The NEXTPEDITION Chronicles Part 1

We’re counting down the days until we head off on a NEXTPEDITION from American Express Travel, and we couldn’t possibly be more excited.

Being that we’re seasoned travelers, we used to think that we’ve already traveled every amazing way imaginable—first class, private plane, luxury yacht—but apparently not, as American Express Travel threw us for a loop with this one. This time we’re traveling blindly.

Not in the literal sense, but itinerary-wise, meaning we have absolutely positively NO idea where we’re going, what we’re doing, or even precisely how long we’ll be there.

Confused? We were too. Here’s how it works:

Visit Nexptedition.com to take a brief 15-question quiz to determine your travel sign (we’re Poshaholics). From there you schedule a short phoner with an American Express Travel Specialist who’ll ask you a few more questions (like your budget, your hobbies, your past vacations) before planning your most amazing adventure ever. Here’s where it gets tricky—you’ll learn your first destination a mere three days before you depart, and your second destination (yes, there’s two!) halfway through your 7-day vacation. The kicker? You learn everything via digital smartphone—your itinerary is downloaded daily for you on a gadget that’s delivered to you in an attaché along with documents detailing your first destination.

We’ll admit—at first it was a bit unnerving to leave the pertinent plans of our 7-day jaunt in someone else’s hands, but now we realize that’s precisely exactly what we like about it. The mystery of it all makes it a bit more fun, and it’s nice to leave all of the thinking and plotting and planning to an expert. We’ll check back in mid-NEXTPEDITION. Wish us luck!