‘My clients trusted me to book them a mystery holiday’
When long-standing clients asked Travel Counsellor Helen Davis to book them a surprise destination, she rose to the challenge and sorted the whole itinerary
Suncream, a towel and swimwear. This packing list was the only information Travel Counsellor Helen Davis supplied to her clients before their surprise holiday.
Ann Woodcock had told Helen she was sick of planning and wanted her to come up with a trip for them. Having booked travel for the couple and their family for 10 years Helen knew them well so she agreed and began planning a trip surrounded in mystery.
“I asked Ann for a budget and dates and started searching,” she asserts. “They’d done cruises, New York, city breaks, the Caribbean. I know the things they like most are the ocean, sun, cities and the beach, plus they wanted to go in June.”
Ultimately she plumped for Athens. Lisbon and Barcelona were alternatives but Helen wanted to pick somewhere they would never expect.
“It’s good for Greek culture and has the city, a port and islands to explore. They love being on the ocean but they hadn’t explored small, authentic islands like these before so I knew that would be exciting,” she enthuses.
The trip gained a lot of attention on social media as Woodcock posted about the upcoming surprise and received comments from friends wondering where the couple would end up.
“Everyone was saying Barcelona,” says Davis, who made sure to keep quiet even when the Woodcocks’ son started asking questions.
The big reveal
When departure day came around, Helen got up at 2:30am and her husband drove her to the Woodcocks’ house to take them to the airport.
“When we arrived I handed over a sealed envelope. Ann posted a photo of us on social media in front of the Jet2.com boards showing flight destinations. People were commenting about where they might be going. When they opened the envelope they were so shocked!”
Inside Helen had included the full itinerary including activities and details of their airport fast passes, transfers and travel insurance. She had booked them into the Brown Acropol hotel, which has a rooftop bar, complete with sunbeds, hammocks and hot tubs.
The Woodcocks were delighted with the trip and told Helen that Athens was a perfect destination for them. Reflecting on the booking Helen says she has gained new followers and others have approached her about doing a surprise trip. She says she would do it again for the right client but would be careful to qualify their expectations first.
If she went ahead with another mystery booking she says she would find out what level of activity the clients are comfortable with, whether they are foodies or if they have any allergies and if they drink alcohol. “I wouldn’t want to book a wine tasting for non-drinkers,” she quips. She would also check whether there is anything they haven’t enjoyed doing.
She might also consider stringing the surprise out further by adding envelopes for clients to open throughout the holiday with details of each day’s activities.
“Seeing the look on their faces was just amazing,” Helen laughs. “Travel is meant to be inspiring and a trip like this really puts the fun into it.”
Client view: the perfect trip
Ann Woodcock says: “We’ve done cities such as Rome and Krakow but we weren’t sure where to go next. I was sure Helen would go for Barcelona -– Athens wasn’t on our radar. Everything was perfect. I usually like to plan my holidays in detail but I put my trust in Helen. She got all the timings just right – avoiding activities like the bike ride and Acropolis tour in the midday heat. I would absolutely do a surprise trip again and I’m getting my mum to do one too – Helen will have her work cut out on that one as she has travelled a lot!”
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Company number 08723341.
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