Mike and I are coming up on our 20th wedding anniversary this year, so I decided to plan a surprise trip to celebrate! Mike knew that I was taking him on a trip, but he didn’t know where we going or what we were doing. He didn’t have a clue until we got our boarding passes at the airport. It was so hard to keep the secret, but so worth it!
Nearly twenty-five years ago, my husband was a missionary among the Spanish-speaking people of Miami. It has been nearly that long since he’s been back there, and I’ve never been there. I’ve been wanting to go there together for a while, but I’ve kept that thought to myself for years, hoping to plan it as a surprise someday.
I found a week that would work when my oldest was done with all her Advanced Placement tests, but before she started her lifeguarding job and while the younger kids were still finishing up school. The stars were aligning for our complicated schedules, so I decided to go for it! It helped that I just got the promotional Southwest Companion Pass (I talked about that here).
As with all of our family vacations and trips, I’m going to show you everything we did in South Florida and how much we spent, including transportation, entertainment, accommodations, food, and souveniers!
Transportation– $594
Transportation was more complicated than when we all just drive together in the family van, but I was up for the challenge. I had to coordinate planes, rental cars, buses, boats, and feet to get us where we needed to be, but it all went so smoothly.
FLIGHTS– $23
I only had to pay for my flight thanks to the Companion Pass that I earned as a sign-up bonus for the Southwest credit card.
I used points to pay for my flights (I earned 30,000 points as a sign-up bonus for the Southwest credit card). The flight from Sacramento to Orlando cost me 8,000 points and the flight from Miami to Sacramento cost 14,500 points. I just paid the $5.60 unavoidable 9/11 security fee for each of our flights.
I’m watching for this awesome Southwest credit card sign-up bonus to come up again so I can share it with you. If you want me to let you know, so put your info in the box below. This is not for my normal newsletter. If you sign up I’ll only send you a message when Southwest has the Companion Pass + 30,000 points sign-up bonus again.
RENTAL CAR– $431
Rental Car for 7 days ($296)
I shopped around for a rental car and the best rate I found was through AutoSlash. I saved money by being willing to prepay. I was a little nervous about what would happen if there was a major delay with our flight, but thankfully everything worked out perfectly. The rate included unlimited miles.
I chose an economy car, as it was the cheapest price, but when they saw us walk up (Mike is 6’7″), the rental car guy gave us a free upgrade to a larger car so that he would be more comfortable.
We saved some money by picking our car up after midnight since our flight came in after 11 anyway. We also returned the car the night before our morning flight. I specifically found a hotel for our last night that was near the airport and had an airport shuttle. Since the rental company went by calendar days, these two moves saved us two days of rental charges!
Tolls ($54)
Florida has lots of toll roads! Our rental car company charged us $5 per day that we drove on toll roads, plus the cost of the tolls. Alternatively, you could pay cash for the tolls, but with our route this wasn’t an option as many toll booths only have license plate cameras with no way to pay cash. Every rental car company does tolls differently. We only drove in toll areas for two days, so thankfully it wasn’t too much.
Gas ($81 )
We drove about 700 miles during our trip (starting in Orlando, going all the way to Key West, then back to Miami). We couldn’t get over how cheap the gas was in Florida. Even out in the Florida Keys where it’s “expensive,” it was still more than a dollar cheaper than the cheapest place we could have filled up at home in California.
BUS– $9
Driving is kind of stressful in Miami and the parking, especially in Miami Beach, is expensive, so we opted to ride the bus a few times. We took advantage of the free trolly that drives along Calle Ocho in Miami. We took the city bus to Miami Beach, which cost $2.25 for each of us each way.
PARKING– $131
Airport Parking in Sacramento ($99)
We left our car in Sacramento in the airport’s economy lot for $11/day.
Parking at various lots in Florida ($32)
We had to pay for parking for some of the fun activities we did.
Activities– $670
Originally I thought we could get a short cruise out of Miami, but the more I thought about it, the more I thought it would be fun to see all of the places on land instead. And I think I made the right choice! Maybe we’ll take a Caribbean cruise another time, but this time we packed so many great experiences into our week!
Because we had such an amazing experience with getting GoCity Passes on our epic trip to San Diego, I decided to do it again in South Florida. We got Go City Miami All-Inclusive passes for 5 days. There was a site-wide sale, plus we used a coupon code that brought our total to $530. I have a coupon code: SFUSAVE that you can use on top of whatever sale they currently have at Go City.
I like to break that down to how much it was per person per day to get a better idea of how good the deal was. For us that worked out to be $53 per person per day.
With the All-Inclusive Pass, you can go to as many attractions as you want each day. I strategically planned our itinerary according to the map and the hours for the sites we were interested in. As you’ll see below, we did at least two activities per day, many of which alone cost more than that. I feel like we totally got our money’s worth!
Here’s how we spent the 5 days of our Go City Passes:
DAY 1-
Kennedy Space Center— Seeing that the Kennedy Space Center was included in the Go City Pass was the whole reason for flying into Orlando. We stayed an entire day from opening until closing and got to see most everything. Some of the highlights were seeing the space shuttle Atlantis, the Apollo Saturn V rocket, and the current and upcoming SpaceX and NASA vehicles. It was pretty mind-blowing to see the moon landing vehicle that looked like a kid’s craft project of foil, tape, and carboard!
Wonderworks— Wonderworks, which looks like an upside-down building, is full of fun, hands-on science and curiousity exhibits. We rode a virtual roller coaster, laid on a bed of nails, experienced a tornado, and jumped around on a giant piano keyboard just to name a few. They also have a glow-in-the-dark ropes course and laser tag. Since it is open until midnight, we were able to go long after the Kennedy Space Center had closed.
DAY 2-
Lion Country Safari— The Go City Pass had this place marked as a “Must See” and they weren’t kidding. It was way cooler than I had imagined! The safari is like a zoo (with no enclosures other than a double fence for the lions) that you drive through. Unlike a zoo, it had whole herds of animals rather than just one or two. We saw dozens of giraffes, zebras, wildebeests, rhinos, ostriches, monkeys, and so many more. After reading some of the warning signs, I was slightly afraid the rhinos were going to damage our rental car, but they were chill. Watching the gibbons and chimpanzees was super entertaining. After finishing the driving safari, we walked through the many zoo-like exhibits in the other half of the park. As if all this weren’t enough, they also have a waterpark and giant waterslides. We changed into our swimsuits and cooled off on the waterslides. Our kids would have been so proud!
Sawgrass Recreation Park Everglads Airboat Ride— This was our first and largest airboat ride. Because the Everglades is basically a shallow swamp teeming with wildlife (the fish were especially condensed into the remaining deep-enough water when we were there, at the driest part of the season), a regular boat with a submerged motor/rudder won’t work, so they use airboats with giant fans on the back, powered by an engine, all above the water. Before our ride, we walked around and saw some reptile exhibits and got to pet a baby alligator and see (and hear) other crocodiles and alligators. We saw alligators, birds, and fish in the wild on our airboat ride and got our introduction to the “sea of grass” section of the Everglades.
Fort Lauderdale Temple— This isn’t a tourist attraction, and not part of the Go City Pass, but it’s a place we were excited to go. This beautiful place was not yet built when my husband was a missionary in Miami, so he was excited to see it. We spent the evening here together.
DAY 3
Fort Lauderdale Glass Bottom Boat and Snorkel— We took a glass-bottom boat out to a nearby coral reef to snorkel. This was a first for both of us. I was nervous at first and it took some mental focus to get myself to trust my mask and snorkel, but once I got in the water and got the hang of it I really enjoyed it. Mike, on the other hand, was excited and enjoyed himself from the start! I was glad that it was not utnil after we were on the boat going back that I heard that some of our group saw a nurse shark. I know they aren’t usually threatening, but still, sharks!
Duck Boat Tour— We had an amphibious tour that focused on the architecture, history, and rich and famous people trivia. We started by driving around Miami Beach and Downtown Miami, then we drove right into the water and became a boat! It was kind of crazy. Pop culture and celebrity trivia is not my strong suit, but I was the first one to answer a question about Muhammad Ali as we passed the 5th Street gym in Miami Beach where he trained.
Sip, Savor, and Salsa Dance Class— Mango’s is definitely not a place you would typically find us, but thankfully our dance class was in its own separate room, not out with all of the craziness that is a nightclub in Miami Beach. Our class was so fun, perfect for complete beginners willing to look a little awkward starting out. We learned bachata and salsa, and enjoyed complimentary Cuban appetizers and virgin mojitos.
DAY 4
Gator Park Airboat Ride— We went on another Everglades airboat ride and saw more alligators, fish, and birds. Since this is technically part of Everglades National Park, the cost was included in our next activity. We went to a fun alligator show with a guy who has a baby alligator who lives in his bathtub.
Shark Valley Visitor’s Center (Everglades National Park)–This wasn’t part of the Go City Pass, but we were out near it so we checked it out. The name is misleading as there are no sharks anywhere, but we did see lots of amazing wildlife in the everglades, including more alligators! We paid $80 for the annual national parks pass, something we usually buy anyway in years where we don’t have a 4th grader who gets a pass for free. We’ll use the pass for family trips to other parks throughout the year.
Cuban Sandwich and Drink— The Go City Pass included a Cuban sandwich and drink at a place in Little Havanna that had live music. We had fun soaking up the atmosphere sipping the most delicious lemonade I’ve ever tasted!
There were other things included in the Go City pass that I had originally planned to do on this day (like the Hop on Hop off Big Bus, Thriller Miami Speedboat Adventures, Paradox Museum, and the Night Bus Tour), but we opted to walk around and enjoy Calle Ocho. We walked down this famous street in Little Havana and soaked in the fun atmosphere. We stopped at a domino park and watched the locals play dominos for a bit, then explored the surrounding areas where Mike spent lots of time as a missionary.
DAY 5
Everglades Alligator Farm— We took yet another airboat ride, but this one specialized in speed and splash. We got to watch an alligator feeding time for some of the 2,000 alligators there. We enjoyed seeing alligators at different ages as well as lots of other animals.
Key Largo Princess Glass Bottom Boat Cruise— Just as our boat was taking off, Mike spotted a shark in the water. Then we saw another, then some more! Yikes! We went out 5 miles off the coast of Key Largo to the Molasses Reef. The glass bottom boat had a great viewing area where we watched hard and soft corals, fish, sea turtles, and even another shark swimming under the boat.
Overseas Highway – After doing my trip research, I was a little scared to drive on this 113-mile highway that connects the Florida mainland to key west. It includes 42 bridges that connect islands of the Florida Keys. In reality, though, it wasn’t scary at all. We were amazed at how many other unconnected islands were out there too!
Key West – We made it to Key West just as the sun was setting, but we managed to get a picture at the southernmost point before it was totally dark. We grabbed dinner and a key lime pie to bring back to our campsite.
Besides the Go City Passes and the National Parks Pass, we also spent about $60 on tips for tour guides.
OTHER DAYS
With the the Go City All-Inclusive Pass, you don’t have to use all of your days in a row. You just have to use them within 14 days of activating your pass. We took a break from being tourists on Sunday . We spent the day going to church, visiting friends, and resting from all our adventures.
We also spent another day snorkeling on our own in the Keys. I brought along our own snorkels and masks in my secret bag of tricks. I even brought our wetsuits (from when we did a triathalon a decade and a half ago!) because I get wimpy if the water is cold, but the water was not cold at all. We definitely didn’t need those!
We spent time later in the week meeting and visiting friends. Most of our hotels had pools that we could swim in in the evening if we had time, but we were usually pretty exhausted by then.
Accommodations– $782
We stayed in six different places on our trip. I planned the trip strategically to make the best use of our Go City passes. Because I’m interested in earning a Southwest Companion Pass for next year, I used Southwest’s Hotel seach engine through their Rapid Rewards site, which is essentially the same as Booking.com, except there are certain properties that each bonus points. Location was the most important factor for me, then I narrowed the results down by price and whether it had bonus points. I didn’t want to pay extra for lots of bonus points, but when all else was about equal, I chose the option with bonus points.
For the accommodations below, I earned 9,400 total bonus points, which (you can see from my transportation spending above) is enough for a future flight and also puts us closer to earning the Companion Pass for next year. Here’s what I spent:
- Orlando (2 nights, breakfast)– $194
- Fort Lauderdale (1 night, breakfast)– $96
- Coral Gables (2 nights)– $236
- Homestead (1 night, breakfast)– $97
- Big Pines Key (1 night camping)– $74
- Miami (1 night)– $85
We love to camp, so I thought it would be fun (and totally unexpected) to camp on the beach in the Florida keys. I brought a backpacking tent with me along with our camping pads and a couple of flat sheets (I knew it would be warm enough that we wouldn’t need sleeping bags). While $74 for the beach camping site makes it the most money I’ve ever paid for camping (usually I camp for free), it was fun to have the experience (and it made Mike wonder what else I was going to pull out of my Mary Poppins bag)!
Food and Incidentals– $57
If you’ve read about our trip to Washington D.C. as a family of 8, you know that we’re not big spenders when it comes to trip food. For some people a vacation is all about the food, but for us food is mostly fuel, so we don’t eat out much.
As I was preparing this trip somewhat last minute (6 weeks), I started collecting gift cards that we could use for food on our trip. Thanks to MyPoints, Swagbucks, and my American Express rewards I got gift cards to Panera Bread, Dominos, Subway, and Jamba Juice. I also brought a Starbucks giftcard and a Visa giftcard that I’ve had forever.
In addition to those giftcards, we bought pizza, bread, honey, and fruit at Sam’s Club and some food in Little Havanna.
I brought some snacks from home for our long car rides.
Several of our hotels included a breakfast.
As for incidentals, Mike lost his water bottle somewhere in the Kennedy Space Center, so we bought a large disposable water bottle in Miami Beach. I also somehow forgot to bring a hair brush, so we picked one of those up as well.
Souveniers– $186
We bought t-shirts for our kids and the Ukrainian family that we sponsor. We found an amazing deal at a chain of souvenir shops in the Keys, so we got each of our kids two shirts!
Mike bought a new guayabera (classic Cuban button up shirt with 4 pockets) in Little Havana. At $85, it’s one of the most expensive item of clothing either of us owns, but he rarely wants to buy anything special just for himself, so I was happy to indulge him.
TOTAL– $2,289
In our other family travel cost breakdown articles, I’ve calculated the cost per person per day. For this trip of 7 days (I’m not counting the 2 days of travel), our cost was $164 per person per day.
While the cost per person isn’t as low as our Washington DC trip, Yellowstone trip, San Diego trip, or family cruise, I think it was a great price for a full week of fun in South Florida. We did SO much!
How did I keep our anniversary trip a secret?
As you can see, I put a lot of thought and planning into this trip, even though it was all concentrated into a six-week time frame.
Some friends have asked how I was able to keep it a secret financially. This might not work for everyone, but it worked for us for several reasons.
First, we spend according to YNAB not according to checking account balances. Really, unless one of us is specifically looking for a transaction, we only pay attention to our budget in YNAB. When I recorded the spending in YNAB, I just put “secret trip” as the payee for anything that would give it away. So he could see that I was spending money but didn’t know what it was for.
I’m the one who manages our finances in our family, meaning I’m the one who reconciles all of our accounts and credit cards every month. He, of course, has access to most of this information, but he knew that I was planning a secret and I asked him not to look. Obviously this wouldn’t work well for someone who was actively trying to figure out the surprise, but Mike knew I was trying to surprise him, so he didn’t snoop around or try to figure it out.
We both have access to all of our financial information on YNAB, but Mike doesn’t have online access to the new Southwest credit card that I just got in February. He has the card, but I am the one who has the online access. I wasn’t specifically keeping it secret, I just hadn’t given him the login yet, so that happened to be convenient for making the surprise even easier.
How about you?
Have you ever planned a surprise trip? What are your favorite frugal travel activities?
This is a completely unsponsored post. We paid 100% of the cost of our Go City passes ourselves. I was so impressed with our experience and with how much money we saved that I looked into becoming an affiliate partner with Go City. If you decide purchase Go City passes through my link, I will get a small affiliate commission (at no extra cost to you). It’s pretty much the most fun way that you can support this site. You can trust that I only share things I love and actually spend my own hard-earned money on.
