A secret trip is when Chris single-handedly organizes a surprise vacation and the rest of us do not know anything about it until right before embarking on whatever mode of transportation that is going to take us to the next destination. This Omakase-style of vacation requires a lot of trust and after 22 years of friendship, 13 years of marriage, and 9 years of parenting, we’ve got this!

After a successful OG Secret Trip sans kids almost 11 years ago, Chris decided to do it again by planning Secret Trip 2.0 and this time with our children. The only hints that Chris shared were that we would be traveling to five destinations, with weather ranging from lows in 50s similar to cold weather in Los Angeles to highs in 80s tropical weather, and no repeats of any destinations from the OG secret trip.

Chris prepared 3 envelopes (one each for me, Alexander, and Charlotte) with clues for each destination. The first envelope contains a difficult clue for me. The second envelope contains a medium clue for Alexander. The third envelope contains an easy clue for Charlotte. The intention is that the kids and I would collectively be able to guess the destination correctly once all envelopes are shared. I plan to share the clues for each of the five destinations and share a brief summary of the destination highlights in the same post immediately. Deep dive documentation regarding specific flights, hotels, activities, and food will be shared by Chris later this summer.

The clues for the first destination are as follows:

• Difficult for Jennifer – “That’s a lovely accent you have. New Jersey?”
• Medium for Alexander – “Austria? [Chuckles] Well then. G’day mate! Let’s put another shrimp on the barbie.”
• Easy for Charlotte – The only city outside the US that mommy lived in.

Take a moment to venture a guess before scrolling down past the envelope picture to reveal the answer.

The first destination is Sydney, Australia! The movie quotes from Dumb and Dumber completely went over our heads. The “g’day mate” in the second clue had me guessing Australia and I was sure it was Sydney by the last clue. Fun fact: I lived in Sydney for 3-months on a short-term rotation over the busy season while working in public accounting and Chris flew out for a week to visit me and touristed while I worked.

Turns out our brief slightly over 24-hour stay in Sydney was mainly to transition into our second destination. After getting some sleep on the Delta Air Lines business flight, we arrived in Sydney in the early morning.

Our suite that sleeps four at the Four Seasons Hotel was not available for early check in, so we left our luggage with the bellhop before taking a walk through the Royal Botanic Garden and soaking in iconic views of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House.

We took the ferry from Circular Quay to Taronga Zoo and spent the most of the day seeing and learning about Australian wildlife and other animals. The zoo built on a steep hillside with amazing views of the Sydney Harbour skyline. The kids (and adults) were tired after hours of uphill walking and indulged in some treats from Gelatissimo Circular Quay for a refreshing burst of energy.

Our room was ready by the time we returned to the hotel and the kids were invited to the Enchanted Room accessed by a giant key through a door in the lobby to pick out candies, activities, and toys to enjoy. Our suite featured amazing view of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Sydney Opera House. We took advantage of lounge access on the 32rd floor for a light dinner (they had oysters!) and the included breakfast at Mode Kitchen & Bar the next morning to keep it simple for our very short stay in Sydney.

Stay tuned as we move on to Secret Trip 2.0 Destination #2!

• A Brief Programming Note: Secret Trip 2.0 Is Here
• Trip Introduction: Secret Trip 2.0 is Back with New Players
• Secret Trip 2.0 Destination #1 (this post)
  • Another Great Meal at the Delta One Lounge LAX
  • Air France Lounge LAX Review: Great Food, Poor Location
  • Delta One A350-900 LAX-SYD Review: A Long But Great Flight
  • Four Seasons Sydney Review: One of the Best Luxury Hotels for Children
  • Excellent Views and Plenty of Fun: Taronga Zoo Sydney
• Secret Trip 2.0 Destination #2
  • Virgin Australia Lounge SYD: Simple But Easy to Access
  • Virgin Australia 737-700 Business Class Review: Short And Sweet
  • Intercontinental Melbourne Review: A Good Location But Not Luxury
  • Penguin Parade & Moonlit Sanctuary: The Best Melbourne Day Trip
  • Melbourne Day Trip: Puffing Billy & Healesville Sanctuary Review and Highlights
  • Supernormal Melbourne: What We Liked At This Fusion Spot
• Secret Trip 2.0 Destination #3
• Secret Trip 2.0 Destination #4
• Secret Trip 2.0 Destination #5