‘My clients trusted me to book them a mystery holiday’

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.”