“Moral of the story is, avoid this company at all costs unless you don’t mind being talked to like a piece of sh**.” Yes, this is what someone really said in a rant we found while researching this article. You know you can’t make everyone happy, but what do you do when a client leaves a scathing review out of nowhere? Knowing how to respond to negative reviews can turn a highly toxic, public-facing post into an opportunity to show what your tour guiding company is really about. How to respond to negative reviews Getting a negative review on one...
Travel trends are just that: trends. While they may be true right now, know that some (or all or none) may not last into 2024. But knowing and staying on top of the trends could help your guiding business tremendously by understanding what your potential customers want and are willing to pay for. We reviewed five different organization reports on 2023 travel trends and picked out what’s most relevant for outdoor tour operators. The No-Normal by Expedia points out that travelers want out-of-the-ordinary experiences this year. Condé Nast Traveler's "17 Travel Trends You'll See in 2023" shares that transformation retreats,...
Home to really long climbs and sometimes, even longer descents, Josh Whitmore, owner and operator of MTB Skills Factory, knows how to play in the dirt of North Carolina. The state is abundant in trails. From everything to flowy bike park trails to national forests with rugged backcountry terrain, a mountain biker will never get bored. Luckily, Josh’s company, MTB Skills Factory, can take clients wherever they want to learn how to clear a sketchy rock garden, shred downhill, or gain confidence in their bike handling skills. We sat down with Josh to learn more about him as a coach...
Top 5 Payment Questions Operators Should Ask Their Reservation Software
So you’ve found online reservation software you’re interested in using. It has all the features you’ve been looking for, more benefits than running your tour operations solo, and its team is competent. Another important component of online booking technology that shouldn’t be overlooked is its payment transparency. In other words, do you know how the online booking system collects your customers’ credit card information and deposits, what shows up on your clients’ bank statements, how you get paid out, what they charge to use their platform, and do they ever hold your money from you? These are our top five...
The Winter 2022/23 travel season is hurdling towards us with Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Christmas, and New Years plans on the horizon. With the “Summer of Revenge Travel” and a lackluster Fall, here’s what tour operators can expect this winter travel season. Online Bookings Drop For The Fall Season A new report by Similarweb used data from Airbnb, Expedia, and Booking.com to assess global web traffic and U.S. travel conversions and it seems like it’s in line with historical travel trends. Despite a murky economy and high inflation, summer saw the “revenge travelers” who spent their extra cash on travel. This...
Starting a guiding business doesn’t stop when you print your business cards. You need to consistently market your guiding company to travelers so you can sell your tours and continue to grow. There are a lot of aspects to marketing and we’ve written about a lot of them. Peruse the following articles based on your interests or start at the top and move through them all in order. Most blogs have additional resources for a deeper understanding of a topic. Intro To Digital Marketing For Professional Adventure GuidesDigital marketing strategy is meeting your client at the right place at the right...
There’s a saying that’s along the lines of, “If you want to go somewhere fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go with people.” When starting your outdoor guiding business, you’ll have to network with other people and businesses to help your company grow. Because it’s true: no one is an island. This just means that you can’t build your business alone. Sure, you might be able to build it fast, but you won’t get very far by yourself. The biggest challenges with networking are (1.) knowing your partnership goals, (2.) who’s best to partner with, (3.) what...
Tour pricing can make or break your outdoor guiding business. Price your services too high and you won’t get enough customers to cover your costs or make a profit. Price your services too low and your costs will overtake your profits. Maybe you want to start an outdoor guiding business because that’s your passion, your hobby, and your lifestyle. Sure, it could be cool to make money on the side guiding, but if you really want to start a full-fledged tour operation, you need to make a profit, not just break even, but to make money so your business stays,...
Registering your tour company and getting the right licenses and permits to legitimately operate is actually a really big pain. Justin Wingerter of The Denver Post wrote an article in 2021 detailing just how messy the permitting process is. Wingerter said, “Due to understaffing at the U.S. Forest Service and a cumbersome process, it can take several years and hundreds of work hours before Colorado guides receive a permit to take small groups fishing, hiking or do other recreational activities on federal lands.” We all know how dangerous it can be climbing up a mountain. And it’s especially dangerous when...
So, you’ve decided you want to start an outdoor guiding business. You’ve chosen your guiding business niche and you’re ready for the next step: creating a business plan. But how do you even start creating one? What kind of information do you need? Why can’t you just text friends and family, asking them to send rock climbers your way? Because if you want to start a guiding business, you need a plan, otherwise, this idea may stay just that: an idea. Traditional Business Plan Vs. Lean Startup Plan A quick Google search will likely show you how to create a...
To start an outdoor guiding business, you need to decide your niche. Here’s how to do that in three steps.
Airbnb’s service fees can make a cool one-bedroom in the heart of the mountains go from cheap to shockingly expensive. Rarely do we go from “Kickass mountain cabin” to “guess we’ll stay at the motel on the outskirts of town because we can afford that.” Travelers are savvy. They know when they’re getting toyed and they know they can expect higher prices—especially now. It’s why Airbnb can charge extraneous service fees and people will pay them. Higher costs aren’t deterring travelers any time soon. Travelers are too excited to experience a once-in-a-lifetime adventure to let Airbnb’s 20% service fees stop...
Adventures in Arkansas are easy to find because there are loads of them. With 52 State Parks, seven national parks (home of the first national park), nine Arkansas Game and Fish Nature and Education centers, mountains, caves, rivers, and hot springs, you’ll be hard-pressed to find yourself bored when you visit this state. They seriously have it all—two mountain ranges, limestone caves, craters full of diamonds, and roughly three million acres of protected forest. After adventuring with all these operators and you’re ready to soak your bones, visit both the smallest and oldest national park in the United States, Hot...
Alaska has an unlimited number of things you can do, places to discover, and limits to reach. It was hard to narrow our list down to eight guiding companies in Alaska that hit all our interests. Below, you’ll find mountain guiding companies, anglers, ATV’ers, snowmobilers, rafters, and everything in between. If you'll be there for a Labor Day weekend, read what we recommend here or if you want to explore an underrated state national park, check out Kobuk Valley National Park. Credit: Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours About them: The owners of Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours, Matti...
Rock climbing in Arizona means you have more exposed rocks than any other state in the US. While it isn’t all climbable, Arizona has the best year-round climbing with crags at nearly every elevation. Not to mention, Arizona has some underrated spots to adventure like the Petrified Forest National Park. From The Pit and Paradise Forks in the north, to the crags of the Watson Lake Dells in Prescott and Queen Creek Canyon just outside of Phoenix in the center, and then Mount Lemmon and Cochise Stronghold to the south near Tucson. Arizona has a ton of climbing to choose...