As the wise words of Germaine Greer made very clear, the essence of pleasure is spontaneity. Last-minute holidays and romantic getaways go hand-in-hand but can be exceptionally difficult to navigate.
Having just booked a last-minute trip to Italy (Venice and Florence!) for the end of the month with a very handsome man, I have partnered up with Expedia.com to compile a little surprise romantic trip how-to…
1. Pick the Location
This is everything. Is there somewhere your partner has been dying to visit? A place they feel they’ll never get the chance to return to? Do your research (time of year and weather is important!), then do the magic. For our upcoming trip, we chose Venice and Florence (romance on romance) because we found two stunning hotels at unbeatable prices with a short train journey in between (with the option to stop by Pisa on our final day, if we chose to do so!).
2. Clear Their Schedule
Before you book, check their schedule. Long weekends work best for surprise trips as they are easy to veil under a “Can we plan to spend the weekend together? I want to take you out”. For any work conflicts, ask one of your bae’s work friends or supervisors to assist with secret time off scheduling.
3. Plan Your Activities
Planning is key! Though the idea of a romantic location might seem like enough, the devil will always be in the details. Be it a unique tour, special meal, pre-purchased attraction tickets, beach-side massages or an aphrodisiac in between, the effort you put into designing your love’s dream getaway will not be taken for granted.
4. Get Them To The Airport (optional)
You can choose to tell them that they are going somewhere one day in advance and give them time to pack, but the uber-romantics should take this as an opportunity to give them the surprise of their life and pick them up on your way to the airport. You will need to pack their bags (making sure to pack weather-appropriate things they love to wear!), toiletries (abiding by flight safety rules), chargers, and passport beforehand, so an evening flight (“I’ll pick you up from work tonight…”) is highly recommended.
Be it for Valentine’s Day or just because, let the spontaneity guide you (and me sure to let me know how it goes)!