The pandemic put a pretty big stop to travelling abroad, so it’s no surprise if you’ve got an itching to go and see the world. With so many places to see and a lack of budget, making the decision of where to go can be the hardest part. One holiday booking site is taking that problem out of your hands. But what is Journee and how does it work?
We’ve all been there. Desperate to go on holiday, save up some money to finally do it, and then a little stumped about where to go. Sure, you can have friends that recommend places or locations you’ve always wanted to go to, but there’s always a fear of expectation. So, how about you remove expectations altogether? That’s what Journee does, and it revolutionises booking holidays.
What Is Journee?
Journee is a holiday booking site with one crucial difference. It doesn’t tell you where you’re going.
That idea might sound really stressful, but the company organise everything for you so there’s nothing to worry about apart from getting to the airport on time. They plan where you’ll go, you’re flights, accommodation and even activities. Plus, it’s all tailored to you, so it’s very likely it’ll be your dream holiday without the planning stress.
Journee even gives you weather updates, what to pack and restaurant recommendations. So, even though you won’t have any idea where you’re going, you’ll be prepared in every possible way. Destinations are all outside of the UK as well, so you won’t end up with a weekend in Hull when you were expecting something a little more exciting.
You can go on a solo trip, a couple’s getaway or even add more people to the trip later on.
How Does Journee Holiday Booking Work?
Booking your holiday is as simple as answering a questionnaire. It is quite a detailed questionnaire, but it has to be so that your Journee trip is as optimised for you as possible. Plus, filling in the questionnaire is completely free and there’s no obligation to book the holiday at the end!
On the website, just click ‘Get Free Trip Proposal’ in the top left corner. You’ll answer questions on your budget, when you want to go, and activities you want to avoid or would love to do. They even ask if there are specific places you want to avoid, be that because you’ve been there before or it’s not a safe place for your religion or sexuality.
You can rest assured that all accommodation is private, has a rating of 8 and above and comes with Wi-Fi and toiletries.
Journee have trips for everyone — it’s why their questionnaires are so thorough. Whether you’re looking for relaxing in the sun, a city escape or something more rural, Journee will tailor your holiday for you.
Within 24 hours of completing your questionnaire, you’ll be sent your proposal. You’ll know what flight times are already, with everything else coming in due course. Then, 7 days before you take off, you get a Journee pack delivered to your door. That’s when you’ll know where you’re going and what you’ll be doing.
In your pack, you’ll get your big reveal (the best part!) as well as an itinerary for your trip and a guide to the area! You would have already been told what to pack and what the weather will be like, so the only thing left to do is go!
If you have any more questions, they have a comprehensive FAQs section, plus someone you can email 7 days a week.
Can You Cancel Your Journee Trip?
Journee does allow you to cancel your trip either by contacting them via email or WhatsApp.
They will also give your money back for anything that isn’t non-refundable, which includes flights as these are booked as soon as you pay your first deposit. The more notice you give, the more money you’ll be able to get back.
There are cancellation admin fees, which increase the later you leave it. This is because Journee book everything for you, which takes a lot of time and effort.
Travel insurance isn’t included in Journee’s plan. You can buy that separately so that your holiday is covered if anything unexpected happens. The site does help you with booking your insurance, so that’s not something you have to worry about either!
The whole point of booking through Journee is that you don’t know where you’re going to go. It’s pretty unlikely that you won’t like your match. Definitely give it a try before you prematurely decide you hate it!
What Do Reviews Say About Journee?
On Trust Pilot, Journee has 4.9 out of 5, so that’s some pretty positive reviews. 93 per cent of people have given it 5 stars, with 6 per cent giving it for. There are less than one per cent of Journee travellers who have given it any less.
One review, left only two days ago (January 18), said the following:
“It was absolutely magical and we felt so safe and at home (we were both minorities). From the people to the food to the overall environment, it all felt welcoming and loving. Our trip was planned very well and it was a location my friend and I have always wanted to visit but never knew how to organise.”
Another person who booked a Journee trip raved about how stress-free the experience was:
“This whole experience was absolutely amazing. It took the stress away from planning and we did activities that we would have never thought to do. We got matched with Prague and it was a gorgeous city that we wouldn’t have planned to go to either so thank you Journee for making my partner’s birthday feel so special.”
Looking at the reviews, there were only a couple of negatives. One person wished that the activities of their first day were on their last. However, they still had a great trip and gave Journee 5 stars.
Journee always advises travelling in off-peak periods so that your budget is not mostly on flights. One user who travelled over Christmas thought their trip wasn’t value for money because of this. So, try and book your holiday in the best times of year to travel to save the expense.
The only thing left to do is have a look for yourself! Get a free proposal for yourself and see if you can resist the urge to book it! It’s certainly a different way to go on holiday, but different can be good, particularly when an adventure is involved.