How to save time when creating safari itineraries

Building a safari itinerary might appear to be an easy task for many people who assume it’s just selecting a destination, booking a hotel, and adding the means of transport until you get to the real thing.

Coming up with a practical itinerary involves a lot of evaluations. You need to know which is the best geographical route to use, which lodges or camps are available, which is the nearest airstrip to the selected lodges, whether you include the park fees, whether it is possible to connect the flights the same day, and what the visitor’s purpose for the safari is, which affects the best days for a successful experience. Without these answers, you may end up with an itinerary that will keep you in repeated revisions. The following tips will help you build a smarter planning system.

Get a clear client brief

Start by understanding what specifically the client wants to achieve through the safari. Note down the most essential details, including the travel dates, number of personnel who will be traveling, budget per person, choice of accommodation, whether the safari is private or shared, and what their preferred destination is. This information will help you tailor the exact quote for the client’s needs.

Build a library of destinations and Accommodation Options

As an experienced safari planner, you should never start a safari itinerary from zero. You need prior information on destinations, camps, and lodges so you can work to deliver a great safari experience. Before writing the quote, you need to know the location of the closest airstrip, accommodation category, seasons of the safari, and types of rooms at the place of stay, child policies, and entrance rates, among others. This will help you match the client’s interest with the best available options.

Create Templates for Popular Safaris

Templates make your work easier and more efficient, as you only need to fill in the new client details to an existing safari plan. For example, you need a template for 3 days Maasai Mara safari, a Maasai Mara and Diani combination Safari, the Great Migration safari itinerary, a honeymoon safari, etc. You will keep the quote personalized, but the basic structure remains.

Check the Geography before Confirming the Prices

Late confirmation of the logistics can easily ruin your plans. You have to map the whole journey before booking accommodations. Confirm the flying time, driving distances, and avoid unnecessary backtracking. Align your destinations in a logically geographical manner.

Convey information from one centralized source

Safari itineraries are prone to constant changes, including flight schedules, park entrance fees, availability, and rates of accommodation. You need a central source to make any updates on the current rates, supplier contacts, and accommodation contacts. Create a central place where a consultant can access all the required details for a safari.

Know the difference between research and an itinerary

Do not waste time writing too much about the enquired safari. An itinerary requires you to understand the client’s request, their preferred destination and route, choice of accommodation, travel options, and availability and costs for the services.

Avoid repetition through automation, but keep the human judgement

Use modern tools to create your itinerary and quotations faster. A system will help you to calculate the cost for the number of days chosen faster and more accurately. A customer management system will help you to keep track of your client’s enquiries and safari information for faster access.

Generally, saving time means avoiding unnecessary work before proposing a quotation to your client. Travel agency tools like travessian.com help safari planners access an itinerary builder that helps create professional itineraries and reuse selling itineraries, saving travel agents a lot of time when handling similar enquiries from different clients.