A gang of mates have racked up a whopping 14,200 miles and splashed out £30k on mystery holidays for the last two decades. And all without a clue where they’re jetting off to until they hit the tarmac.
Thomas Wyman, 40, along with his six school pals – Luke, Alex, Matthew, Chris, Martin and Mike – have been indulging in their “lucky dip” jaunts for 20 years.
Each year, one of them is tasked with sorting out the travel, digs and fun stuff, keeping it hush-hush from the rest at just £250 a pop. Thanks to their top-secret planning, the lads are always in the dark about their destination until they rock up at the airport.
READ MORE: Woman, 95, thought she’d die on freezing pavement in shocking 5-hour ambulance wait
READ MORE: New UK monkeypox Clade Ib variant case detected in England, UKHSA confirm
Click for more of the latest news from across the world from the Daily Star.
(Image: Thomas Wyman / SWNS)
The epic tradition kicked off with a cheeky trip to Newquay, Cornwall, before they all trotted off to uni. Fast forward 19 years, and the boys haven’t missed a single annual lads’ getaway.
They’ve touched down in an eclectic mix of spots, from the Big Apple to Norwich, Barcelona to Belgrade, and Prague to Porto. Top moments for the crew include tearing up the dance floor in Berlin, cruising on canal boats in Bath, and getting down to a Queen tribute act in Bucharest.
After clocking up those miles and dropping around £30,000 on their adventures, they’re not even close to calling it quits. Thomas, a finance whizz from Ringwood, Hampshire, said: “None of us thought it would turn into this – but it’s almost the fact we’ve kept it going for so long that it’s part of the journey.
“As we approach 20 years, we’re only 40 so there’s no reason we can’t keep doing this.
(Image: Thomas Wyman / SWNS)
“We’ve got such a wonderful bond together and some of us are godparents to our kids and we’ve all been best man at each other’s weddings.
“And with there being seven of us you’re waiting years until it’s your turn to plan the holiday again so it allows for variety.
“That’s how we’ve run it ever since – so someone books all the accommodation and flights and you turn up at the airport with your passport not knowing where you’re going until you’re at the gate.”
Their trips began when they decided they wanted a holiday together after university. Thomas said: “Some of them I went to primary school with and the rest of us met at secondary. The summer after we went to university we said we should go away so we went to Newquay.
(Image: Thomas Wyman / SWNS)
“I then went and lived in the States for a year and people came to visit so we counted that.
“Since then, we decided to go away every year.”
With their lucky dip method of booking, the surprise of finding out where they are going at airports and train stations have led to some funny moments.
“My most recent one to plan was Belgrade but we had to fly via Munich so everyone thought we were going there – that was a nice surprise,” Thomas said. “All of them thought we were off there and the check-in staff were like ‘umm no you’re not’.”
“The one when we all got told to meet at the train station for Brugge was funny as we’re so used to flying.”
They aim to keep their holiday spending to a tight £250 each for flights and digs. Thomas revealed: “We’ve stayed in some interesting places. ” He added, “Other than that, it’s whatever you can figure out and get away with.”
When it comes to his own top picks, Thomas rates Berlin, Belgrade, and Krakow highly.
The pandemic didn’t stop their adventures, as Thomas recounted: “The canal boat in Bath during Covid was a great one as we didn’t think we’d get to go so living on a canal boat for a few days was good fun.”
In Bucharest, the escapades continued: “In Bucharest, we saw a Queen tribute band and my mate fell asleep by the River Danube and fell in.”
He laughed, “He came back to the hotel absolutely drenched.”
And sometimes, spontaneity was the name of the game: “One time we ended up getting the Eurostar to Brugge and even while we were out there the guy who was organising then suddenly said we were off to France to watch a Six Nations game – even that was kept a surprise.
“We’ve seen Ice Hockey in Berlin, Belgrade for the eternal derby which was the crazy night I think I’ve ever had – the pitch was covered in smoke! ” “In Lisbon we saw Sporting Lisbon for a game as well.”
One member of the group now has all the important task of preparing their 20th anniversary trip next year and all Thomas knows is that it’ll be abroad.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.