WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
Frequently Asked Questions
How much will this cost?
The cost depends on you and it’s all up to you. We will make your travel arrangements to an unknown destination (within your parameters), including your travel cost parameters. After that, everything you do (and the cost) is up to you. Obviously, the length of your trip, any distance parameters (or lack thereof), whether you’re traveling international or only domestic will impact the travel costs. Once you arrive at your destination, your plans and therefore your cost will depend on your choices of everything (accommodations, food, how you choose to get around at the destination, events, souvenirs, etc.). Remember, you set the parameters on your travel expenses (with our input) and the only other fixed cost is our Experience Fee. Our standard Experience Trips are three (3) days, five (5) days and seven (7) days, but we can customize everything to meet your desires.
What are the Experience Trip fees?
The fees you pay to us for your Experience are simple – you pay us for the actual travel costs (i.e. airline tickets) and our Experience Fee which depends on whether you have the full experience or ask us to provide some minimal additional information. The Experience Fee is as follows for any Experience Trip of up to four (4) days:
· Full Mystery – $127 Per Person – For those of you who want to bring on the full experience, the Full Mystery means that we book your travel plans and randomly pick your destination city (within your parameters), and the rest is up to you. You show up at the Airport and find out where you’re going without any more information.
· Uncomfortable Zone – $147 Per Person – The Uncomfortable Zone involves us providing you with some minimal information to help you plan for a few key elements of your mystery trip experience (e.g. hotel and transpiration ideas and suggestions, projected weather, clothes to consider packing, etc.).
· Comfort Zone – $167 Per Person – The Comfort Zone provides you with not only your travel plans but your accommodations for your stay to give you more comfort for your mystery trip experience.
· There is an additional fee per person for trips longer than five (5) days:
o 5 Day Trip – Add $20 Per Person
o 7 Day Trip – Add $40 Per Person
For trips longer than seven (7) days, we will provide a custom Experience Fee quote for you and your group
We also offer the Super Mystery Experience for groups of unknown travelers. For example, your group, organization or other affinity group books an Experience Trip without knowing who will be joining the trip. We’ll provide you with a customized quote for the Super Mystery Experience.
REMEMBER: The Experience Fees do not include accommodations (unless you choose The Comfort Zone), food, luggage fees, souvenirs, events, tickets, other transportation, etc. Please try to keep these costs in mind as you create your budget.
What do the Experience Trip services and fees cover?
Our services will include the following:
· Arranging and booking your transportation to and from your mystery destination city;
· Providing you with your basic trip information and suggestions that are part of every Experience Trip; and
· Providing you with accommodations and any additional information that is part of any of the modified Experience Trips (e.g. A Little Help or Comfort Zone).
Where will we be staying?
That’s the beauty of the Mystery Experience – it’s up to you. By design, we don’t book your accommodations unless you choose the Comfort Zone experience. Once you find out your destination city, your experience begins with you finding a place to stay. You may start searching before you depart on your flight or other travel method, or you may wait until you arrive in your destination city. That’s the beauty of technology since every group will certainly have a cell phone with Internet access. We’ll share lots of ideas on how to find your accommodations (e.g. travel websites, hotel websites, alternative lodging websites, etc.), but this is one of the early parts or your Mystery Experience. You collectively decide what you want, what you want to pay and even how you’ll split up in your rooms. You may be open to sharing a room or you may want single rooms. It’s all up to you! You decide where you want to stay and how you want to figure it all out. We’ve found that this is one of the great elements that make the Mystery Experience so unique and impactful. It changes your entire experience from a mere trip to magic.
How will we get around?
Just like accommodations, how you get around your destination city is up to you and all part of the Mystery Experience. Whether you rent a car (or cars), take a shuttle, board a bus, use taxis, utilize Uber, or walk) – it’s all up to you! We’ve found that it may vary based upon your destination city. For example, in a destination city that’s known for being a walking or subway city, you may just take the trains and taxis (or Uber). In other destination cities you may decide to rent a car (SUVs and vans are great choices if you all want to get around together). Once again, this unknown part of your trip deeply enhances your experience.
How will you determine my destination?
When you contact us, we’ll have you complete a questionnaire to determine some basic parameters such as length of trip, distance, type of flights (direct flight only or connecting flights), etc. You will also let us know if you want the full randomizer experience (we randomly select your destination based upon your stated parameters) or you want your destination within certain limitations (e.g. weather, directions, size of city, etc.). We will also ask you about your budget, desired dates of travel, prior travel experiences, and various preferences you have. We’ll “listen” to your preferences and provide you with an amazing mystery experience.
Why would I want to go to an unknown destination?
To be honest, it’s not for everyone. Some people feel the need to have a clear plan about everything, and that’s okay. However, always knowing can be limiting and doesn’t allow you to truly experience a place and to share that experience with others. Having done several mystery experiences ourselves, we know how magical it can be to do to an unknown destination, see new things, meet new people and have a dramatically different kind of experience. Here’s what we know – when you don’t know the destination and you have no plans when you get there, it changes how you “see” the place. It gives you the unique opportunity to ask questions, meet people and be more in the moment for your time in the destination. Imagine creating something from scratch with no prior knowledge, planning or information. Wow! That’s a different experience and that’s the whole point of the Mystery Experience. If you’re willing to get outside your comfort zone, we know you’ll have a unique and memorable experience. If you have any further doubts, just imagine this – you’re standing at the airport with travel friends and one of you is holding an envelope. When you’re all gathered together one of you says, “let’s find out where we’re going” and you open the envelope to discover where you will be later that day. If that excites you, then you are ready for the Mystery Experience, and we’re ready to create the magic for you.
How much time do you need to plan my trip?
As you know, booking travel has its challenges and travel prices and deals are moving targets. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to give us at least 6-8 weeks of notice to plan your trip. We can make last minute trips happen, but your travel costs will be higher and the larger the group the great the risk of not being able to find flights for your entire travel party.
How will I find out where I’m going?
A few days before the start of your trip, you will receive a secret and sealed packet containing the following:
· Your travel documents (e.g. tickets / boarding passes)
· Additional information if you purchased one of the alternate experiences
You will open this envelope at the airport (or other travel location) for what we call “the envelope please” moment. You may want to sneak a peak, but preserve the magic of the mystery experience by opening the envelope at the travel hub (e.g. the airport). After all, you chose the Mystery Experience for the surprise and impact. The envelope will also have another copy of helpful tips on how to make the most of your Mystery Experience.
What do I pack?
That depends on which Mystery Experience you choose. If you choose the Full Mystery, you won’t know the weather unless you specifically requested that the mystery trip be limited to certain climates. If you choose the A Little Help or the Comfort Zone trips, you’ll receive an email with the weather forecast for your travel destination shortly before your departure date. Believe it or not, many people select the Full Mystery option and don’t know the weather when they leave. During parts of the year when the temperatures are more predictable, this is a great mystery experience option since it allows you to figure things out once you get there. That’s part of the experience for many of our travelers. If you have indicated that you are interested in international travel, you must have your passport. If you really want to heighten your experience, for three (3) day trips we encourage you to consider agreeing with your group that you’ll only take a carry-on bag (no checked luggage). We’ve found that limiting what you can pack can enhance the mystery experience (think a modest form of the Amazing Race).
Can I use my frequent flyer miles or other travel rewards?
Absolutely, though keep in mind that the availability of award travel options may limit the dates and destination for your trip. We do charge an additional fee to book using miles.
What types of groups would be a great fit for the Mystery Experience?
The great thing about the Mystery Experience is that it’s for everyone – well, at least everyone who is open to an experience and willing to get out of their planning and scheduling comfort zone. Here are just a few examples of groups that are great fits for the Mystery Experience:
· Friends Getaway
· Master Mind Group
· Affinity Group (e.g. Chamber, Association, networking group, church group, book club, wine club, alumni association, etc.)
· Bachelor or Bachelorette Party
· Fraternity or Sorority
· Siblings Gathering
· Family Reunion
· Alumni Gatherings
You have a group, we’ll put together a Mystery Experience that will fit your group. This is an unique opportunity to connect, get to know, share, experience, build relationships and live differently (on the trip and going forward).
What happens if I need to cancel?
We know that life can sometimes throw some unexpected things your way. We will do our best to accommodate you should life events cause you to cancel. However, we are unable to refund the fees for our services nor the cancellation fees from transportation or hospitality services, such as hotels or airlines.