Every summer for the past five years, a group of pals from Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts (class of ’97), sets aside a weekend to relax and reconnect. Although the seven women all now live in different places, from Atlanta to New England, they use this annual trip to spend time together and catch up on the year that has passed. The twist? One person is designated as the planner, and she doesn’t tell anyone else where they’re going until a few days before. Want to plan your own surprise reunion with your pals? Here’s how to do it.

1. Decide who is allowed to come.

Do you want husbands, boyfriends, or kids there? Or will this be an attachments-free, friends-only weekend?

2. Set a budget.

Find out what everyone wants to spend, then stick to that number. The Williams group’s weekends cost about $500 per person (they add up everyone’s travel costs and split the price evenly). The organizer usually asks for a 20 percent of that up front as a deposit. “It ensures that everyone is fully committed and also gives the planner flexibility with up-front spending,” says one member of the group, Sandra Jelin Plouffe. Keeping to a budget doesn’t have to mean skimping on fun. “Our budget doesn’t allow for extravagant spa experiences,” Jelin Plouffe says, “but we have done our own pedicures. A hot tub is a really nice treat, and it came with one of the places we rented with our smallest budget.”

3. Pick a location.

Decide how far you want to travel and whether that travel should include airplanes, which can quickly increase the cost of the weekend. “Our rule is no one can travel more than five hours away,” says Mary Dwight, who organized the group’s very first surprise weekend, in Stowe, Vermont. The next step, she says, is for the planner to settle on a location for the trip and then find lodging. This group usually ends up at places that have some tie to the organizer, like the 2005 locale, Chappaquiddick Island, Massachusetts, where one of their group, Gigi Saltonstall, spent childhood summers. “The location also dictates a lot of the budget,” Dwight adds. “My priorities were a great spot — Stowe, because it provided the casual and beautiful atmosphere we wanted — and a fantastic rental house, because that’s where we were going to spend most of our time. The rest of our budget went to a casual night at a local restaurant and lots of gourmet goodies for us to eat and drink at the house.”

4. Plan activities.

Think about what your group enjoys doing and plan accordingly. Is it hiking? Shopping? Just sitting around talking? “For us, it’s mainly about spending time together,” Dwight says. “For the weekend I planned, I picked a great house, complete with a hot tub, pond, sauna and amazing views. It rained all day one of our days, which really didn’t faze us, as we spent most of the day curled up on the sofa laughing, telling stories, rediscovering the fantastic game of Clue, and just enjoying each other.”