Pack Up + Go Arvostelua 591

I booked a spontaneous surprise trip, and Pack Up + Go made it special! The recommendations were totally tailored to me, and it was clear the experience was put together by a real person who actually reads through the requests. I was traveling solo and I was a little nervous, but the experience was great. The hotel was conveniently located, the suggested and pre-booked activities were right up my alley for the most part, and it was an excellent experience overall. I even emailed them to ask right after I booked if it was possible to add one more city I'd recently been to (because of course I sat and made the list and thought about all the places I'd been to and forgot that one)... and they were so kind about it and did it for me without hesitation.

I'm a school counselor getting ready to go back to work, and this was a great way to end my summer. Excited to save up for my next trip!

Our first Pack Up + Go trip exceeded all expectations! The pre-trip survey perfectly captured our preferences, leading to a fantastic experience. The hotel's prime location and suggested activities were incredibly helpful.

Too much money for what was scheduled and not alot for a 17 year old to do
Ya let's see it

This was our second experience with this company. It’s always fun to be surprised with where they have us headed. This time it was to Baltimore where we had a lovely suite in a downtown hotel, a food tour included, and many, many suggestions for other things to do while we were in the city. Dinner reservations were already made for our first night, simplifying our arrival. The food tour was a four-hour walking tour through the Fells Point neighborhood with four restaurant stops and a knowledgeable guide who told us about the history and architecture of the area. All in all, we were very happy with our weekend. The only drawback was the distance. For a three-day weekend, Baltimore was too far from our CT home and we really spent two days driving. In the future, I’ll make it a four-day trip or ask for something a bit closer to home.

highlights:
Our pre-arranged plans, including flights, hotel, activity, and dinner reservations, were greatly appreciated.
We enjoyed exploring the town on e-bikes, despite the 100 degree weather.
The hotel staff was friendly and helpful, and the accommodations were pleasant.
We also thoroughly enjoyed our meal at the first restaurant.

Areas for improvement:

Destination
Choosing Savannah as a mid-summer destination was questionable. While we understand that "you can't control the weather," Savannah's July climate is consistently very hot and humid. This made outdoor exploration, a key part of the city's appeal, quite challenging.

Hotel location
The hotel's location was a significant drawback, being a 20-minute walk from the town center. Due to the high temperatures, we were compelled to use Uber for transportation into town. We question why a hotel in a more central location wasn't chosen. Had budget been a concern, we would have willingly allocated more funds for a more convenient location, had we been consulted on this.

The element of surprise
We had planned to open the envelope together on Friday morning. However, Teddy inadvertently opened the email we received at midnight, believing it contained necessary information, and wasn't aware it would reveal the location. To prevent this in the future, perhaps be more explicit that the email contains the destination. (subject line or opening line of the email) perhaps with a clear warning such as "STOP HERE UNLESS YOU ARE READY TO SEE YOUR DESTINATION."

Flights
We had requested to be seated together on our flights. We were initially told this would require a $200 upgrade, but upon arriving at the airport, we were able to change our seats for only $45.

This was such a fun experience from start to finish. The company truly listened to what we asked for in our questionnaire and tailored our vacation to us. We will definitely be going somewhere again!!

Normally I wouldn't answer this, but you kept asking. You sent us to Savannah, Georgia in its hottest month, it was 111 degrees one day. Law of averages indicates, maybe a poor choice. You put us in a hotel on the outskirts of town. This made being involved with everything a hassle. You put us in two separate middle seats on the plane. But we could have sat next to each other for no extra charge. You made reservation at a restaurant in which the meal was inedible (for me) and you didn't follow our dietary requests. Finally, you told us where we were going without warning and ruined the surprise, which was kind of the allure of using your company. Your people were very nice and seemed to be readily accessible and the hotel and staff were extremely nice too, but the aggravation overshadowed the good. It seems better to control our own fate.

We were overwhelmed trying to plan a family trip, so we took a chance on Pack Up + Go—and it was amazing! The surprise element made it so the trip was a real adventure for all of us.

The pre-trip survey was simple and stress free, and once it was completed, all we had to do was wait for our surprise destination.

We found out we were headed to Denver and had the best time! Our hotel was beautiful, the location was perfect, and the activities were spot on for our family. It took all the stress out of planning and gave us an adventure we’ll never forget. Can’t wait to do it again!

All of the travel plans were perfect. Our Hotel was in a great location and they were very friendly and helpful. We loved the food tour. All of the dinner reservations were great. Uber credit was very helpful.

to begin, are flight was delayed so we missed our connecting flight in Chicago and before we could do anything about it Libby called me telling me she was working getting another flight to get us to Boston the same night we were suppose to which she did. There was a few times we had a question so we would just call them and they would help us out. Can't say enough good about our experience.

Wonderful vacation

the pros:
- thoughtful activities we wouldn't have chosen ourselves that gave unique views to the city
- chosen activities/restaurants were better than the ones we chose for ourselves from the guide during our leisure time
- destination ended up being perfect for us, but not a destination we would likely have chosen ourselves
- activities were scheduled with more leisurely activities toward the end of the trip which made for a good flow
- customer support was very responsive and prompt to changes including flight delays etc
- helpful guides included
- hotel was directly off terminal subway to/from airport
- the experience of anticipation and low stress was a great run up to the vacation and we left feeling like we got a better experience than if we had chosen a destination ourselves

Cons:
- hotel was a bit far from dinner reservations and hotel was in an area without food recommendations on the guide. We would have preferred a more central hotel in walking distance to more restaurants and touristy things, as it made taking a break between activities and reservations a little difficult. For example, we just kept ending up in downtown over and over again and our hotel was a few subway stops away in seaport.
- 25% is a steep price for commission fee and though we feel it was earned, it also makes it a bit of a luxury experience. I also would feel more likely to be a repeat customer if it were 15% or less.

I enjoyed Chattanooga. The hotel was lovely. The area was nice. At night the area wasn’t as nice . The restaurants were great! The riverboat was fun. Can’t wait for the next pack up and go trip!

The trip was fantastic and Pack Up & Go did an amazing job at planning the trip from the accommodations to the activities.

This was my 4th trip with Pack Up & Go, and while past experiences were excellent, this one had a few hiccups. Our envelope arrived just 2 days before departure, and our destination ended up being a 6-hour drive—far too long for a 2-day trip. Despite the usual great customer service and some fun moments, the trip felt exhausting and poorly thought out. It didn’t feel intentionally planned, and I’m hesitant to book again next year….i will say they usually try to get as much bang for your buck minus their fees.

The excitement of the mystery trip was amazing! Not having to plan or be the travel agent myself was great!
We had dinners planned for every night and 3 activities leaving us plenty of time to tour around in the day. We were able to change a few of our dinner plans to lunches to accommodate some activities we planned ourselves. It was so easy.

What I love about Pack Up + Go is that it gets you out of your comfort zone, unintentionally. This last trip, I would have never picked Brown County Indiana as a go to vacation spot. I would have never tried Ziplining for my activity. Also, if you're conservative with your money like I am, it is so much easier to give someone your money to spend than it is doing it on your own. This was my 3rd trip and I will be doing it again.

A few nights in Philadelphia over the 4th of July holiday was my surprise trip planned entirely by Pack Up + Go. The best place to celebrate the history of our forefathers. The Kimpton Monoco hotel in Old City was very comfortable, and within walking distance to so many historical sites. I had my first Philly cheesesteak sandwich, and a slice of tomato pie on the walking City Food Tour.

I first reached out to Pack Up + Go in March. The customer service was outstanding right through the end of my trip. I will definitely have them plan another trip for me.

Hi Pack Up + Go Team,

I want to start by saying you did a fantastic job building suspense and delivering a polished, professional trip packet. Unfortunately, that’s where the excitement ended for us.

We had a $1,700 budget for a 3-night, 4-day kid-free getaway with hopes for a moderate outdoor adventure and close dining options due to unpredictable weather. Instead, we ended up underwhelmed by both the accommodations and the activities.

First issue: most key emails went to spam because they came from a new address—not ideal for a surprise trip. I only found them by chance the night before we left.

Our destination was Charlottesville, VA, and our hotel—while well-intentioned—felt more like staying at a grandparent’s B&B than a romantic escape. The bed creaked, the décor was dated, and privacy was limited. Not exactly ideal for a much-needed couple’s retreat.

The activities—while nice in theory—fell flat. The kayak trip was short and uninspiring, the show cave tour was pleasant but far from adventurous, and Skyline Drive, while scenic, was a passive experience. No real "moderate adventure" to be found.

Meals were pre-reserved, but none included in the budget. Our hotel hosts actually suggested better dining options than what was planned for us. We appreciated the first night’s spot, but nothing stood out enough to justify the cost.

Unfortunately, I now have to go back and tell them that while I was away I had a Sl$ttyRed Head followed by a Buttery Nipple and a Tongue in the Pants followed by an oatmeal cookie. Sounds like a raunchy exciting and raucous 1st night, except they are all alcoholic drinks. I don’t usually drink, but I was bored to tears and couldn’t make my own excitement bc of the damned squeaky bed

After calculating expenses, we estimate only about $1,050 of the $1,700 went toward our actual experience—leaving a 38% cut for PU&G, assuming no discounts. That stings, especially given we’ve purchased around $2,500 in gift certificates over the years and spoken highly of you to friends and coworkers.

In short, we loved the concept and the anticipation, but the execution didn’t deliver on value or experience. We expected a bit more excitement, some thoughtful adventure, and a setting that encouraged connection—not a squeaky bed in a house full of retirees.

Sadly, I can’t recommend PU&G based on this experience. I hope this feedback is helpful in refining future trips for others.

Best,
Anthony & Melanie Damiano

Booked an easygoing outdoor road trip and loved our beautiful surprise location! Pack up & Go booked a guided hike for us and a hotel in a great spot with walking access to most attractions. Something I thought was strange was that we noted we were vegan and both locations on our road trip had great vegan spots but not one was recommended in our itinerary. We changed a dinner reservation made by the company for Italian food- (which is a notoriously difficult cuisine to work with for dietary restrictions) for a great local plant based spot walking distance from our hotel. Normally I wouldn’t complain but it was so easy to look up vegan spots it seemed like a company oversight.

This was one of the BEST you have done for us. We have been using Pack Up & Go for nine years now and have enjoyed every adventure. Looking forward to our next experience which, hopefully, will be in the fall.