When it comes to travel, a growing list of websites, software and apps can help group planners streamline their trips and their businesses.
The technology comes in many forms. Tour operator software consolidates the many moving parts of group travel, making it easier for planners to manage every aspect of their trips, from communicating with clients to handling back-of-house operations. Other software platforms address more specific needs. Booking software, sometimes referred to as ResTech, manages reservations and bookings; other software helps planners build itineraries.
The following travel tech platforms can help group travel planners take their trips to the next level.
YouLi
Key Uses: Group itineraries, booking and payments, travel management software, website design, mobile app
Killer Feature: Magic Links can send each registered traveler a personalized itinerary that includes their costs, accommodations, personal trip documents and additional activities.
Details: YouLi is tour operator software designed to be a one-stop shop for travel planning. It is easy for both planners and their clients to use and is highly customizable. It allows trip participants to opt in for different accommodations or activities and receive personalized itineraries. So, if a traveler wants to stay extra days or book a different flight, it’s not a problem.
The software allows planners to manage bookings and payments in a secure portal, invoice travelers and generate automatic payment reminders. YouLi can integrate an existing travel website or create new, white-label websites and mobile apps for consistent branding.
Cost: A “light” tier comes with higher booking fees and costs $19 per month; higher tiers have lower booking fees and range from $55 to $160 per month; and custom pricing is available for the enterprise tier.
More Info: go.youli.io
Moonstride
Key Uses: Customer relationship management, office tasks, booking engine, website integration, itinerary building
Killer Feature: Task management allows users to create and allocate tasks to prioritize, organize and meet deadlines in a centralized location.
Details: Moonstride is a customer relationship management (CRM) and back-office platform for travel businesses. Moonstride Group, designed for group travel planners, includes most of the company’s many features. Many are flexible and customizable, such as tour itinerary building and quote building. Automation is one advantage of this software. For example, its automatic payment reminders can reduce workload for travel planners as they collect payments.
The platform also allows travelers to create payment plans. Moonstride integrates with accounting software and with merchant services that process credit card payments. Organizers can send trip details, plans and questions to travelers, and their customers can do the same.
Cost: One-time fee of $1,950 for setup, plus $895 per month for five users
More Info: moonstride.com
WeTravel
Key Uses: Booking and payment platform, itinerary building, white-label solution, marketing
Killer Feature: WeTravel offers a carbon-offsetting feature to promote sustainable tourism. Travelers and planners can purchase a carbon offset for their trip, which WeTravel then invests in certified carbon reduction products.
Details: WeTravel is a booking engine and payment platform designed to make booking and payments simple and streamlined. It handles predeparture tasks such as booking, itineraries, marketing and communication with travelers. Its user-friendly itineraries, which can be integrated into existing websites, can be used to market trips. It also offers multiple payment options for travelers and for tour companies to transfer funds. WeTravel’s online demos and courses help make it an easy-to-implement travel tech tool.
Cost: Free plan for the basics; $79 per month plan for companies and teams; custom pricing for enterprise level
More Info: wetravel.com
GroupCollect Register
Key Uses: Registration, billing, customer relationship management
Killer Feature: GroupCollect Supplier Link connects tour operators to a vetted and updated list of suppliers so they can generate quotes and book faster and more reliably.
Details: GroupCollect Register is an online registration and billing software platform designed for multiday tour operators, trip leaders and suppliers. It allows tour operators to create custom trip pages and documents for travelers to e-sign; sell add-ons to trips, such as travel insurance; and add passengers to waitlists. It also lets them collect online payments through multiple channels, organize travelers by flight and rooming lists, and communicate with their travelers and trip leaders easily. Trip leaders have quick access to traveler information and documents and can easily create trip reports, such as meal preorders or bus lists. There’s also a bulk payment feature and easy payment collection for trip leaders.
Cost: Customized pricing
More Info: groupcollect.com
Travefy
Key Uses: Itinerary management, quote and proposal building, customer relationship management
Killer Feature: Trip Plans, Travefy’s mobile app, makes it easy for clients to receive travel messages and itineraries on the go.
Details: Travefy helps travel professionals more efficiently attract and communicate with clients using eye-catching itineraries that far surpass traditional Word documents or PDF itineraries. These itineraries include city guides, pictures of major attractions and activities, and flight and hotel details. Information about reservations is delivered in real-time through the app, so travelers quickly know when plans change, often before they are notified through other platforms.
Travefy simplifies client communications and offers secure storage for their documents, forms, payment information and signatures. Additional features include white-label websites and marketing tools.
Cost: 10-day free trial; $49 monthly plan; annual plan with monthly payments of $35
More Info: travefy.com
Groupdesk
Key Uses: Customer relationship management and sales, booking engine, sales and marketing
Killer Feature: The white-label feature lets planners promote trips with their brands simultaneously on trip pages and through email campaigns.
Details: Groupdesk is designed to help group travel planners sell their products more efficiently. Travel planners can manage their products and sales with features like lead capturing, recorded payments and confirmations to suppliers, and supplier contract management. Groupdesk allows clients to book trips, store travel documents and important information, and even make roommate requests.
Travel planners can also create white-label trip pages and branded email templates through Mailchimp; manage relationships with suppliers and clients; and create customized and automated payment plans.
Cost: Customized pricing
More Info: groupdesk.net
Rezometry
Key Uses: Central reservation system, custom booking, financial operations and sales
Killer Feature: Vendor portals allow vendors to update rates and pricing on their own, so travelers have the most up-to-date information.
Details: Formerly Tricon Systems, Rezometry is an online booking engine and central reservation system. With this platform, customization is the name of the game. Its powerful software lets tour operators, wholesalers and travel planning companies manage reservations for custom itineraries and fixed packages from a centralized platform. Planners can connect with suppliers to get rates and manage contracts and connect with their clients through automated CRM software.
Payment options can be customized so businesses can manage payments through multiple channels and with different currencies.
Cost: Free trial; custom pricing based on travel business
More Info: rezometry.com
PEAK 15 Systems
Key Uses: Sales and marketing, trip planning, accounting, booking, operations and analytics
Killer Feature: Users can create custom reports and visuals by using company data and trends.
Details: PEAK 15 Systems is a software company that consolidates travel planning for tour operators and companies that specialize in group, scheduled and multi-day travel. Planners can build a budget for their trips, invoice customers in multiple currencies and send traveler information to vendors. PEAK 15 lets planners keep detailed information about their travelers, including payment history, flight and lodging information, special requests and booking history. It integrates with marketing software including MailChimp and HubSpot, as well as accounting software like QuickBooks.
It also allows planners to analyze components of their business, such as comparing actual versus budgeted costs or collecting feedback through a post-trip survey.
Cost: Free trial; custom pricing
More Info: peak15systems.com
Troupe
Key Uses: Itinerary building, group travel communications
Killer Feature: The polling and voting features let travelers share their opinions on pertinent travel questions, from activities and lodging to meals.
Details: Troupe is a website and app designed to simplify group travel planning and encourage communication and collaboration between group members and organizers. With Troupe, travel organizers can invite participants to a custom Tripsite they create. Travelers can use the site to RSVP for trips as well as to suggest trip details, take votes and share notes. Group decisions can be loaded into an attractive itinerary and shared among travelers by mobile app.
Broadcasts let group members send announcements, updates and reminders to everyone on the trip. This user-friendly app allows trips to be planned remotely and democratically.
Cost: Free
More Info: troupe.com
Understanding ‘White Labels’
What does the term “white label” mean?
You probably use white-label products all the time without even realizing it. And that’s the whole point.
White labeling is when one organization creates a product or service and allows another organization to sell it as their own. A great example can be found at your local grocery store. Although you can buy the nationally known brand of spaghetti sauce, you may decide to save a bit of money by purchasing the store brand instead. Of course, the grocery chain isn’t in the business of making spaghetti sauce. Instead, it pays a third-party company to make the sauce and then puts its name on it. That’s white labeling.
In the realm of travel technology platforms, white labeling means tech companies can create customized web pages, payment systems, mobile apps or other online solutions for you to use with your own branding. Your customers get the benefit of professionally built tech tools without leaving your website.
Your technology partners do all the work, and you get all the benefit.
