Picture this: You arrive at the airport, bags in hand, ready for the most epic, unbelievable vacation of your life. Except there’s a twist. You have no earthly idea where you’re headed. No, this is not The Amazing Race. It’s a mystery trip crafted by Journee, a travel company that curates one-of-a-kind custom trips with a surprise destination. This post answers all your questions about the Journee mystery trip experience, so you can decide if it’s right for you!
What is a Journee Mystery Trip?
Booking a trip without knowing the destination may sound crazy. But with Journee, the surprise is all part of the thrill. Journee works with you to identify what kind of traveler you are, your dream destinations, and which spots are off-limits to curate a trip perfect for you and your travel style. We love Journee because, like us, they don’t want to send you to the touristy spots! They’re all about unique destinations that you might not have otherwise ventured to.
A mystery trip involves setting parameters for the type of trip you’d like to have while allowing for spontaneity and travel expertise to take the reins. Even for the most savvy of travel planners, the volume of details can take the fun out of your vacation. But when you book mystery travel with a company like Journee, all of those stressors fade away. You’re in the hands of travel experts whose literal job is to ensure you have an incredible time. They want you to book with them again, so they have your best interests at heart, and they’re absolute pros at international travel. And Journee will not send you to a destination if they haven’t already explored it themselves.
All you have to do is fill out a questionnaire, follow their packing guide, and show up at the airport to have your surprise destination revealed to you. This may sound like the most horrifying experience for us Type A travelers. Or you might enjoy relinquishing control as you follow the thoughtfully designed itinerary Journee has created.
Step-by-Step: How the Process Works
Need a more in-depth understanding of how the process works? Here’s a step-by-step guide.
- Fill Out the Questionnaire – If you’re interested in booking a mystery trip, you can fill out a questionnaire to receive a free trip proposal. In the questionnaire, you’ll tell Journee your budget, any off-limits destinations, your travel style, and a few other brief pieces of information. This process takes about ten minutes. Then you can sit back, relax, and let the Journee experts go to work.
- Receive Your Proposal – About 24 hours after submitting your questionnaire, you can expect to receive a trip proposal. Here you’ll receive a vague description of your destination, information about some of the activities and experiences, flight information, weather reports, and a packing guide. At this stage, you decide whether you’d like to continue with the booking process.
- Waiting Period – Leading up to your trip, you’ll receive some clues to get you guessing about your destination. But they’re not as easy to solve as you’d think!
- The Big Reveal – You’ll be sent a reveal postcard that includes a detailed itinerary, travel documents, and your destination. TECHNICALLY, you could open your reveal pack before you get to the airport. So if you’re really anxious to know your destination, you can take a sneak peek early. But if you’re able to hold off, we recommend that you do so for maximum surprise.
- Enjoy the Experience – Now, just follow the mystery trip itinerary and enjoy this one-of-a-kind experience!
Tips for Your First Mystery Trip
As we mentioned earlier, you have much less to worry about when booking a trip with Journee since they handle all of the logistics for you. But we still have a few tips for how to make the most of your trip.
- Be Open-Minded -There are few times in life when every detail of something is planned out for you. Enjoy that and lean into it. Yes, it’s scary to put your experience in someone else’s hands. But if you’re truthful to yourself when filling out the questionnaire, you have nothing to fear.
- Pack Versatile Clothing – Though Journee provides you with a packing list, you don’t exactly know where you’re going until you’re already packed and at the airport. So follow their packing guide and make sure to include versatile clothing that you can wear in a variety of climates. We especially like these 32 Degrees shirts. You can wear them on their own or as a base layer under other, heavier items of clothing.
- Decide on Add-Ons – Journee can be an even more customizable experience. You can opt to add on things like private airport transfers to make your trip even more relaxing and streamlined.
Pros and Cons of a Mystery Trip with Journee
We believe the positives outweigh the negatives when it comes to booking a mystery trip. In the pro column, you have all of the details ironed out for you, you’re in the hands of trusted travel professionals, and you get an epic reveal moment (make sure to film it!). The only con is a possible lack of peace of mind if you’re the go-to planner for your trips.
Final Thoughts: Is Journee Right for You?
If the idea of a vacation sounds perfect to you, but the idea of booking flights, hotels, and activities feels exhausting and you’re not totally sure where you want to go, you’re the perfect future Journee customer. If you have your mind completely set on one location and you really like to be in the weeds of the planning process, booking a mystery trip just might not be your speed. You can always set up a call with their team to see if it’s right for you.
We hope we’ve shed some light on the Journee mystery holiday experience and that you feel encouraged to break the mold to have a truly bespoke and unique travel experience. If you prefer planning your own trip, Check out our blog post on planning a unique 10-day trip to Italy.
