Mystery trips

[whole diary]

[grahame]

From The Mainichi (Japanese Daily)

NARITA, Chiba -- The popularity of flight tickets to mystery destinations sold for 5,000 yen (about $44) through capsule vending machines by Japanese low-cost carrier Peach Aviation Ltd. is really taking off.

After the first such machine was set up in the western Japan city of Osaka, the vending machines have spread to Tokyo, the central Japan city of Nagoya, and the southwestern Japan city of Fukuoka -- with some 11,000 capsules already sold.

Sales of the capsules began on Dec. 17 for flights on all 23 Peach Aviation routes arriving at Narita International Airport and Kansai International Airport. Amid the prolonged effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the airline explained, "As people tend to lack an interest in traveling now, we wanted them to regain the excitement of travel. We'd like them to let their luck choose the destination, and go on a journey in search of an unexpected encounter."

Something that could be brought into the UK^▸ (United Kingdom) rail?  Where would the £35 trips from Bristol take you?  From Reading?  ...

[froome]

Well, if you were lucky enough to be able to get a third off with a rail card and able to travel at super off peak times, you could just about make it from Bristol to Reading and back. But only just.

[grahame]

"My wife bought us a pair of mystery trips for my birthday. She went to Barry Island, but I was sent to Coventry"

All sorts of things to consider and adapt on the system ...

I would see the tickets as being a separate pricing exercises - pay £35.00 for one, £60.00 for a groupsave (up to 3 adults or 2 adults and up to 2 children).  Valid for an outward journey any time in a calendar month to a destination only revealed on completion of purchase - out by any train, return by any train to arrive at your starting station within 60 hours of leaving there. 

Published lists of potential destinations and proportions of tickets allocated to each of them

Helpline available via somewhere (this forum  ? ) to help people work out their travel plans.  And a web site application that generates a .pdf including your timetables and things to see and do it Chichester or Teignmouth, Richmond or Lichfield, Marlow or Swansea, Bicester or Bournemouth.

Connections to and from local stations included ... so if you're on a mystery day out / weekend from Bristol, you can start from not only Temple Meads but also Keysham, Parson Street, Bedminster, and stations to Sea Mills.

I could see a rather encouraging leisure market niche for these tickets - "Silver Surfer" trips.

[Bmblbzzz]

I recall going on a Mystery Trip, marketed as such, aged about 10 in the late 70s. We ended up at Portsmouth & Southsea, where we saw exhibits from the Mary Rose. The ship itself hadn't been raised but had been rediscovered and a museum of the exhibits was being established in preparation for raising it. I have no idea how much the trip cost (but I can remember the prices of The Beano, Whizzer and Chips, and salt and vinegar crisps at the time  ).

[johnneyw]

I can remember the prices of The Beano, Whizzer and Chips

I too received great enrichment from the study of these worthy journals in my younger days.

Returning to the topic, I could see the emergence of unofficial online trading by purchasers of cheap mystery tickets but with unfancied (to them) destinations.
I would be in effect a new market for discounted railway tickets, if I've understood how it works correctly.
I wonder if this has happened in Japan?