Outdoor women’s organizations give women a safe, welcoming, and an empowering environment to learn more about their sports and themselves in the outdoors. A woman in the outdoors will have a different experience than men. As a company that strives to get more people outside and taking more adventures, we’re excited to see more and more organizations showcasing and supporting women in the outdoors. We’ve included outdoor women’s organizations that go hiking, climbing, fishing, and all the adventures in between. Black Girls Trekkin Mission: To help empower black women while getting outdoors. To show the world that ladies of color...
Online reservation software is key to the outdoor tourism industry rebounding after the pandemic. It’s a bold statement, but guess what? Do you know who’s going to fuel the outdoor tourism rebound? Youth. Travelers between 18-35 years old. People who use and prefer digital technology. We can nearly do everything without having to talk to someone on the phone. So, which tour provider do you think this group prefers? The one they have to call to book or the one where they can reserve and pay for a hiking trip with a few taps on the screen? It’s no secret...
Avalanche safety training is a must if you want to explore the backcountry. 20-40 people die every year in an avalanche in the US and 90% of those deaths “are from slides triggered by the victim or members of the victim's group.” We all want to explore untouched snow, but going out in the backcountry unprepared, without advanced training, is dangerous. We wanted to chat with an expert ourselves to learn more about avalanches and avalanche safety. We got in touch with Halsted Morris, the President of the Board of Directors for the American Avalanche Association. In this conversation, we...
To move the guiding industry forward with innovative online booking software. Origin launched its partnership with the American Mountain Guides Association (AMGA) this January to offer forward-thinking technology and business support to its members. This partnership aims to empower AMGA-certified guides by hosting webinars and clinics about streamlining the online booking process, reaching more customers through digital marketing, and creating an impactful and user-friendly website. “We are super excited about this opportunity to work with everyone at the AMGA! There are so many exciting opportunities here to work together and move the tech side of the guiding industry forward.”— Alex...
Winter adventures are anything but ordinary. Winter brings a fresh perspective to exploring that you just don’t get in summer. Having to take extra precautions is one of the biggest ways that winter adventures differ from summer. There are seven fundamental things we think you should take into consideration before exploring frozen waterfalls and icy trails: The weather and wind chillRecognizing signs of frostbite and hypothermiaFunction over fashionChecking your gearGo with a guideAssess your physical conditionNutrition and hydration 1. Check the Weather and Wind Chill Weather The first thing you should do before going out is to check the weather...
Strategic partnerships will be key in a post-COVID era in order to rebuild your outdoor guiding business. No industry has gone untouched from the pandemic, and it hit global travel the hardest. Four of ten hotel workers are unemployed. Because international travelers are stuck in their own countries, it’s estimated that the U.S. economy will lose $425 million per day. The travel industry is returning slowly. Airbnb just went public. More people are driving to their destinations, and travelers are eagerly expecting a return to normal travel. As we wrote in an earlier article, focusing on local tourism will be...
Having the ability and willingness to diversify revenue and adapt during the COVID-19 area will set your outdoor guiding business apart and ahead from the competition. McKinsey states you need to identify and prioritize revenue opportunities. Then make the choice to do what needs to be done now or move on. It’s imperative to implement these opportunities before the recovery starts so your tour guiding company can execute them quickly. SHAPE Model Use their SHAPE model to rethink your revenue streams, stand out from the competition, and position yourself for the long run: “Start-up mindset”: Start-ups act more than they...
Outdoor adventure travel is unlike other tour companies. That's why it will recover faster than other travel sectors. Travelers want to immerse themselves in nature, avoid the crowds, and explore off-the-beaten-path. Travelers Prefer The Outdoors Outdoors Provide More Space Since March, travelers have dealt with lockdowns, stay-at-home orders, and quarantines. Because of this, people desperately want to get outside and into nature. In “The Travel Industry Turned Upside Down,” Skift Research states that outdoor scenic travel is recovering faster than other travel sectors. This is likely due to being able to social distance easier. It’s easier to distance yourself physically...
Wondering what an online travel agency is? Arival defines an OTA in its “Sales & Distribution Trends & Outlook 2020” report: “Contract tour and attraction products from operators, market them online, and resell them on their websites for commission.” Below, we’ll provide additional definitions and examples of online travel agencies. We’ll also cover how an online travel agency earns money, their roles in the travel industry, and the disadvantages of online travel agencies. What Is An Online Travel Agency? An Online Travel Agency (OTA) is an online or app-based marketplace where consumers can browse, book, and pay for hotel rooms,...
Colorado State Parks are seeing record numbers of visitors this year because everyone wants to get outside and explore. And we are here for it. What has also come from this surge of State Park visitors is increased congestion, overcrowding, and questionable trail etiquette — especially for Colorado State Parks near Denver. Colorado has 41 diverse State Parks which offer everything from hiking to fishing to horseback riding to spending the weekend in a yurt. We wanted to see what lesser-known Colorado State Parks had to offer so we can practice social distancing as well as discover new places. In...
Online booking software is better for adventure providers. First, it makes it easier for customers to book trips. It also benefits tour operators because it automatically collects, organizes, and centralizes important information needed to run a business. What is Online Booking Software? Online booking software is used for managing reservations. It is a self-service portal that allows for a customer to book and pay for an activity or service through a website. Customers can book trips that have open time/date slots suggested to them by the system. Origin’s simple online booking software easily integrates into your website. It doesn’t need...
IFrames and SEO don't go together like you'd hope they would. See, Iframes impact your site's SEO negatively. We noticed tour operator websites with bookings embedded in an iFrame weren’t showing in Google results. In other words, booking pop-ups installed on sites hindered their SEO. We copied text inside the popup window and pasted that in Google. Nothing came up. We researched further and we're convinced you should not use iframes on your site. We want our clients to succeed. With that, we want their websites to be discoverable through Google search results. Because of this, in this article, we...
While responsible tourism typically seems to be applied on an international scale, there are ways to incorporate responsibility and sustainability into your outdoor tour operations that not only protect the environment but support the local economy. Whether you do an entire overhaul and follow The Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) Criteria or incorporate bits and pieces that are applicable to your tour guiding business, you will inevitably provide a better experience for customers. We know of the seven Leave No Trace Principles: 1) Plan Ahead & Prepare, 2) Travel & Camp on Durable Surfaces, 3) Dispose of Waste Properly, 4)...
Labor Day Weekend is our chance to enjoy the last weeks of summer. Spend it going on one of these adventures.
As we all know, tour operators are a resilient bunch. The travel industry has gone through crises before COVID-19. Everything from terrorist attacks to disease to depressions to wars and we’ll do it again. What this crisis has shown us is how innovative tour guiding companies are. To regain confidence in returning (and new) customers, tour operators must be willing to change and adapt. We found four ways companies are improvising to persevere and even make the travel industry better than before: collaborating with other businesses, personalizing tours, practicing sustainability, and staying flexible. Tour Operators Collaborating With Other Businesses When...