The Appeal of Unplanned Adventures

PHOTO: Charlotte McGhee (photo by Charlotte McGhee)

While on a weekend trip to Savannah, Georgia with her husband, Charlotte McGhee was sitting near the water, watching the ships come in and enjoying the sunset. 

“It was part of the trip that I had planned, and he looked at me and said, ‘you should do this for a living.’”

McGhee took the plunge and decided to become a travel agent, founding Whisked Away in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“There is nothing better than helping travelers plan something that they’ve been dreaming of for a long time and taking the pressure of planning off their plates,” she said. “I love the planning part and I’ve been doing it for years—so why not do it for clients?” 

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Whisked Away is a Surprise Travel Agency, which means that clients choose the region of the world they’d like to go to, stating their per-person budget and travel dates. 

“After they book, they fill out a short survey telling me all the things they love to do and that’s it,” said McGhee.

“I book their flights and accommodations and curate a list of fun activities and restaurants I know they’d love based on their survey. One week before they leave, they get an envelope in the mail letting them know where they’ll be going.” 

McGhee said that surprise travel came naturally to her because she had been doing it already for her family. 

“I surprised my mother with a trip to Bavaria for a Christmas present and my husband with a trip to Big Sky, Montana,” she said. “I love the unexpectedness of it and watching the trip unfold for the traveler being surprised.”

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One of McGhee’s recent clients was an engaged couple who hired her to book their surprise honeymoon. 

“They had airline points that they wanted to use, which is not something I normally do—they could easily go into their account to see where they’d be going,” she said. “However, I wanted to make it work for them, so I met with the groom’s mother-in-law and aunt at a coffee shop and we planned the whole thing together. The women were so excited, and I loved making my clients happy.”

She had another client who booked a surprise adventure as a first-time solo traveler. She’s in her early 30’s, just finished her yoga teacher training and needed an adventure. 

“I like to feature my clients on social media so I asked her why she had chosen Surprise Travel,” said McGhee. “She wrote back and said that she had tried to wrangle her friends, but everyone was just too busy. She made the decision that traveling was more important than waiting, so she just booked.

“I love that attitude, I find it so brave. One of my favorite hashtags is #taketheleap because traveling is an act of bravery. You are choosing to grow, to get outside of your comfort zone.”

If you’re a travel agent wannabe like McGhee was, she suggests you ‘just start,’ just like she did.

“Do it for free for a while to get experience and testimonials and travel like crazy yourself,” she said. “There is nothing better than some firsthand research.”

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She believes the biggest challenge any travel agent has is just wanting to make their clients over-the-moon thrilled with their trips. 

“There are some things that are just out of our control: flight delays, weather, etc.,” she said. “I’m as thorough as I can be when I’m planning travel, but I still get nervous with these things.”

McGhee’s favorite place to travel when she’s not working with clients? 

“Latin America is so diverse and really has something for everyone if you are willing to go on an adventure.”

For more information about Charlotte McGhee and Whisked Away, visit www.explorewhiskedaway.com