Surprise Vacation 2016

It's my most favorite time of the year!! SURPRISE VACATION is a few weeks away and it's time to put on your detective hats!

For those of you who are new here – let’s start at the beginning. Surprise vacation has been a longstanding Dalkin family tradition since we were kids. It started when I was 9, my sister was 6, and my parents would throw us birthday parties. Now that I’ve thrown a party or two, I know how much work they can be, PLUS add in some screaming and crying children, ummmmm NO. So my parents decided to do away with the birthday parties and instead they’d plan a surprise vacation for us each year.

So what’s a surprise vacation you ask? IT’S A SURPRISE. And it’s basically the highlight of my year. I even like it more than my birthday/birth month which is really saying a lot. I’m obsessed. They plan a vacation for us and we get somewhere in the realm of 8-10 clues each year and we have to figure out where we are going. Some years we’ve figured it out, others we’re totally surprised. One thing is always certain…. I’m always wrong. My sister sometimes figures it out, my husband has been known to do the same… but I’m always, without fail, 100% wrong. I think it’s because I have this burning desire to go on safari in Africa and no matter what clues my parents send over I somehow make them fit into an African safari. BUT... that will soon be resolved because we are going on safari next spring. So it's safe to safe we can rule out Africa for this years surprise.

ANYWAYS… since we were kids, we’ve been getting everyone involved. My tennis coach, friends of friends, parents, professors, you guys!! I mean, it’s basically a puzzle for anyone I know. So I’ll be sharing the clues here as they roll in (roughly one a week) and I’ll just continue to update this post so you don’t have to search high and low for the latest clues. Ready… Clue’s are officially rolling in:

Clue #1 Getting There, Getting Where?: Flying always has a cost; maybe I can get it waived.

Clue #2 The second half of an abbreviated Very Wise Night, thus short but sweet.

Clue #3 Yea, Yea, Yea, Blah, Blah, Blah; go fetch. Always a great day.

Clue #4 He wasn't totally wrong, nor one of the pair, but he integrated well.

Clue #5 Ex Top Dog TJ's and the Jim's neighbors, down the hill amongst the trees; and arriving ahead of schedule. Always a good time!

Clue #6  A city, town, village, municipality or other? I don't know but : It makes watching grass grow more exciting, especially looking down at it from the hills.

Clue #7 Next to Peter's Pointer, then all together something like "You've Got Mail"

Clue #8 After the winter thaw, they come outside to enjoy the sun and warming weather. More than a dozen of them, frolicking and playing, a wonderful spectacle for all who want to enjoy.

Clue #9 We cannot have a Christmas-time Surprise Vacation without a Christmas clue: The three Magi, on the back of their mounts, following the star above the mountains, into Bethlehem to see the babe.

A bit of inside scoop:

We're going over winter break for about 7 days. That includes travel time.

Here are our surprise trips from the past so we can cross those off the list as we think of ways to decipher the clues.

2015 - Costa Rica - (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2014 - Orcas Island + Vancouver + Whistler (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2013 - Nat Geo Cruise through Alaska (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2012 - Road Trip through France (click on over to see clues and my parents clues and commentary on this trip!)
2011 - Bahamas
2010 - Skipped a year and went to Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna but it wasn't a surprise
2009 - Banff, Canada
2008 - none of us can remember where we went this year! whoops 🙂
2007 - Italy
2006 - Turkey
2005 - Greece
2004 - England + Scotland
2003 - Cancun, Mexico
2002 - Hawaii (Big Island)
2001 - Napa / Sonoma
2000 - Los Angeles
1999 - New York
1998 - Washington DC
1997 - Las Vegas
1996 - Texas
1995 - Disney World

2016 here we come!!!