Every day, we talk with tour operators looking to make their businesses run smoother and more profitably. No matter what stage their business is at, each operator is always on the lookout for ways to streamline operations, freeing up more time to grow the business and focus on what they love: running tours.
Tour Operators often ask us what others are doing, from what tools they’re using to roster guides, to more practical questions like how they keep track of reservations. In these conversations, we’d share insights from one operator with another until it hit us—why not make it easier to share these insights and tips with all operators, whether they’re just starting out or have decades under their belts?
That’s why we started Fieldnotes. By sharing what we’re learning and the best practices we’ve gathered, our goal is to create a go-to resource for all operators. It’s a foundation of best practices, proven tips, and real stories to give every tour operator a head start.
Tour Management Made Easier
Fieldnotes is all about the practical side of running tours—the planning, organising, and day-to-day management of tours as a business. It’s the nitty-gritty side of tours, and the stuff we love. Every edition, we’ll dive into a new topic, share insights from our conversations with operators, and spotlight stories from across the industry.
Fieldnotes will tackle the real-world questions operators ask, like:
- What insurance do I need?
- How should I price my tours?
- How do I make sure I comply with regulations in Country Y?
- What tech tools can streamline my operations?
- How can I build a strong, reliable team?
Our goal is simple: to make useful practices and shared experiences accessible to all tour operators. Whether you’re new and looking for guidance or a seasoned operator tackling new challenges, we want to provide the knowledge, tools, and resources you need to find answers fast. Over time, our vision is to build a go-to knowledge base and a community where operators can connect, share, and learn from each other.
Who We Are
At heart, we’re operation geeks who love building technology to make people’s life easier. We’re also passionate travellers who believe in the power of transformative travel experiences. So, when we saw an opportunity to create something for an industry devoted to delivering unforgettable journeys, we knew we had to dive in.
So while you’re out there exploring the world, creating unforgettable experiences for others to enjoy, we’re deep in the back office, mapping out processes, digging into research, and whiteboarding solutions to the toughest operational challenges, like reservation management. We geek out over this stuff (seriously, ask Jeff how many tools he uses). That’s why we work well together: our role is to nail down the mechanics of tour organisation so you can do what you do best—design and deliver unforgettable experiences. In all my years, I’ve yet to meet a tour operator who enjoys process mapping more than journey mapping.
For the past four years, we’ve been fully immersed in tour management, working behind the scenes with hundreds of operators. We’ve spent thousands of hours talking with operators, poring over their spreadsheets, and sharing screens. This deep dive into tour operations has given us a clear understanding of what it takes to run a successful tour business—insights that we’re channelling into building the best tour management software for operators.
What Fieldnotes Is About
Fieldnotes is about the core practices and principles of running tours—those timeless fundamentals that hold true, no matter how technology changes (though we’re committed to keeping our tech ahead of the curve!). Our goal is to provide you with reliable knowledge that helps you manage your business smoothly, whether or not you choose to use our tools.
While we’ll occasionally share how the insights we’re gathering shape our product, Fieldnotes will stay focused on delivering actionable knowledge and real-world advice you can put to use right away. We hope you find Fieldnotes a valuable companion on your tour management journey, as we share tips, tools, and stories from across the industry to help you run a more efficient and profitable business.
Tours are the Fine Dining of Travel
We like to think of tours as the “fine dining” of travel. They’re special, carefully crafted journeys designed to create memorable experiences. Just as a fine dining restaurant combines top-quality ingredients, expert techniques, and beautiful presentation to serve an unforgettable meal, a well-organised tour brings together unique activities and destinations into a cohesive itinerary that leaves a lasting impression.
In fine dining, a flawless experience every night doesn’t happen by luck. It’s the result of a finely tuned system in the kitchen, clear communication across teams, and talented staff. Great restaurants aren’t just about the chefs—they rely on strong processes and the right tools to keep everything flowing smoothly.
Tours are similar. They’re premium experiences, so travellers expect quality, reliability, and something that feels both personal and well-organised. Every tour, whether it’s a bike trip through France, a backpacking adventure in Thailand, or a motorcycle journey across Argentina, needs to hit that high mark. Tours are more than just an itinerary, they are an experience.
Behind the scenes, delivering that kind of experience requires a “kitchen” of its own—a back office that’s organised, efficient, and prepared to handle everything from managing itineraries to coordinating with local suppliers.
The question for tour operators becomes: how do you consistently deliver this high level of quality, consistency, and personalisation? The answer lies in building the right systems and processes to support every step of the tour experience.
Best Practices of Tour Management
Creating a well-organised tour experience, like we talked about, requires a strong system behind the scenes. In our conversations with operators, we’ve found that the most successful companies follow a few core practices. We’ve identified six best practices that form the backbone of effective tour operations.
1 Single Source of Truth
Keep all tour information in one central place. Avoid putting details in different systems, which can lead to mistakes or outdated information. Using shared documents or a central platform means changes only need to be made once, keeping everything accurate and consistent.
2 Standardization & Automation
Create standard processes and templates, like Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), for your team. This makes sure tasks are done consistently every time, reducing errors and improving efficiency. Automating repetitive tasks saves time and further reduces the chance of mistakes.
3 Centralised Knowledge Management
Store all essential resources—like templates, checklists, and vendor contacts—in one place. This helps your team quickly find what they need, ensures consistency, and avoids wasted time searching for information.
4 Team Alignment & Visibility
Make sure everyone involved in the tour can easily see the tour’s current status. Having a clear system keeps team members on the same page without needing constant updates, improving communication and teamwork.
5 Seamless Handovers
As the tour moves from sales to planning to execution, it’s crucial to transfer information smoothly between team members. Good handovers prevent information gaps and reduce extra prep work, leading to a smoother overall operation.
6 Risk Management
Plan for potential risks ahead of time. This includes things like bad weather, supplier issues, or other logistical problems. Having backup plans helps reduce the chances of disruptions and keeps the tour running smoothly.
Each newsletter, we’ll dive deeper into these practices and share stories that show how other operators put them into action.
There Are No Magic Bullets
I have a confession to make. For years, I’ve been looking for that one tool that will make my workday effortlessly streamlined. I’ve lost count of how many tools I’ve tried, it’s got to be approaching triple digits. I’m addicted to the idea/fantasy that it’s out there somewhere—though deep down, I know it doesn’t really exist. But the thrill of the search keeps me hoping!
What I’ve learned is that while tools can bring real efficiency gains, they usually spawn new problems that need to be solved. Take a CRM, for example: it’s brilliant for managing customer relationships, but then you have to organise it, track follow-ups, and keep data up to date. Solving one problem leads another.
In tour management, as in life, there are no magic bullets. It’s tempting to think that a new tool or tactic will deliver the efficiency you’re after, but tools are rarely a perfect fix. They often open up new ways to improve, sparking fresh ideas and more opportunities to streamline.
And that’s a good thing. It’s a sign of growth. As your business evolves, technology advances, and customer expectations shift, your operations have to keep up. Tour management is a journey of continuous improvement—finding areas that could run better, testing new approaches, and making small optimisations to keep things running smoothly.
Why Sharing These Insights Matter
This idea of continuous improvement is a big part of why we’re writing this newsletter. By sharing insights on tour management and stories from other operators, we hope to give you practical ideas and solutions you can use in your own business. You won’t have to start from scratch—you’ll have a strong foundation, learning from what’s worked (and what hasn’t) for others.
In building software, for example, one of our challenges has been deciding which features to prioritise and how to build them efficiently. Fortunately, product management has a wealth of shared knowledge, so we didn’t have to reinvent the wheel. We had a foundation we could adapt to fit our needs.
In tour management, we’ve noticed that kind of shared knowledge is lacking. And that’s what we’re aiming to change with Fieldnotes.
By sharing insights on tour management and stories from other operators, we hope to give you practical ideas and solutions you can use in your own business.
What You Can Expect from Fieldnotes
Now that you know what we’re about and why we’re writing this, here’s what you can expect from Fieldnotes:
- Practical Advice: We’ll dive into actionable strategies that can help you run tours more smoothly—from itinerary management and logistics to team coordination and customer experience. Our aim is to offer tips you can implement right away to see immediate benefits.
- Actionable Resources: We know that running a tour business is demanding, so we’ll save you time by providing templates, checklists, and other tools that simplify daily operations. These resources are designed to be practical and easy to adapt to your own needs.
- Real Stories from Operators: Each newsletter will feature stories and lessons from fellow operators. These real-world insights bring a fresh perspective and showcase how others are tackling challenges, finding creative solutions, and delivering unforgettable tours.
- Behind the Scenes: We’ll also give you a peek into how we’re building Fieldbook’s tour management system. While this won’t be a product pitch, we think it’s valuable to share how the principles and best practices we discuss shape what we’re building, and how they can apply broadly to your own operations and the tools your using.
Whether you’re just starting out or are a seasoned operator, we hope these insights and resources will support you on your journey to creating an efficient, profitable, and enjoyable tour business.
We Want to Hear From You!
We’re excited to start this journey with you, sharing tips, stories, and resources to help you run a more efficient and profitable tour business.
But Fieldnotes is as much about our community as it is about sharing advice, so we’d love to know if the topics above resonate with you or if there are specific challenges you’d like us to explore. Your feedback will help shape future issues of Fieldnotes—whether that’s diving deeper into specific tour management strategies, highlighting more operator stories, or exploring new tools and trends in the industry.
And if you’d like to connect for a virtual coffee or chat further about your unique needs, my diary is open! Let us know how we can make Fieldnotes as valuable to you as possible. Here’s to building a supportive community of operators who are passionate about creating exceptional travel experiences!
