For my wife and I, our 5th wedding anniversary is a little over a year away (July 2007). I would love to do something romantic, entirely off the wall, and completely surprise her. Something that she would never see coming. Therefore I was thinking about planning a trip to Paris.
Now as much as I am a romantic, I am also a realist, and that is where I am asking your expert opinions. Is this something that I could pull off? We both travel regularly, but neither of us has ever been to Europe. When I do travel to someplace new, I research my destination pretty extensively. So I would have a year to research as much as possible.
But before I start any of the planning, I am asking you all…do you think a 4-5 night romantic Paris trip would be possible? We would probably want to check out the Eiffel Tower and some of the museums, but beyond that we would just explore a bit and take in the city. Eat at local cafes and pastries.
Ladies…if your husband surprised you with a trip to Paris, would you be excited? Or would you feel a bit overwhelmed and mad that is was a surprise?
Any thoughts would be welcomed…and I thank you for your time.
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I would be delighted if my husband surprised me with as much as a day-trip!
Seriously though, I think it%26#39;s a wonderful idea: my only concern is the amount of time you are intending to spend there. It%26#39;s a long way to travel for 4 nights. Jet lag / lack of sleep will probably rule out day 1, leaving you only 3 clear days. If you can stretch the budget to the 5 or even 6 nights, this gives you ample time to see the main tourist sites without it being too hectic.
There are many contributors to this forum far better qualified than me to help you with specific details so start asking!!
Congratulations on your forthcoming 4th anniversary.
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What a lovely and romantic idea. If you time it to fly from the Staes on a Friday night and return Sunday a week later you will have a bit over a week in Paris rather than 4-5 days. July can be hot so you will want to find someplace with airconditioning if necessary.
I know you want this to be a surprise but you might want to give her the tickets on Velentine%26#39;s day so she has a chance to do some advance planning and some research as to what she might like to do. But you know your wife better than any of us.
My husband and I leave next week for Paris to celebrate our 50th anniversary and we planned this together. I would have loved the 5th to have been a surprise but now I like to make some of the arrangements, too.
Happy 4th and good planning for the 5th.
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I think the idea of giving her advance warning on Valentine%26#39;s Day is brilliant. I%26#39;m sure she%26#39;ll be thrilled, but many people really like participating in planning the trip as much as the trip itself.
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Thank you for the replies...and I agree with you. I would probably %26quot;surprise%26quot; her with it ahead of time so she had enough time to shop, plan, and do her own research on local attractions. Her birthday is the end of February, maybe I could buy her a nice outfit for Valentine%26#39;s Day then, on her birthday, tell her how lovely she will look walking through the streets of Paris in that outfit.
For us, half the fun of vacationing is the anticipation of the vacation. It really would be unfair to keep all the anticipation to myself.
Thank you very much for the feedback...it really gets my mind working.
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The anticipation, the planning and the research is also part of a trip and can be a great source of pleasure, so making it a surprise is great but sufficant warning is best in my opinion.
She might like to do a bit of shopping in order to pack properly and day-dreaming about an upcoming trip is also part of the fun.
So do you advance research and some of the booking but how about breaking it to her in little parts: start learning French, go to a French restaurant for no apparent reason, rent a French movie, put some French music etc....make the pleasures last a long time.
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Sounds like you might have the germ of a totally brilliant idea and a wonderfully happy marriage to boot! Go for it!!!
You know we%26#39;ll be here to help out as needed...
PS: Hope you made it through today%26#39;s storms OK...
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I did the same thing for my husband. I planned it last fall and we are going this July. I surprised him at Christmas and we have been planning since. I agree if you can get longer it would be better. At first I planned 5 nights, but now we are staying a week. I got the same advice. We rented an apatment from Pascal Zytominski , who has very good reviews from this site.
Good Luck and have fun!!
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I can not think of a woman who would not be delighted with a surprise like this!
I am a Pisces too, and my husband couldn%26#39;t pull off a surprise like that even if he tried : ).... so you%26#39;ll have to plan carefully until you reveal the big surprise to her.
Have you set a budget yet and determined how you%26#39;ll reserve the hotel and airline tickets without her finding out?
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Hi Weezer, I agree with silvertiger and the others who say that this gift is one that will be appreciated dearly. I love the idea of the Valentines present of an outfit and birthday present of a trip to Paris.
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Weezer317 - Considering the fact that the traditional 5th wedding anniversary gift has a modest theme of wood, I think your wife is a pretty lucky lady to be getting a romantic trip to Paris. Have fun planning!!!
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