The Rise of Mystery Vacations: Travelers Embrace Surprise Getaways
Thousands of travelers are purchasing mystery vacation packages through platforms like Groupon, embracing uncertainty and surging travel costs to secure surprise domestic and international getaways.
When Denis Edidouva purchased a vacation package to celebrate her new job, she had no idea where she was heading. And that was precisely the point.
The 36-year-old Atlanta resident bought a mystery vacation package through Groupon after learning about it on social media. A few days later, she discovered that the package—which cost $393 with a $150 single-supplement fee, including round-trip flights and a hotel—would take her to Las Vegas.
Edidouva had hoped for a more exotic destination. Her first proposed option was Orlando, Florida, a city where she previously lived. The next choice was Washington, D.C., which she had recently visited. Las Vegas, at least, offered new experiences.
Upon arriving in Sin City, Edidouva skipped the casinos. The vacation itself was already a gamble. Instead, she bought a ticket to a Backstreet Boys concert at the Sphere and treated herself to a high-end dinner.
"I feel like I managed to make the most of the vacation," she said.
Thousands of travelers are taking the risk and embarking on these surprise getaways. Buyers say the packages are attractive given surging travel costs, and mystery packages also tap into Americans' growing tendency to gamble and try their luck against the unknown.
London or Minneapolis
Groupon, known mostly for deep discounts on local services ranging from meals to manicures, is drawing an entirely new crowd with its mystery vacation packages where the destination remains unknown in advance.
Its core mystery vacation package includes flights and hotel stays for a trip lasting two to seven nights, priced between $199 and $299 per person, depending on the departure airport. Purchasing the package requires buying at least two vouchers or paying a supplement for solo travelers.
Possible destinations range from London and Singapore to Phoenix and Minneapolis. Other versions of the package include beach getaways and cruise vacations.
How It Works
After purchasing the surprise package through Groupon, Mystery Vacations sends buyers a form asking them to specify preferred travel dates and departure airports. Once submitted, a representative calls them within 72 hours to reveal the destination.
Choosing the departure airport frequently affects the price: the core package costs $199 when departing from major hubs like Atlanta and Miami, $249 from Chicago O'Hare and Los Angeles, and $299 from Newark, New Jersey, or Seattle, among others.
Most packages include round-trip flights and stays in three-star or higher hotels. Specific flight and hotel details are confirmed 14 days prior to departure. Flights are frequently operated by low-cost carriers on basic fares, meaning passengers wishing to check a bag or select a seat must pay extra.
For those willing to gamble on a mystery vacation, flexibility is key. There is no guarantee clients will receive their preferred travel dates. According to Gaurav Jaura, a manager at Mystery Vacations, travelers can request alternatives to their assigned options, though they may incur additional costs.
Clients unsatisfied with their assigned options are not eligible for refunds. Money back is only available if requested prior to submitting the initial form to Mystery Vacations.
Rolling the Dice
Brooke Flack, a 41-year-old entrepreneur from Arkansas, won a silver-tier vacation and traveled to the Dominican Republic.
"I'm usually a stressed-out type, so giving up control was kind of liberating," she said.
Flack attributes her luck to choosing a major departure airport. She also emailed Mystery Vacations indicating willingness to produce social media content about her trip.
The travel agency offered the pair $50 Amazon gift cards in exchange for posting online about their experience. Flack posted her first-ever TikTok video to celebrate getting a Dominican Republic getaway, generating over 100,000 likes and more than 17,000 saves.
Experienced travelers are not always as enthusiastic. Tammy Vales, a travel agent from Ringgold, Georgia, gambled on a mystery vacation for research purposes: "I'm always looking for the best deals."
She purchased a domestic US vacation package on Groupon for a July trip with her college-bound daughter. The pair were sent to Orlando, a place they had visited numerous times.
"I am not a theme park person at all," Vales said. "So we just pretended all of that didn't exist."
Instead, the two enjoyed shopping and took a scenic boat tour in nearby Winter Park, Florida. Vales was slightly disappointed by the motel-style resort assigned to them, but added: "It wasn't the worst place."
