Do you want to plan a long weekend trip with your family but don’t seem to have the time? Are you ready for a surprise adventure of a lifetime? Pack Up & Go, a surprise travel agency, plans and executes three-day adventures all around the United States. You can plan to travel solo or in a group by car, bus, train or air. Each trip varies from $100–5,000. All you have to do is decide on your mode of travel and a budget.
The program consists of five easy steps. To begin, you answer a few quick questions and travel preferences. You can let them know if you visit Miami every month for work, if you and your girlfriends just traveled to Denver or if you really hate Columbus, Ohio. Next, they plan your accommodation based on your requests. A week before your adventure, you receive an email stating the weather in the secret location, a few recommended items to pack and where to go to begin your journey at a specific time. This email is vague and keeps you on the edge of your seat, wondering where Pack Up + Go plans to send you.

Photo: Gpointstudio | Dreamstime
Then comes the “hard” part.
A few days before your trip, you will receive an envelope in the mail that cannot be opened until you are at your meeting location the day of. This secret envelope contains research on your handpicked location, travel information and recommendations on events and activities in the area. When you get to the specific location, you open the envelope to reveal your surprise. Finally, all you have to do is go.
Lillian Rafson, a Pittsburgh native, founded Pack Up + Go in January 2016 when she was only 23 years old. Within the first three months, Rafson booked around 90 different trips for customers all across the United States. She was so successful, she needed to hire a small team of travel lovers to help plan the surprise getaways. So far, the team has sent solo travelers and groups to places such as New Orleans, Charleston, Savannah, Austin, Chicago, San Diego and Denver.
In Pack Up + Go’s promotional video on the website, Rafson states, “So break free from conventional trip planning, take a leap, live spontaneously, be adventurous and leave the planning to us. We do the work and you, Pack Up + Go.” Pack Up + Go is not for people who are easily disappointed. Customers must be optimistic and ready to take on a new region of the United States with little to no planning.
Read This Next
#WhereverFamily
Insta FeedDestinations / North America
Apr 16, 20254 Interactive Wildlife Conservation Experiences for Earth Day
Calling all animal-loving family travelers! This Earth Day, consider a visit to one of these destinations offering interactive wildlife conservation experiences.
Sponsored Content
Madrid: A Destination for All Ages
However one is traveling, what matters is having fun and creating unforgettable memories. Among many ways to travel, multigenerational trips — on which grandparents, parents and children get to spend quality time together — are gaining popularity. Setting out on this sort of adventure? Madrid has something to offer everyone!
Destinations
Apr 16, 20255 Places Around the World to See Holy Week Observances
Holy Week, the period between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, is observed in a variety of ways throughout the world, often with colorful pageantry mixed with solemn reminders of the week before Christ’s crucifixion. Tourists are welcome at most observances, some of which take on a festival air, especially on Easter Sunday. Here are some places family travelers might consider traveling.
Destinations / North America
Apr 16, 2025North America’s First National Park City Named
The National Park City Foundation just designated Chattanooga, Tennessee, as North America’s First National Park City, and family travelers will quickly discover why. Already named Tennessee’s Most Scenic City, Chattanooga takes a new title thanks to its appreciation of all aspects of outdoor life, from preserving lakes and forests to being stewards of native plant species.
Destinations / North America
Apr 15, 2025This Underrated San Diego Neighborhood is a Gem for Families
Families heading to San Diego often look for big-ticket thrills like Sea World and San Diego Safari Park, but sometimes it’s the neighborhoods that let you get the most out of a visit. It’s how you get to discover the personality of San Diego.
Cruises
Apr 15, 2025Yacht Charter Company Launches Thrilling Dragon & Pirates Journeys
Silolona Sojourns, a luxury Phinsi yacht charter company, just unveiled new journeys for family travelers seeking adventure and thrills like never before. Launching this summer, this new journey centers around Komodo and Eastern Flores, two of the world’s most untouched destinations.
ShareThis