A single mother in Dallas, Texas says she pulled the trigger on a $386.18 Groupon “mystery vacation” for herself and her seven-year-old son after seeing the offer on TikTok. The catch was that the package, billed as a round-trip non-stop flight and hotel stay for two, wouldn’t tell her where she’s going until 72 hours after she paid.
A bunch of her commenters say the supposedly random destination usually isn’t all that random, however.
Riah (@mariahisabxl), a Texas-based content creator whose channel mixes mom life, consumer reviews and chatty Dallas-Fort Worth area dispatches, recently posted a video about her Groupon purchase. It has drawn more than 637,000 views, with commenters sharing their own mystery-trip experiences and asking for updates on where she ends up.
An Airbnb, A TikTok, And A Pivot
Riah explains in the video that the trip is a birthday gift for her son, who turns eight in June. She had originally booked an Airbnb near a national park for $542 that offered “highland cow yoga, a little hot tub, a cowboy pool” and an outdoors-disconnect vibe. Then her algorithm shifted her plans.
“I come across a TikTok and this girl’s like, ‘I bought a mystery vacation on Groupon too,’” Riah says. “Hello—I [expletive] downloaded Groupon so [expletive] fast. As a single mom, [expletive], I got money but sometimes, you know, like, there’s a limit to the budget.”
She paid roughly $375—the listed Groupon price was $386.18—for two vouchers. “It covers a hotel, covers a round trip non-stop flight for two, and it’s like a mystery—picks wherever you go,” she says.
The 72-Hour Reveal
The catch isn’t only the unknown destination. After purchasing a Groupon mystery vacation voucher, the buyer submits a preferred departure airport and three sets of date preferences, then waits up to 72 hours for the booking team to come back with a city, hotel and flights. Riah lined up dates back-to-back for early June, when she has time off from the hospital where she works.
“It says we’ll contact you in 72 hours,” she says. “[Expletive], like, I’m excited. Like, even if it’s Fort Lauderdale, ho, I ain’t never been.”
She describes a successful trip thusly: “Girl, all me and my son need is a [expletive] beach and a seafood boil—we be having a [expletive] ball.”
What Do Buyers Report About Groupon Mystery Vacations?
Mystery-vacation packages are a long-running Groupon Getaways product, and the comment thread under Riah’s video reads like a consumer survey. People who say they purchased the mystery vacation claim the destinations skew toward whichever budget hub is cheapest from their home airport.
Britt, who says she got Las Vegas, wrote, “I complained because I don’t think it’s actually random. They keep you on your ‘side’ of the country. So if you’re close to east coast, you’ll get Orlando or Atlanta or if you’re on west coast, you’ll get Vegas. They offered us Houston but only if we paid an extra $200.”
ThoughtCrime chimed in, “I don’t want Vegas and it would cost us $400 for the Groupon, $200 extra to fly from Seattle. And then I’m sure we’d be in a run down, smoke filled hotel with $100 nightly ‘resort fee.’”
Multiple commenters claim they were unexpectedly required to pay resort fees.
Goddessashleejupiter wrote, “Did it for Vegas and got to the hotel and had to pay $300 hotel/resort fees.” Riah replied that her own resort fees were $27.
Other commenters flagged other risks. So Shutupsharon advised, “Make sure you call to confirm your stay. I had a Groupon reservation that was not confirmed at the hotel and had to book a separate reservation out of pocket.” Miss_Ariel_Marie, who says she’s a fellow single mother in the medical field, warned that the date preferences are loose: “I gave June and July dates, they gave me Mother’s Day weekend.”
Manda flagged a possible supply problem: “I don’t know what they’re gonna do with Spirit closing. That was their go-to airline for these.” (Spirit ceased operations on May 2, grounding all flights and putting 17,000 employees out of work after the budget carrier’s second bankruptcy filing in under a year.)
Other Ways To Save On Vacations
The comment thread also surfaced lateral suggestions for budget travellers. Jessi wrote, “Costco also!!! I went to Europe for 2 weeks with my gf (2 countries included), plane tickets, hotels, train transportation to the next destination, and shuttle to and from the airports ($3,600)! We also paid like $600 extra each to upgrade to business and first class.”
Pressed on whether a Costco membership was required, Jessi replied that it was, recommending the mid-tier membership and saying it had paid for itself with a roughly $200 cashback rebate on a single trip.
Costco Travel is a members-only booking portal that bundles flights, hotels and rental cars, and the Executive tier returns 2% on qualifying purchases, capped at $1,250 a year.
The Reveal
Riah delivered her promised update in a follow-up video. Their destination: Orlando, Florida.
For now, Riah remains optimistic about the trip. “It’s really what you make it,” she says.
BoardingArea reached out to Riah via TikTok direct message and Groupon via email for additional comment. We’ll be sure to update this if either responds.
@mariahisabxl Adventure awaits with @Groupon #fypシ #foryoupage #momhacks #traveltiktok #travel ♬ original sound – Riah🖤
