“Your itinerary’s fine, but we think a last minute change of plans is much more exciting. We found a few people at JFK Airport who’d agree. Would you play Departure Roulette?”

How many people would change their travel itinerary to a random destination, not planned, not known of, decided just at the airport? If you would be offered to change your destination of flight at the airport by chance, would you take it? I guess most people would say know. In Heineken’s latest marketing event, they asked people at JFK Airport to participate in a travel roulette and fly somewhere else instead of their planned destination.

A lot of people declined, due to a business schedule, a bachelor party etc., but some actually took the chance and changed their flight route: and were headed to Laos, Portugal, Thailand, Cyprus …! WOW.

I think this idea is amazing (even though I do not consume beer at all), because it triggers something that went missing in modern society: the spontaneity to travel somewhere without making any plans. How many people have done it? Maybe just backpacking for a few months without any plans?

I recall one of my most memorable trips in Europe at this point: I flew to Zurich, Switzerland see my friends. As I passed the main train station, I purchased a GEHA Ticket to travel to unlimited destinations within the country within a few days. So every morning, after breakfast, my friends went to work or university, and I stood in front of the timetable and decided spontaneously where to go. I went to Lucerne, Lugano, Geneva, Bern, just to name a few. I had never felt so free and met nice people on the way as well.

If I was standing at the airport on my way home, and there would be a chance to travel somewhere else by chance, I would so! Totally! Do it!

HOW ABOUT YOU?