You’re probably reading this because you have an automated booking confirmation process, right? You take trip reservations over the phone. You write your client’s contact information and credit card details on a random piece of paper. Then you draft an email with the trip date, time, meeting location, and whatever they need to bring with them. We’ve heard this story hundreds of times. In fact, one of our clients, Ryan, at Atlantic Climbing School, realized he was working hours before and after business hours doing menial and mundane tasks like sending confirmation emails to clients. All the extra time spent...
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 guiding season is non-stop. There’s always an adventure to go on with an expert guide, but some guiding companies only operate during a specific season or two. For those preparing for their upcoming season, here are eight tech aspects to have dialed before you take clients on their next adventure. Review Or Update Your Liability Waivers Have liability waivers for your guided trips? It’s a good idea to review your liability waiver text and make sure they’re up-to-date. If you have a new trip that requires an additional waiver, it’s important to upload that before the season. Origin users...
Tour deposit functionality, especially those that are higher-priced, makes it more appealing to customers when they can book now and pay later. With the uncertainty of travel currently, especially with airlines, deposits give travelers peace of mind —knowing that they don’t have to pay in full right now in case a trip is canceled outside of their control. The Problem - Without Deposit Functionality When you don’t have automatic deposit functionality, you can take the initial deposit, but collecting the rest is a pain. It becomes a manual and insecure process of charging a credit card. For tour operators who...
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...
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...
Origin is the latest online marketplace for booking authentic outdoor adventures with expert guides. From helping tour guides and outfitting businesses thrive through online booking and modern technology, to empowering travelers to find and reserve the perfect adventure, we’re passionate about making the outdoors more accessible to those who want to explore the wild.
When your booking software is easy to use, it makes it easier for people to research and book online at any time and place and keeps you organized. This leads to more bookings and less stress of managing a tour guide company.
Streamlined booking will be essential in a post-COVID-19 era because the travel industry will never be the same. While travel has dropped significantly, it will bounce back. When it does, tour guides and operators need to take advantage of the available modern technology.
Outdoor guides not only love the outdoors but they thrive in nature. They have customer service skills and passion to give their guests an epic wilderness experience. Exploring with an outdoor guide is perfect for those who want to adventure with an expert. Outdoor guides lead technical activities like rafting, climbing, and mountaineering where the journey, destination, and the experience are the same goal. Here are four reasons why you should explore with an outdoor guide for your next adventure: 1. Outdoor Guides Know The Lay Of The Land If you’re relying on Google and social media to find the...
What is Origin? Origin is the online activity booking software empowering adventure-seekers and streamlining the outdoor adventure process. From helping tour outfitters thrive through online booking and modern technology, to empowering travelers to find and reserve the perfect adventure, we’re passionate about making the outdoors more accessible to those who want to explore the wild. Origin’s online activity booking software: Uses modern technology to streamline the tour booking process for outfitters and customers. Reduces the administrative work for operators. Improves the accuracy of tracking tour availability both for guides and customers. Creates a better user experience by providing a one-stop...