Besides that, it’s just plain old fun. While en route to their secret destination, passengers on SAS’s mystery flight were given clues by the pilots. The cabin was abuzz with speculation. Soon, they found themselves touching down in Seville, Spain. “I never do package trips, and I rarely will do a tour—full stop,” Leigh emphasized. “But the mystery flight was such a nice change of pace: to discover Seville with other passengers and have that excitement of like, ‘Oh, look at where we all ended up.”

While forging a connection with a place is top of mind for many travelers today, the overwhelming amount of choice can be paralyzing. According to Alex Swales, a licensed independent clinical social worker, humans make more than 30,000 decisions per day. “Travel, by its very nature, encourages curiosity and play, but when there’s a mystery or spontaneity component, it also allows us to form new neural pathways,” Swales said. “That helps us break free from routine and predictability.” A 2016 study published in the National Library of Medicine even found that spontaneous behavior can lead to lower levels of distress and improve mental health.

SAS executives said that tickets, which were only available to loyalty members, sold out within minutes of becoming available. All passengers knew was that a coveted seat guaranteed traveling somewhere within the Schengen Area (a group of 29 European countries that allow people to travel freely between them) for a weekend. And that was it. The experience, dubbed Destination Unknown, first launched in 2024 with a surprise trip to Athens, Greece, and it proved so popular that it returned less than a year later. “Travelers today are looking for something beyond the traditional itinerary—they want to rediscover the excitement of the unknown and break free from the routine of overly planned travel,” said Aron Backström, vice president of loyalty and product for SAS. Not even the flight attendants onboard knew where they were going. (Thankfully, the two pilots in the cockpit did.)

Fastening your seat belt to jet off to an undisclosed location isn’t for the faint of heart. However, the notion of booking a trip like this— once a niche option offered only by a handful of travel agencies—has gone mainstream. Last year, a Booking.com study found that 52 percent of travelers would be interested in reserving a trip where the destination remained a mystery until arrival.

Imagine boarding a flight with no clue about the destination—and paying for the privilege. Earlier this year, 170 intrepid travelers took off from Copenhagen, Denmark, to go… somewhere. “It was the ultimate feeling of adventure and uncertainty, in the best possible way,” said Gabriel Leigh, a Stockholm-based filmmaker and writer onboard the Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) flight.

Windstar Cruises was inspired to launch their own mystery trip after a weather-driven detour in French Polynesia onboard the Star Breeze required the crew to shift gears at a moment’s notice. Rather than seeing the new itinerary as a crisis, the guests loved the spontaneous exploration. “Several of our executives happened to be on that sailing, and they came back to the office inspired to basically do this on purpose,” said Jess Peterson, director of destination experience and itinerary planning.

The first-ever deliberate mystery cruise embarked in April, and it was a massive hit—and part of the company’s larger mission ​​to bring guests to less-visited destinations. The Star Legend started and ended its eight-day journey in Athens, Greece. Passengers received clues that were distributed two nights before each port, which guests deliberated on. Where would the next destination be? What kind of excursions would they go on? Would it be somewhere they’ve traveled to before? Ultimately, the maiden mystery voyage docked in Puglia and Calabria in southern Italy, new ports of call for Windstar. These stops defied expectations; many onboard were anticipating going somewhere in the Greek Isles.

The mystery cruise was such a success that guests were rebooking for the 2026 version before they even departed the ship. The next sailing, which originates from San Juan, Puerto Rico, next March, is already sold out. “There’s definitely a growing appetite for ‘intentional spontaneity,’” said Peterson. “It’s fun to let go and not know what the next few days will bring.”

A handful of other cruise lines offer their own mystery sailings. Fred Olsen Cruise Lines has three for 2026, all departing from the U.K. Uniworld, meanwhile, is celebrating its 50th anniversary next year, with a 50-night Rivers of the World cruise traveling from Brussels, Belgium, to Amman, Jordan, one part of which will be a seven-day surprise journey.

If the idea of setting sail or taking off without knowing your destination is a bit too anxiety-inducing, instead, find out right after booking. Germany’s flag carrier, Lufthansa, allows passengers to book travel to a surprise locale and then instantly find out the city as soon as they pay. Reservations can be made between one and 42 days in advance, and while you can exclude individual destinations and pick a preferred theme (“follow the sun,” “arts and sights”), the more flexible you are, the more money you can save. Passengers can only fly out of Munich or Frankfurt, Germany.

Some travelers are also planning mystery trips for their friends and family. Leah Gwin Hoefling created a five-day itinerary through the Appalachian Mountains at the request of her mother-in-law. “She didn’t want to know any details, so I had her take a quiz and give me a budget,” said Hoefling, who lives in Cape Town, South Africa. “I tried to emphasize local places, the culture and food of the region, and adventuring through the outdoors. They loved it, and I ended up planning something similar for my mom and her sisters.”

Influencers, too, are adding a bit more mystery to their vacations. Rather than having a rigid itinerary, Kevin Droniak plans minimally, allowing spontaneity and curiosity to guide his trips. “I have an almost non-existent itinerary, because if I had a big list of things to do, I would be more stressed,” said the New York City-based content creator. Droniak’s 24-hour trips to faraway destinations, like Rome, Paris, and even Cairo, have gone viral.

Spontaneity, of course, isn’t something that an airline like SAS can allow for. While the airline’s executives would love to offer a mystery experience more often, they’re logistically complex and not easy to pull off. Flight plans had to be redacted from briefings. Ground staff and partners in Seville received special training and instructions. All boarding passes were marked with XXX, instead of the usual letter codes for a destination. Even Wi-Fi was turned off throughout the trip to prevent the ability to follow the flight online. Will Destination Unknown return again next year? It’s still, well, a mystery.

“It’s a playful way to explore the world,” Backström said, “and a reminder that the journey itself can be just as exciting as the destination.”