A (city)trip down memory lane

What will they do?

This surprise roadtrip is custom-made, so every participant will do something different. To give an impression of how a “Roadtrip down memory lane” might look, we would like to introduce the imaginary couple Jim (55) and Janice (53). They are married for 30 years. Their kids wanted to give them an unforgettable experience for their 30th wedding anniversary. Jim and Janice like to travel, love to go to museums and are crazy about puzzles. They met 33 years ago in Italy during a holiday and live in The Netherlands now. Their kids would love them to go back to Italy and experience a romantic trip down memory lane.

Day 1

Jim and Janice wake up with the knowledge that something big will happen today, but they don’t have a clue what it might be. Their kids gave them a mysterious small suitcase for their 30th wedding anniversary. It’s locked with a 6 digit combination lock. They got the assignment to pack their passports and one other suitcase with enough clothes for a weekend trip “somewhere in a sunny place”. They also needed to install a special app which they could only open today at 8 o’clock.

At exactly 08:00 the app starts a video with of one of their kids. “Happy anniversary mum and dad! We know you love adventures, that’s why we organized an amazing roadtrip for you.” When the video stops they see 2 digital flight tickets from Amsterdam to Florence within the app. One minute later the doorbell rings. Its a taxi driver who is ready to bring them to the airport. Their flight leaves in 4 hours!

It’s the beginning of a great adventure! While Jim and Janice sit in the airplane they have their own entertainment via the app. Every half an hour they get to see a video of friends congratulating them with their 30th wedding anniversary. A few minutes before they arrive to Florence the app shows them a little quiz with questions about their kids. After finishing the quiz they get a reward: 2 digital tickets for a rental car and 1 destination: a cute little bed and breakfast in a small village in Tuscany. They have all the time to take a touristic route, since have to be there at 19:00 for dinner. The rest of the afternoon Jim and Janice cruise through the beautiful Tuscany landscape thinking about the days when they met each other for the first time. They enjoy the delicious Italian cuisine and sleep well that night.

Day 2

At breakfast a new surprise awaits for Jim and Janice. The app automatically starts a new video with one of their kids: “Hi mum and dad, did you sleep well? Today you will have one mission: find out what’s in that mysterious suitcase!” They get the instructions to go to Florence and go to the place where they first met. Jim still remembers the place by heart: the piazza della Signoria. They take their car and enjoy the one-hour drive. When they arrive at the piazza della Signoria the app automatically recognizes their location and shows a new video. It’s their neighbor: “Hi guys, how’s Florence?” He tells them how they can open the suitcase. They need to visit 3 museums today in which they will find clues which will help them find the code of the combination lock.

That afternoon Jim and Janice feel 30 years younger, playing a GPS-based scavenger hunt in the beautiful setting of Florence. Every time they visit a museum a video of one of their friends shows up in the app giving them a hint to look for clues. Finding the clues brings them closer to opening the suitcase. They’ve played outdoor games, scavenger hunts and lot’s of escape rooms, but the personal touch of this experience is just mind blowing. It’s like their whole family and all of their friends are included in one big conspiracy. They fall from one surprise into the other. Tired but satisfied they end their day at a small local Italian restaurant nearby their Bed and Breakfast.

Day 3

The next morning one of their kids tells them in a video to take a walk in the surrounding area. They still have a few hours before their plane leaves, but they haven’t opened the suitcase yet. They’re missing one important peace of the puzzle. Then a message shows up in the app: “Listen to this song”. Their favorite song is played, but some words are missing. When they combine the words it’s the last clue they needed to open the suitcase! They speed up their pace. When they come back at the bed and breakfast they immediately run to the suitcase, they turn the combination lock and… It opens!

In the suitcase they find a beautifully decorated photo album. It contains photo’s of friends and family. Recent photo’s, but also some very old ones from 30 years ago. Every photo contains a paragraph a friend or family wrote. They are touched by so many kind and sweet words. So many beautiful memories. They can’t stop looking at it. They almost forget that their flight is leaving in a few hours.

Flying back in the plane they look at all the photo’s, read all the stories. Before they know, they arrive in Amsterdam. They don’t know yet, but one more surprise it awaiting them when they arrive. Nobody is waiting for them. No balloons, no hugs, just one little message in the app: “Come and visit us, we are waiting for your stories!”. A little arrow on a map directs them to their favorite restaurant. Everybody whom they saw in a video during the last 3 days is there: all of their kids, family, friend and even their neighbor. They are dying to hear about their adventure. Jim and Janice can’t stop talking about how they loved their surprise. “This is the best gift we’ve every got. Thank you so much!”

We like to make our surprise road trips as personal as possible. During an intake, we dive into someone’s life and make sure that we create a unique, custom-made experience that a couple will look back on with great pleasure for years to come.