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If the destination is a surprise, do not ask its name. Ask the temperature range, whether you will walk, and whether one night needs different clothes. Those three answers build a bag. The name of the place ruins the gift.
Also ask how long it is and whether the transfer is by plane, bus, or car. A cabin bag is not the same as one that rides in the trunk. The mystery fits in either.
Pack layers, shoes you can actually walk in, and something for the evening that does not take half the bag. A light layer, an extra shirt, and trousers that work for the day and for dinner cover more climates than a themed suitcase.
Skip clothes that only work once. In an unknown destination, what you cannot combine stays unused and takes the space of what you were going to need. Two pairs of shoes are enough: one for walking and one that is fine at night.
Bring the medicines you always bring, a charger, and an empty bag for dirty clothes or for what you buy. That is boring and it is what prevents the drama. A surprise destination does not include a familiar pharmacy at eleven at night.
If you wear glasses, bring a spare or the prescription. If the trip is several days, a small soap is enough in case the stay does not have one. Do not build a hotel toiletry kit. Build one that fits.
Leave space. A surprise trip always adds a small purchase or a layer you did not plan, and a bag forced shut ruins the way home. Leaving with the bag exactly full is optimism. Coming back with it the same is luck.
Pack together even if only one of you knows the destination. Then both of you understand what is in there and what can come out if the weight is over. The surprise is the place. The bag is an agreement.