Surprise Vacation 2016

Jump to Recipe

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!

Surprise Vacation with www.whatsgabycooking.com (@whatsgabycookin)

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!!!

69 Comments

  1. Kitty hawk, North Carolina! Not wrong, but Wright (brothers). First in flight. not a pair but they were brothers! I have no idea but is fun to speculate!

  2. A "very wise night" could be Epiphany, January 6, which is a recognized holiday in the Virgin Islands. Epiphany partially commemorates the visit of the three wise men to Jesus. Also in some places, the eve of Epiphany is known as 12th Night and is celebrated with fruitcake or another dessert.

  3. I think in your snap story you said the clues added up to the spelling of the place- is that always the case?

    If so: would second half of an abbreviated Very Wise Night be -as? Xmas minus the first two letters?

    Can't wait for clue 3!

    1. I was thinking that too - Xmas, then AS. that is short for American Samoa which is an island in the Pacific Ocean (waived = waves - surfing lessons?). Seems too easy given the difficulty of the past clues - but this is fun! Thanks for sharing!

  4. Gaby! Do you remember any of your clues from England? I bought tickets for me and my sister to go to London in the spring for her Christmas gift and now I am trying to come up with some clues. I am totally stealing your dad's Iceland one, because that is where our lay over is.

    1. Maybe!!! But doubtful knowing by parents - they like to switch it up on us 🙂 Keep us on our toes

  5. Love this. We do something similar, but it's a surprise from Santa on Christmas Day. Instead of useless or unwanted/unappreciated presents, we do a trip each year instead. And same with the clues, but they're a scavenger hunt and much easier. Everyone loves it!
    Waiving of flight cost could mean by land or ship. Cruise?

  6. Sounds like a sea voyage is involved. But don't quote me, my husband and I completely failed to solve last year's puzzle.

  7. I'm obsessed, and now my dad wants to me to forward all of the clues to him to play along- I am so excited!!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *