The Best Travel Companies That Keep Your Trip A Total Secret Until You're About To Leave

Planning a trip can be a hassle. From figuring out flight routes to researching neighborhoods, accommodations options, and itineraries, the process can eat up time and energy, and leave people feeling overwhelmed. But, what if a traveler could just sign up for a trip that's totally planned with one catch: The destination is a surprise until they leave for the trip.

That's where mystery vacation tour companies come in. These companies give travelers the adventure of a lifetime, without the stress of planning. To ensure that travelers are sent on a trip they'd actually enjoy and not to a place they've been before or didn't like, most companies have detailed surveys, where people can share their interests, destinations they've already been or do not want to go to, any bucket list destinations or experiences, their desired activity level, and more.

From budgets ranging from a few hundred dollars to explore a place closer to home to exotic, luxury destinations around the globe, to relaxing spa getaways to multi-day scavenger hunts and challenges, there are plenty of mystery trip companies that specialize in different types of trips for every type of traveler.

Competitours is the tour company for the ultimate adventurers who have daydreamed of being on "The Amazing Race." For about $4,500 per person, Competitours designs a trip where participants complete a daily challenge as they work their way around a region for a prize. Each day's itinerary isn't revealed until 24 hours before, leaving each day a surprise.

A Competitours experience is for any intrepid traveler, from teenagers as young as 16 to and travelers in their 70s — though there is no strict age range. Up to 10 teams of two participate in the daily challenges that take place in off-the-beaten-path locations focusing on one continent. The great thing about this experience though is that no team is eliminated from the competition, and it's not actually a race. Everyone's transportation within the trip, along with accommodation, breakfast, and activities, are included in the price.

The daily challenges are broken into six categories: artisan, cultural, culinary, labyrinth, mountains, and grab bag. These activities teach participants about the local history, food, culture, creativity, and team building. Examples include a cooking class, creative workshops, dance classes, a scavenger hunt, an escape room, and other surprises. On the travel blog Going Awesome Places, participants described it as an intense but very fun experience. They made gelato in Italy and had a Via Ferrata mountain experience in Italy, along with other activities such as archery, power kiting, and a scavenger hunt in the Rotterdam Canals.

Pack Up + Go is a company that focuses domestically within the United States — perfect for Americans who have anywhere from a weekend to 10 nights free and a smaller budget. Participants fill out a survey that asks them first what type of trip they'd like: a plane trip, a road trip, an outdoors road trip, or a staycation. They then choose their dates and number of nights. The survey also asks travelers where they've been already, what upcoming trips they have planned, cities they've lived in before, and any places they definitely do not want to go. They can also specify if they'd like their trip to be relaxation-, action-, or culture-focused and what they generally prioritize when traveling, such as dining, coffee shops, breweries, parks, museums and arts activities, historic sites, oddities, night clubs, and more.

The company also ensures it knows about dietary restrictions and mobility restrictions and your ideal budget. From there, it plans the trip for you and tells you what time you need to be at the airport or when to leave your home. The cost of the trips vary depending on the mode of transportation. Plane trips start at $900 per person, road trips start at $500 per person, outdoor plane trips start at $900 per person, outdoor road trips start at $500 per night, and "you pick" trips start at $500/night. You pick trips are destinations where guests choose their destination and their own transportation, and the company plans the on-the-ground activities there.

The price includes transportation, accommodations, dinner reservations, at least one pre-booked activity, and curated recommendations. Once a trip is booked, a surprise envelope with the destination, planned activities, accommodations, and everything else you need to know will arrive, and travelers open the day they leave.

Journee is a surprise trip company based in the United Kingdom that plans trips to global destinations for all types of travelers. Interested people fill out a survey that asks questions such as bucket list countries, medical conditions, fears or things to avoid, dietary restrictions, places where a traveler does not want to go (for any reason), accommodation preferences, and passport type.

Then, the survey gets into more specifics about what the traveler wants to do. They ask users to rank their interest in things such as outdoor activities, exploring charming villages, popular sites and landmarks, places of historical significance, museums and art galleries, local performances, and local food. They also ask users a few different questions about what they want out of their adventure, how busy they'd like to be, the ideal weather they'd like on their trip, trip length, preferred dates, and budget. The minimum budget for a seven-day trip is $2,950 per person and $3,690 per person for a 10-day trip, though it varies depending on the traveler's answers.

In just about 24 hours, Journee sends participants a trip proposal, while still keeping the location hidden. Instead, travelers have a description of the destination, flight information, weather reports, and ideas for activities. In the envelope that travelers open at the airport, they find their destination reveal, itinerary, addresses, a list of restaurants, and a destination guide that include interesting facts, information on public transportation, and basic phrases in the local language. Several users on Reddit enjoyed their experience, with one writing "Journee provides destinations and activities I hadn't thought thought of, and having the itinerary set (to your preferences) reduces effort and anxiety of where to go and what to do."

Magical Mystery Tours is a company for U.S. and Canadian citizens to book mystery trips around the globe. Some travelers have gone to the Azores in Portugal, known as the "Hawaii Of Europe", as well as other incredible destinations. The company was established in 2009 and is based in Chicago, and has been featured in Oprah Magazine, Vogue, and The Washington Post. In their survey, travelers are asked questions about the logistics of their desired trip, including the duration, dates, budget, plane seat preferences, and their airport. They also ask thorough questions to match travelers to a desirable location, such as places they have previously been, what places they love, and what places they did not like traveling to already.

The survey also gets into the trip itself, like what types of accommodations they'd prefer, whether or not they'd like to travel internationally, if they'd like to go to multiple destinations, medical conditions, their level of spontaneity, whether they'd feel comfortable driving a rental car, and more.

A week before a person's trip, they email them a weather forecast, packing list, and flight departure time. They also mail a reveal packet with the destination, why they chose it, all the booking information, and recommendations for food and activities. Reviewers on Yelp noted that the company's planned activities often had free cancellation policies, so one could cancel or reschedule if they preferred to do something else.

WanderTrust is a surprise destination company based in India, and plans amazing trips to destinations around India, South Asia, and the Middle East. Local destinations in India include the beach town with golden sunsets called Kerala, Rajasthan, Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Sikkim, and Arunachal. International destinations feature places such as Thailand, Bali, Dubai, Vietnam, Singapore, Turkey, Mauritius, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, and Malaysia.

This company's process includes an intake survey and an interview. In the survey, participants fill out the desired trip length (ranging from three days and two nights to over one week long), plus number of travelers (from one to more than six). They also ask people about their budget, places they've already visited, ideal vacation vibe, destinations to avoid, preferred method of travel — including plane, train, bus, and any options — and preferred accommodation style such as a hotel, resort, home stay, or hostel. Afterwards, a member of the WanderTrust team reaches out for a call to get more information and get to know the travelers better.

Travelers get a teaser email a week before departure with a packing list, weather, and other information they need to know for their journey, and then a detailed itinerary with all the details they need to know right as they embark on their journey. WanderTrust also has a trip planning service that isn't blind, meaning they plan a trip for travelers to their desired destination, exactly how they'd like it.

For travelers in the U.K., Srprs Me offers unknown destinations throughout Europe and North America that are revealed the day you travel. Whether you're looking for a road trip somewhere only a few hours away or an international trip, for those flying out of London Heathrow, Manchester, or Edinburgh Airport, this company is a great option for people in those regions.

The survey gives travelers a choice of their desired airport from those three options or a road trip, level of accommodation (shared, standard, comfort, or premium), and date. The useful tool in their intake form is their calendar, which shows prices on different dates depending on one's choices of duration, destination, and accommodation level. Prices range from around $800 USD to $4,000 for a one-week trip with premium accommodations. The survey also allows travelers to exclude three cities and have the option of choosing themes for their trips, which include food lovers, a sunny escape, non-capital cities, and bucket list experiences.

These themed trips are part mystery, part known destinations — depending on which you choose. Some allow you to choose one or two cities you'd like to explore, and they leave a third city or more up to surprise. Others allow you to give them a list of places you've always wanted to go and they end up choosing from that list. Either way, it's a great adventure.

Blind Experiences is a company for luxurious surprise vacations in a variety of locations. Past travelers have been able to go on multi-destination honeymoons to Singapore, Sydney, the Whitsundays, the Maldives, and Macao, for example. Or, you can find yourself on an adventure in South America's most underrated city of Quito, spotting wildlife in the "Elephant Capital of the World" of Botswana, or jet-setting to destinations in Australia, Tasmania, and many more. Instead of having travelers fill out a detailed survey, they instead fill out a contact form with their name, phone number, email, type of vacation (honeymoon, family, anniversary, etc.), duration (usually a week or more), departure city, dates, and budget.

Because this is a luxury company, the company only gives three options for budgets: $13,300, $19,950 or $26,600 (listed as £10,000, £15,000, or £20,000). Each trip is customized, so there is no standard pricing, but these options are meant to give an idea so the trip planners can start brainstorming possible itineraries. After the contact form is received, a member from the Blind Experiences team reaches out for a personal consultation. One month before the trip, Blind Experiences sends travelers a packing list. One day before a trip, a series of envelopes arrive. The first is the one travelers open as they're leaving for the destination, with all the information they need to begin their journey.

The subsequent envelopes have dates and times on them for travelers to open throughout their trip. These include information about their next planned activities, accommodations, or destinations. The company also offers themed trips, such as honeymoons, women-only retreats, and multi-generational family trips.

Black Tomato is for the ultimate adventure travelers. One major thing that sets them apart is their Get Lost service, wherein travelers sign up for a trip to a remote destination and have to navigate your way out. Instead of filling out a form with their ideal vacation preferences, travelers tell the company what sort of environment they'd like to be in, which could be a range of different regions of the world. These options include polar, jungle, desert, mountain, and coastal. There's also an option to not give the company any preferences, and they'll plan the entire trip with the traveler completely blind.

Between inquiring about the experience to actually getting on a plane, Black Tomato makes sure travelers are prepared despite not knowing where they'll be. The company advises on the training one should do beforehand or arranges for a training session once a traveler arrives. Travelers find out what country they're going to when they arrive at the airport, and are then brought to the location via private transfer. They're also given a kit and equipment for their trip.

Black Tomato team takes one's safety very seriously, tracking each participant and having team members nearby to watch over travelers. There are mapped check-in points too. Black Tomato runs these experiences in a ton of different regions of the world, including Europe, the Indian Ocean, Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East, North America, South East Asia, and the South Pacific. Average prices for two people experiencing a Get Lost adventure start at $15,000 per person, though prices can vary widely. The company also offers more standard itineraries around the world, including an incredible James Bond-themed trip that takes travelers to iconic filming locations and lets them experience life as 007.

Brown and Hudson's philosophy is planning trips not around a destination, but around emotions, memories, and experiences, their website says. How they do this is either through themed experience trips or custom vacation plans. For the custom-tailored trips, they interview travelers about how they want a trip to make them feel, where they've been that they loved, where they don't want to go, and more questions similar to other companies' surveys. A group of travelers can decide whether to have one person from the group know the destination or keep it a surprise for everyone.

Brown and Hudson can plan trips around the world on all seven continents, as well as space. That's right, the company offers a space experience that uses the same launchpad as the Apollo 17 team to take travelers to the International Space Station — but it requires a three-month training. Or, one can also take a journey to near space (22 miles above Earth) instead with no training required, high above where a normal airplane would fly.

The company's themed trips include an "Amazing Race"-style game-themed trip, a survival-themed expedition trip, a trip based around a traveler's niche interest, a local immersion trip, a trip about a particular issue or philosophy, or a trip based around a particular object, such as a family heirloom. These vary widely and are custom-tailored during each person's interview with the company. Examples of trips and experience could include learning about the economics of Buddhism in Bhutan, learning about climate change next to scientists working on artificial volcanoes, decrypting clues to figure out a location on a game-themed trip, and exploring a destination through the lens of a painting. The possibilities are endless through Brown and Hudson's custom and creative approaches to travel.

Guess Where Trips specializes in one-day road trips in the U.S. and Canada, which is perfect for those who don't want to spend a fortune or jet off to a far-away destination, but would rather find surprise and adventure near their own backyard. On each of Guess Where Trips' itineraries, travelers have four surprise stops with recommendations, travel tips, and facts about the place.

Instead of custom itineraries, the website is filled with pre-planned trips departing from a variety of destinations around both countries. A traveler can choose their departure location and purchase a themed trip plan for around $65. In Canada, origin destinations include places such as the "Country Music Capital of Canada" in Calgary, as well as Vancouver, Nova Scotia, and Ontario. In the U.S., departure locations are offered in states such as California, Connecticut, D.C., Georgia, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and more. Planned trip themes include "Local Markets and Picturesque Towns," "An Adventure is Brewing," "Vibrant Vistas," "Country Farms and Furry Friends," "Shore Explorer," "Funky Florals and Fine Wines," "Hidden Hideaways," "Rocky Mountain Route," and many more.

Each trip has subcategory features, such as accessibility for wheelchairs and low mobility, as well as kid-friendly and dog-friendly options. Before purchasing a trip, travelers will also be able to see the activities included, features of the trip, who it is suggested for, when one should take the trip (days of the week or time of year), and the type of person the trip is suggested for (such as families, couples, foodies, photographers, hikers, etc.). Travelers will also be able to see a vague itinerary with the locations hidden, but a brief description.

Islands ensured each company was currently operating, as well as offered a variety of destinations and budgets. So, there are companies that offer luxury experiences around the world, budget destinations in certain regions, or one-day road trips for an affordable price. Therefore, there are options for a variety of travel styles and budgets.