Last week I had the opportunity to take my first trip with Be Right Back Travel. A subscription travel service that is being dubbed the ‘Netflix of travel‘ in the media. Do you remember in the nineties when mystery holidays were all the rage? Or at least they were in Australia. The service offered from Be Right Back Travel is a pretty similar concept. For a monthly subscription fee, you receive 3 surprise holidays to a European destination per year, including flights and 2 nights accommodation. So want to know how my first trip unfolded and my verdict on travelling with BRB? Keep reading!
HOW DOES BRB TRAVEL WORK?
Last year I interviewed Greg, one of the founders of BRB Travel, and we discussed all the details of the hottest new travel trend. But in a nutshell, it works like this:
- Pay a monthly subscription
- Pick your dates
- Select a trip type
- Set your flight time
- Invite your friends
- Lock in your trip
BOOKING A TRIP
First things first – choose the dates that you want to travel. Its super easy, just log in to your Be Right Back Travel account and choose when you want to go. It is best to book sooner rather than later to ensure you secure your required dates.
Next step – choose what type of holiday you would like to experience. This time I chose #4theGram, because you know I love taking instaworthy photos.
Finally, you can choose your preferred departure times. For example:
- Before 8am
- Before 12pm
- After 7pm
And its as simple as that. Then you wait for your postcard revealing where you are going on your Be Right Back adventure. The postcard for my first trip arrived whilst we were back home in Australia for Christmas. I couldn’t wait for the reveal upon our return!
AND THE WINNER IS…
Krakow, Poland
I received a hand written postcard from the team at BRB which is a lovely personal touch. It included tips on things I must see and do whilst I was in Krakow and gave me a sense of what an amazing experience awaited me.
PREPARING FOR MY TRIP
Once I logged into my Be Right Back account it contained all my flight and hotel details for the vacation.
- Flights: My flights were with easyJet which made it easy to sync with my existing online account. I could pay extra to choose seats, add baggage and meals etc. I also checked-in online and downloaded my boarding passes, meaning I could go straight to security on arrival at the airport.
- Hotel: The hotel name and address were listed on my itinerary. It was also useful to have a direct link to TripAdvisor so I could check out the hotel reviews first hand prior to travelling.
I spent the next couple of weeks researching must see places, tours and cute cafes in Krakow. Personally I find the best resources to conduct holiday research is through a mixture of Blog Posts, Pinterest, Instagram and TripAdvisor.
ITS TIME – MY FIRST BE RIGHT BACK TRIP!
I chose to travel by train from York to Manchester Airport and pre-booked tickets with Trainline. The train arrives directly at the airport terminals, making for a very easy commute.
I was invited into the 1903 Lounge in Terminal 1 by the team at Manchester Airport so that I could relax prior to departure. Its a premium, adults-only lounge where I enjoyed a champagne breakfast prior to take off. If you are like me and enjoy a little luxe when you travel, I highly recommend paying to access this lounge. It also comes with a complimentary FastTrack security pass as standard, so you can get through security quicker than normal.
As I was travelling solo, I decided to book a transfer to collect me in Krakow to avoid any angst or anxiety upon landing. Welcome operates all over Europe and I have used them on several occasions. Its basically the Uber of airport transfers. You can pre-book your ride and have someone waiting for you, sign in hand, when you land.
I have written a coffee lover’s guide to Krakow and I am busy preparing all my other blog posts on Krakow. So be sure to check back soon!
PROS OF BE RIGHT BACK TRAVEL
So, what are my thoughts on the benefits of travelling with Be Right Back Travel?
- Fixed Price – You know what to expect every month and you are guaranteed 3 mini European vacations.
- Convenience – There is no need to trawl the internet for hours looking for a cheap deal.
- No Fuss / Arguments – It can be impossible to decide on the destination and accommodation when travelling in a group. This way, no one has to decide and your adventure awaits.
- Guaranteed Holiday – We can all get caught up in the day-to-day routine and suddenly we have forgotten to make reservations. Just choose the dates and the rest is taken care of.
- Surprise Factor – People tend to either love or hate surprises. If you are the former, then this type of travel is perfect for you.
- Discover New Places – A surprise destination means you can discover places you may not have considered travelling previously. And after all, isn’t that the entire premise of travelling … to discover new things around the world?
DOWNSIDE OF BE RIGHT BACK TRAVEL
With the good comes the bad, although it is quite difficult to list many negatives when it comes to BRB. In my opinion, the downsides would be:
- Lack of Control – I’m not going to lie, I am a bit of a control freak. And booking a trip with Be Right Back means you have limited control. Flight times may not be ideal and the hotel may not be what you wanted.
- Only available from the UK – I apologise in advance to my international readers, unfortunately this service is only bookable for departure from UK airports.
- Its not an organised group tour – but nor does it promise to be. So you still need to arrange transfers, tours, reservations etc. for yourself.
THE VERDICT
I absolutely love the concept and philosophy behind Be Right Back Travel. If you are someone whom is filled with wanderlust but struggles to save, organise trips or agree with your family and friends where to go, then this is the perfect option for you. I will be using my subscription for solo travel and a bit of mummy me time. But I will also take advantage of the option to ‘add a friend‘ so that my husband and daughter can take a surprise trip with me. I also love the fact that its not going to break the bank!
So what do you think – do you want to give Be Right Back Travel a try?
SIGN UP NOW
Wander & Luxe readers – if you are like myself and think this sounds like the hottest travel trend right now, get started by clicking here and subscribing now. Use the code Shelley18868 for your exclusive discount! FREE CREDIT to the value of £20 when you sign up now!!
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11 Responses
sounds very interesting! I’d love to visit Krakow #farawayfiles
Definitely one to add to the list – especially if you enjoy good coffee, beer and vodka!
This is such a cool concept. I find it so hard trying to decide where to go on holiday, but to have surprise destinations is amazing and it would be such a great gift idea too xo
Makeup Muddle
I completely agree – it would make a wonderful gift for someone!
What an interesting concept. I’d be interested to know whether this works out better value for money than trying to get good deals on short breaks three times a year. Krakow is certainly somewhere I’m keen to visit one day. Thanks for sharing on #farawayfiles
There can be some very cheap deals available, however I can never seem to find them personally. The value proposition from BRB is that according to their research, a person spends on average 10 hours researching and booking a holiday. So if you take your time into consideration, then I definitely think a subscription is excellent value for money. Stay tuned for the Krakow blog posts – they will be available soon 🙂
oh wow it’s the first time I have heard of this concept. Sounds very cool! I really like the surprise factor involved!
It is such a wonderful idea, isn’t it?!? I can’t wait to lock in my next surprise trip. Have I tempted you to subscribe for yours? 🙂
I am an absolute planner and it would make me super anxious to have someone else do it for me. However, it would also be great to have the ability to relax more since everything is taken care of!