Traveling can be exhausting. Between paying for hotel accommodations, airfare, booking activities, and planning meals, your trip can be exhausting before it even begins.
This is just one of the reasons why a trend called “mystery travel” has become popular among travel enthusiasts: using an outside company allows people to plan their trip and transportation to an unknown destination right up until the day of departure.
Does this trend seem too good to be true? Here’s what it is and what travelers think about the alternatives to self-planned travel.
What is Mystery Travel?
According to ABC News, travelers fill out a survey with tour companies like Pack Up ‘n Go and Magical Mystery Tours about their “interests, budget and travel dates,” and the companies then create a trip plan that includes things like restaurants, flights, and city activities.
AARP estimates that at least 15 “web-based companies” around the world offer such opportunities. Some trips are limited to the U.S., others are international. Many of the reported participants are people who don’t have much time to plan trips or are over 50 years old.
One traveler, Kay Peloquin, spoke to AARP about her initial fears about mystery travel.
“My husband and I were thinking, ‘What if this is awful?'” she says, “But I was so busy with work that I didn’t have time to plan a trip. Traveling is exhausting and requires a lot of research.”
The Peloquins arranged a mystery trip with Pack Up and Go, and when they arrived at the airport, they found out they were going to New Orleans. The trip included plane tickets, hotel accommodations, and some pre-booked activities.
Many travelers love the excitement of not knowing where they’re going, and AARP reports that travelers typically receive a packing list from the company they book their mystery trip with, along with expected weather and trip instructions.
Companies may also include hints in envelopes to build excitement beforehand, and travelers will eventually open an envelope with their destination written on it at the airport, but this varies from company to company.
How to do a mystery trip
If mystery travel sounds like a great option for you, it might be time to look into some options online.
Each company is a little different: Journee, for example, asks customers to answer questions about their travel preferences, from whether they’re an outdoorsy person to how interested they are in historical sites, Time Out reports.
You can also communicate your limitations to the company, including activities you don’t want to do.
According to Time Out, this option may not be for people who want control over their travel plans: some customers value sustainable and authentic options, but travel companies may not always take that into account.
Plus, you might end up being sent to a place you don’t really want to go.
But for many people, the less-stressful planning is worth it: Lillian Rafson, founder of Pack Up and Go, told Good Morning America, “It’s a really fun way to explore a destination that you might not have thought of as a vacation destination, but you might fall in love with it.”
