Tailor Made Tours

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GUIDE | PLANNING A TOUR ITINERARY

STEP 1:  Research other tours in the marketplace

Careful planning is required when developing an itinerary for your tour. A helpful exercise is to take a tour which will be similar to the tour you wish to develop and obtain copies of other tour brochures for comparison. This will help you develop ideas for your tour, give you an idea of what is already in the marketplace, give you detailed information on terms and conditions and provide possible ideas for brochure design and content.

STEP 2: Name your tour
STEP 3: Map out the duration, frequency and departure details
  • When will your tour depart?
  • When will your tour return?
  • How often will the tour operate?
  • Where will the central departure point be?
  • Will you offer accommodation pick up?
STEP 4: List the major locations and tour highlights

Where will your tour travel to? What are the main locations and highlights that visitors are going to experience?

STEP 5: Research tour content and draft commentary

List the main topics you wish to include in your commentary, such as flora, fauna, history, culture, as well as the main points to consider with each of these topics and the resources you will use to find the information.

STEP 6: List any 3rd party activities, attractions, entrance fees and inclusions

List any activities offered by other companies or entrance fees and determine if they will be included in your tour price or offered as extras.

Step 7: Organise suppliers for meals

What meals will you provide during your tour – morning and afternoon tea, lunch or dinner? You may wish to provide meals yourself or make arrangements for a restaurant, roadhouse, hotel or farm to provide them for you. Should you choose to prepare your own meals, you will need to ensure you have adequate food handling knowledge, food supplies and cooking facilities. You may also need to seek food handling approval from your local council and meet health department regulations.

STEP 8: Organise accommodation approvals (if required) 
Whether you are passing through, stopping for meals or visiting attractions, it is imperative you obtain permission in writing from the property owner prior to accessing any private property. If travelling through property managed by the Parks and Wildlife you will need to apply for a Commercial Operator’s Licence.
Step 9: Perfect your timing

It is crucially important to map out your tour itinerary accurately to ensure that you arrive on time for activity and meal stops and return to your original destination at a reasonable time. Prepare a table that shows start, stop and duration times for each location, attraction or activity.

Step 10: Test drive your itinerary

It is very important to several ‘dry runs’ of your itinerary to ensure you get the timing right. It is also a very good idea to invite people who have some knowledge of the industry and are prepared to give you constructive comments, to do a tour.