srprs.me review: Yahoo tries the holiday service where you discover your destination at the airport

Ask anyone their favorite part of going away, and many will say it’s the holiday anticipation.

From checking the local weather, to researching landmarks and getting your currency, the build-up is often as exciting as being there.

On the other hand, the planning stage can be the most stressful. It’s your time for hard-earned relaxation, and there’s always that nagging doubt your trip won’t live up to expectations.

So how about a holiday so spontaneous, you don’t even know where you’re going?

That’s the premise behind ‘srprs.me’, an innovative travel firm where you don’t know your destination until you reach the airport.

No last-minute fretting, no ‘TripAdvisor syndrome’ of cross-referencing every hotel or restaurant, and no obsessing that you made the right call. That’s the idea, anyway.

When Yahoo Style tried it out this summer, we were sent just one orange envelope with details of our destination inside.

It took plenty of willpower not to rip it open in advance, but holding off was worth it as the unique adrenaline rush made the 4am taxi much more bearable.

srprs.me don’t leave you completely clueless – they do tell you the predicted local temperature, so you’ve got a vague idea what to pack.

So rather than simply trying to stay awake at 4.30am at Gatwick, instead we were frantically scratching our Srprs Me card to get the four-digit code which would reveal where we’d be later that morning.

Some excitable seconds later, we’ve entered the code into the website to be greeted with, ‘You’re going to Sofia!’

When guessing beforehand where we’d end up, we never considered the Bulgarian capital – but were still thrilled with the outcome.

Srprs Me offer two main packages – city breaks lasting 3-5 days (typically in Europe), or backpacking adventures lasting from 7 to 49 days, usually further afield.

When you’ve taken the plunge and selected a theme, simply select a preferred airport and they’ll do the rest by arranging your flights and even booking a (reputable) hotel.

Once we discovered our fate, we had two options. Make up for lost time and read up on Sofia, setting out an itinerary for the weekend, or ‘go with the flow’, keep things spontaneous and see where the mood took us.

In the end, we did both. With impressive architecture, interesting bars and an understated atmosphere, it’s the perfect place for srprs.me travelers – it ticks all the European city break boxes, but still has an ‘undiscovered’ quality.

Sofia remains under the tourist radar, remarkably given its 3-hour flight time and recent status as one of the cheapest destinations in Europe (around £1 a pint in many bars).

Out hotel was perfect – the impeccable 5* Hotel Anel, a short walk from the lively centre, with close links to Sofia’s efficient Metro network.

The centre itself is littered with friendly bars perfect for summer nights spent people-watching, and the welcoming atmosphere – because of the relative lack of tourists – makes it relaxing too.

We also squeezed in a visit to Sofia’s Museum of Social Art (mainly statues of Stalin), a romantic rowing trip on the Ariana Lake, and stopped off for a fair bit of that bargain-price Bulgarian booze.

The improvised nature of our trip meant the weekend whizzed by in a flash.

But make no mistake, book a unique trip with srprs.me and it’ll live long in the memory.

For more information on srprs.me and to book your trip, go here