It’s my most favorite time of the year!! SURPRISE VACATION is here and it’s time to put on your detective hats! (update: it’s happening! scroll down for the answers to all the riddles!)
For those of you who are new here – let’s start at the beginning. Surprise vacation has been a longstanding Dalkin family tradition since we were kids. It started when I was 9, my sister was 6, and my parents would throw us birthday parties. Now that I’ve thrown a party or two, I know how much work they can be, PLUS add in some screaming and crying children, ummmmm NO. So my parents decided to do away with the birthday parties and instead they’d plan a surprise vacation for us each year.
So what’s a surprise vacation you ask?
IT’S A SURPRISE. And it’s basically the highlight of my life. I even like it more than my birthday/birth month which is really saying a lot. I’m obsessed. They plan a vacation for us and we get somewhere in the realm of 8-10 clues each year and we have to figure out where we are going. Some years we’ve figured it out, others we are totally surprised. One thing is always certain…. I’m always wrong.
My sister sometimes figures it out, my husband has been known to do the same… but I’m always, without fail, 100% wrong. I think it’s because I ALWAYS had this burning desire to go on safari in Africa and no matter what clues my parents send over I somehow make them fit into an African safari. BUT… that’s no longer the case seeing as how we just got back from an epic adventure through Africa last year. So what I’m saying is that MAYBE THIS YEAR I HAVE A CHANCE at figuring it out!! Keep your fingers crossed for me
ANYWAYS… since we were kids, we’ve been getting everyone involved. My tennis coach, friends of friends, parents, professors, you guys!! I mean, it’s basically a puzzle for anyone I know. So I’ll be sharing the clues here as they roll in (roughly one a week) and I’ll just continue to update this post so you don’t have to search high and low for the latest clues. Ready… Clue’s are officially rolling in:
Clue #1 –Â Whata and Wheres, if it is your fourth try and still not close what should you do? But remember, it’s only a game site, in another country.
Clue #2 –Â Using the ending, this person accomplished something twelve times even though she was wet, then sort of, and mostly an old revolutionary activist here in the United States.
Clue #3 – A day of fun: Something like Butch and Sundance’s group hiding here, partly with Me jennifer  marlon and a pair of shoes.
Clue #4 –Â Formalwear required, posture is important! Traveling around the world was a great adventure, Magnifico!! Fortunately, this only takes a day.
Clue #5 –Â AG’s partners old song, might happen to you if you are not careful on this trip.
Clue #6 – Victoria and Albert, Modern Art, Louvre, Van Gogh; similar but a bit more chill. Like tapping your jaw.
Clue #7 –Â An artistic clue: mt: It’s all about…, then a short word before a person or place, to then find a definite article you would read of course; but don’t forget to look up and see what is rising in the sky. It’s worth the effort!!
LET’S SOLVE IT THIS YEAR!! Any guesses… comment below!
A bit of inside scoop:
We’re leaving mid-January for 2 weeks. That includes travel time.
Here are our surprise trips from the past… and chances are we can cross those off the list since I don’t think we’d do a repeat. And if you want to read some clues from past trips – click the links below!
2017 – Idaho for a ski week!
2016 – Arizona for a golf/spa week!
2015 – Costa Rica
2014 – Orcas Island + Vancouver + Whistler
2013 – Nat Geo Cruise through Alaska
2012 – Road Trip through France
2011 – Bahamas
2010 – Berlin, Prague, Budapest and Vienna
2009 – Banff, Canada
2008 – none of us can remember where we went this year! whoops 🙂
2007 – Italy
2006 – Turkey
2005 – Greece
2004 – England + Scotland
2003 – Cancun, Mexico
2002 – Hawaii (Big Island)
2001 – Napa / Sonoma
2000 – Los Angeles
1999 – New York
1998 – Washington DC
1997 – Las Vegas
1996 – Texas
1995 – Disney World
Welp, it’s game time! We’ve solved Surprise Vacation 2019 and I’m gonna let me dad take it away!!!
Some of you were exceptionally good at twisting my deviant clues the correct way – so Congratulations!! To satisfy all your frustrations here are the explanations for the clues, may they bring you a good chuckle!
Clue #1: Whata and Wheres, if it is your fourth try and still not close what should you do? But remember, it’s only a game site, in another country.
Solution: Note the “a” after What and “s” after Where. Some of you got the “fourth try” correct with football and thus – Punt. A game site in another country is an Arena, not a stadium. Add an “a” to the What and an “s” to the Where and you have…….PUNTA ARENAS (City in Chile: On the Cluemaster Difficulty scale 1-10, this was a 3.
Clue #2:Â Using the ending, this person accomplished something twelve times even though she was wet, then sort of, and mostly an old revolutionary activist here in the United States.
Solution: This one scored some winners as well, but nobody caught the middle part :)!
“Using the ending”, thus the last name, – of yes the female olympian swimmer (wet) with 12 medals – Dana Torres. “Then” – “sort of” which in spanish is del (I win on this part !!), followed by yes the revolutionary activist, again “using the ending” – Thomas Paine. We then have: TORRES DEL PAINE (National Park in Chile: Cluemaster Difficulty Scale a 3)
Clue #3: A day of fun: Something Butch and Sundance’s group hiding here, partly with Me jennifer marlon and a pair of shoes.
Solution: I won this one – no correct answers – gives me great joy!! Let me make it easy for you – Butch and Sundance’s group was the Hole In The Wall gang – which by another name could be called a Cave. “Partly” means using only a part of each: Me (My – the capital M as it is the first part of the word), jennifer (lo – like J-lo)), marlon brando was Don Corleone thus don, – thus Mylodon and a pair of shoes as it is a hike. The answer: Mylodon Cave Hike in Torres del Paine (Cluemaster Difficulty Scale a 9)
Clue #4:Â Formalwear required, posture is important! Traveling around the world was a great adventure. Magnifico!! Fortunately this only takes a day.
Solution: Some nice work by you guys on this one, though I am not sure everyone figured out all the subsets of clues here ! Formalwear required/Posture = Penguins of course (they stand up straight and of course look like they are wearing tuxedos! Magnifico is the Portugese translation for magnificent, which is what you say having travelled around the world if you are a Portuguese explorer – Ferdinand Magellan.  A day trip – Magellan Straights Penguin Tour (Cluemaster Difficulty Scale 4)
Clue #5: AG’s partners old song, might happen if you are not careful on this trip.
Solution: Sadly for those of you under 40 AG does not mean Ariana Grande (thanks Megan), and her brother Rio…. That would have been impressive on my part, but instead – as someone noted Art Garfunkel – partner of course is Paul Simon. The referenced song “Slip Sliding Away”, which you would do with no crampons while: Ice Treking on the Perito Moreno Glacier!!! (Cluemaster difficulty 9 as you have to figure out specifically where we are going before you can even try to get this one)
Clue#6:Â Victoria and Albert, Modern Art, Louvre, Van Gogh; similar but a bit more chill. Like tapping your jaw.
Solution: To start, this is a Cluemaster Difficulty level 10!!!!!! So in keeping with that level, nobody got it 🙂
The names listed are all Museums, a bit more chill then refers to ice or Glaciers. A part of your jaw is called the gonia, and if you are tapping (patting) it that would be – pat a gonia = Patagonia Glaciarium Patagonian Ice Museum (so easy….)
Clue #7: An artistic clue: mt: It’s all about…, then a short word before a person or place, to then find a definite article you would read of course; but don’t forget to look up and see what is rising in the sky. It’s worth the effort!!
Solution: Another Cluemaster Difficulty level 10 – no other way to end the clues of course!!
An artistic clue refers to all the points in this clue – music, grammar etc.
“mt – It’s all about….” The Base (Meghan Traynor)
“a short word” is a preposition – of
“a definite article” grammatically is – the
Look up and see what is rising in the sky is of course – Towers
It’s worth the effort because it is an 8 hour – hike
The Base of the Towers Hike in Torres del Paine National Park
So in summary – nobody was able to get more than 3 clues correct, so my skills are maintained!!! Many of you guessed the location based on two clues (Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine), so congrats to all of you: Too many names to list 🙂
But now you can see all the little parts of the clues you missed – which gives me GREAT PLEASURE!!
I hope you had fun once again this year, as I am sure we will on our Patagonia adventure. I am sure Gaby will fill you in when we return. So thank you all for your effort, ideas, wrong guesses, a few correct guesses and allowing me to once again have a great time!!!
Ireland is my guess!
Georgia? The fourth state to become a state in the USA. Its also the name of a foreign country.
Georgia sounds like a good guess so far since it is also a “game site” from the Olympics as well as a possible “She” name!
Girl! You’re a genius! You are onto something here.
Clue #2 is King. Billie Jean King won 12 grand slam titles in singles. Martin Luther King Jr. is the activist.
That was my guess – 12 Grand Slams and Billie Jean was also an activist…so it could be London or New York but you went to NY in 1999 but maybe its time to go back ?
#2- Coughlin
my guesses:
clue #1 is ‘punt’, which is what you do on the fourth down in football, and also a british slang turn for taking a bet (on a game site)
clue #2 is ‘king’ for billie jean king, who won 12 singles titles.
Not enough info yet to fully nail it down but I’m guessing you’re headed to New Zealand or Australia!
Somewhere in Canada.
Wyoming!
Somewhere in the northwestern area
I think England! Clue #1 – if its your fourth try and still not close what should you do? Give it a break, the slogan for Kit Kat. In York, England a stadium was called Kit Kat Crescent from 2005-2010.
Austria
Trying to decipher clue #2…. possibly related to 12 time Olympic gold medalist in swimming, Dara Torres? So the end of the name of the place has to do with…swim? Pool? Lap? Stroke? Arm? (I love puzzles like this! I am here for the clues Gaby!)
I thought of Dara Torres too. Also, “whata” is. Apparently a building on stilts, which makes me think of a beach house
India!!
Russia— the clues just give me that vibe.
Jenny Thompson has won 12 Olympic medals in swimming. Clues about her being “wet” and a “game site”. My vote is Sydney!!!
I think y’all are going to Papua New Guinea!
Iceland! Clue 1- “game site” Game of Thrones! Clue 2- Bjork from Iceland in the swan dress, “she was wet then sort of”? A stretch for sure 🙂 I love Surprise Vaca time of year!
Doesn’t look like my comment saved, but I want this on the record if I’m right!
My guess is England. Here’s why…
Clue #1: If you’re not close what do you do? Give it a break. What’s that the slogan for? Kit Kat. From 2005-2010, there was a stadium (game site) in York, England called Kit Kat Crescent.
I’m thinking London! 4th Olympics held there and following up with others Billie jean King/Wimbledon answers for clue #2!
Scotland? No idea!
Oops. I guessed Scotland, but you’ve already been. Probably should read the entire post first!
I think you’re going to Wimbledon! Billie Jean King won her 12th grand slam (singles)!
I was so set on Australia , because I knew swimmer Dawn Fraser won a bunch of Olympic medals but she only won not 12,so I’m still thinking….
Love this idea, I had just started following you last year when you were in the plane to Idaho and had no back storybto the trips, now I get to play along, thanks Dr. Dad!
So I just commented that I think y’all are going to Papua New Guinea but I forgot to explain the reasoning! Clearly, I didn’t use all of both clues, but I was sleuthing while my baby was napping on me so it was a little difficult!
Clue 1: a whata is a building on stilts, just like the houses there. On your fourth try pitching and still not close, the batter walks, which is the main way of getting around, according to Google.
Clue 2: Dara Torres is a twelve-time Olympic medalist swimmer. Her lady name (“the ending“) “sort of” sounds like the second word in the capital city, Port Moresby.
Re: clue 2 … Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson are two swimmers (“wet”!) who have 12 Olympic medals … still can’t figure it out though!
My vote is Chile – more specifically Patagonia! Clue #2: Dana (Torres) and Thomas (Paine). Torres del Paine National Park!
Replying to my comment because maybe #1 has something to do with the W Circuit in the park. He capitalized the W’s, and after four balls you walk to the base in baseball? So…hiking the base? That’s where my mind went with that one!
Adding on to my answer with Clue #3! So Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid’s hideout spot was “Hole-in-the-wall”, so what came to mind was maybe a cave. Milodon Cave, or Cueva del Milodon, is in Torres del Paine National Park, and below is how I think the clue shakes out.
Me – Mi
jennifer mar(lo)n – lo
pair of shoes – don (you can “don” a pair of shoes)
Maybe this is so far off, but I’m sticking to my guess of Torres del Paine/Chile!
Sounds logical to me
Australia …site of the first grand slam tournament of the year. Thinking of Serena Williams title wins & activism ‍♀️
You’re going to Egypt! punt Kingdom, now, ask your dad if I can go with! 🙂
Wales!!
A try is a way to score points in rugby. The first rugby World Cup was Eden Park in New Zealabd so there OR the 2019 World Cup is held in Japan and your trip is in 2019!
Clue # 2: Torres Del Paine national park chile. Dara Torres + Del + Thomas Paine
My guess is London! Natalie Coughlin became a 12-time Olympic medalist at the London Olympics (game site) in 2012 for swimming (wet).
My guess is New Zealand. “Whata” is a Maori word meaning “a building on stilts”.
Clue #1: “if it is your fourth try and still not close what should you do?” — ‘punt’ in football.. makes me think of Punta Cana which has a water park called “Aquagames”
Clue #2: I’m on the same page as the Billie Jean Kind and MLK Jr. people… “using the ending”, leaves us with King and the Dominican Republic’s flag has a king’s crown on top of the crest?
Could be a stretch, but I’m thinking it’s the Dominican Republic!
Malta!
Wet! Game site… Game of thrones!
I think it’s Dubrovnik, Croatia – site of King’s Landing from Game of Thrones (combining the game site from question 1 and King from question 2!)
Can’t wait for more clues!
Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres each won 12 times for swimming. My guess is Australia.
Two initial thoughts based on the clues: Bermuda (birthplace of Tennis and Mary Ewing Outerbridge brought the sport to America), links to the Bermuda Triange and a whata-which can mean a hut over water or the English Channel
I think Croatia because it said something about a game site and that’s a film site for game of thrones!!
My guess is Athens, Greece or Danvers, Massachusetts. Jenny Thompson, one of the most decorated olympians in history, has been to the olympics 4 times. In her 4th and final year at the olympics in Athens, she finished her career with 12 Olympic medals in swimming. I saw you’ve already been to Greece though, so I threw in Danvers, Mass. Danvers (originally Salem village) is known for the Salem witch trials of 1692. In the 18th century, Danvers residents were heavily involved with armed forces. It’s also the birthplace of Israel Putnam, a colorful figure in the American revolution. Information pulled from a variety of sources. Hopefully, you don’t require citations. I may be way off, but it was totally worth it!
Danvers is where she was born*
Chile! Specifically Punta Arenas and Torres del Paine National Park in Patagonia.
Clue #1 = Punta Arenas (If this is your fourth try and still not close, in football you should “punt” the ball. And a game site in another country is an “arena”. Chile also has stilt houses, “Whatas” on the island of Chiloe.)
Clue #2 = Torres del Paine National Park (The “ending” or last name of a female swimmer who won 12 Olympic medals while wet (lol) is Torres for Dana Torres, and the last name of an old revolutionary activist in the US is Paine of Thomas Paine.)
Wow!!! This person seems to have it!!!
Totally agree with this comment!! Tour de Patagonia!!!!
I think you got it!!
Australia!
I think it’s Torres Del Paine and Punta Arenas. It’s peak hiking season for the W circuit in January. And I hope I’m right because it was the best trip I’ve ever been on and I want all humans to enjoy it.
Papua New Guinea?? Or maybe the amazing Australia next to it? The woman thing made me think of Amelia Earhart and her last sort of flight was from there. There’s also a gaming site called Guinea. I’m so confused. But figured it was worth a shot??
Girl, you’re checking off the bucket list and coming to New Zealand! Every other street and town starts with “Wh” (which, pro tip, makes an “f” sound). A try is away of scoring points in rugby, and the All Blacks are obviously the best rugby team in the world (and not just because of the Haka, although that’s 100% why I watch)(okay, and for snacks)
I literally have no insight to the second clue. But I’m guessing it maybe has something to do with America’s Cup?
You are going to New Zeland.
Whata just rings New Zealand to me, so that’s my guess! No deep-thinking here. All impulse, baby!
There was another post with my same thought – Billie Jean King had 12 Grand Slams and she was an activist…so maybe London although you have been there or NY and you have been there…..I am probably 100% wrong ! Can’t wait to see the outcome and more clues…
Dominican Republic — Punta Cana
I think it’s Portugal this year!
Australia and maybe new Zealand! Besides the clues sounding Australian (we did Australia/NZ last year)
Clue 1- 4th try- trys from rugby and another country, so a two country trip and the Whata and wheres sounds kiwi- (I know its very feeelllllings based)
Clue 2- I’m working on clue two…. I think the last piece is somehow tied to the Revolutionary War and England and the Queen and Queensland is a providence/state in Australia.. or something with Qantas since that’s the Queensland and North Territories Aerial Service
Also I want it to be Australia because you always go somewhere SO adventure-y and Australia is SUCH a good place for it.
My guess is Amsterdam! Whata sounds like “water” and Wheres sounds like “wears,” and you keep the things you wear in a closet…so I guessed a country that calls bathrooms WCs (making myself LOL with how crazy that is). You punt if you’re not close after 4 downs, but in other countries you punt in rugby, which is played on a pitch. Amsterdam has held something called a pitch festival in the past. I gathered “King” from the second clue from the last names of the two, and wet “sort of” is damp, and Amsterdam has a famous coffee shop called Dampkring…close to “damp king”. I hope I am not right because that would be bananas 🙂