. But not everyone is so thrilled to break out the guidebooks or brave the online travel forums for hours, searching for suggestions of what to see and do. Luckily a new trend is hitting the travelsphere that takes the planning out of the traveler´s hands and puts it into the hands of a trusted friend or family member.

Creating a secret vacation involves two people: the planner and the traveler. The traveler makes a list of vacation non-negotiables, and informs the planner of the budget and a distance he or she is willing to travel. The planner has the option to join in on the trip or to send the unknowing traveler off on a solo adventure. Once the plans are in place, the planner reveals all to the traveler who must accept it as planned, thus removing the responsibility of any last-minute or on-the-road planning.

Secret vacations are excellent exercises for control freaks or people who spend so much time stressing about their vacation they forget to enjoy it. When someone else plans a getaway, the traveler can open himself up to new experiences, new people and a slight loss of control, which may be just what he needs.