Walking Tours by Rare Air Travel
Case Study: nICHE TOUR OPERATOR
Karen Haranis teaches singing, trumpet, and trombone to high school students in Melbourne, Victoria. Karen is a passionate bushwalker, and a #GroupLeader at the Melbourne Womens Walking Club.
In 2002 Karen went hiking in the Himalayas, and fell in love with the mesmerizing scenery, rich culture, and the friendliest people. Last year Karen founded Rare Air Travel to combine her passion for trekking with her love for Bhutan. She partnered with the the local guide on the ground, Naymgel and designed immersive walking tours to help Australian bushwalkers connect with the authentic beauty of the Himalayas.
In 2019-2020 Karen will lead 6 group trips each one with a unique itinerary for each one, and this is just the beginning of Karen’s #EntrepreneurialJourney as she is planning to retire from school and work full time on Rare Air travel.
Karen’s story is about overcoming doubts and the power of a #GrowthMindset to become a strong leader.
Life is short! If you want to do something, do it NOW!
But I don't know how to...
Karen’s unique talent is in creating authentic immersive experiences for travelers looking for a non-rushed connection with nature and an opportunity to rejuvenate. Her main audience is coming from the Walking Club network where everyone knows Karen’s organization and leadership skills, but the technical aspects have never been Karen’s strong suit, so she did what any good entrepreneur would do – focused on her strengths and outsourced the technical details to YouLi.
Partnerships, Research & Community
STEP 1
Karen’s first step was to establish a trusted PARTNERSHIP with the local guide on the ground.
Karen walked many trails until she found the one – a compassionate guide with extreme attention to details, love for his native land, and the desire to share his knowledge with the travelers. Naymgel helped Karen better understand Bhutan history, and create real adventures for her clients.
STEP 2
Next came TECHNICAL SUPPORT.
Karen knew leading the community and designing perfect itinerary for the group are in her skill set, but web design is not. She also realized she needs to optimize planning, communications, document exchange if she wants to handle it by herself.
Karen partnered with the YouLi team to create simple in use and visually appealing personalized solution: YouLi Web + YouLi Trips. For Karen that meant full integration between her site and trip management system to plan, present, manage, share, and promote Bhutan walking tours, all with 0% commission FREE bookings.
Available for all YouLi clients
Document Management
Document management saves time updating travelers – once uploaded, new information is instantly available to all participants
Tasks for Travelers
Karen requests passport copies, dietary requirements, and health related info. The system collects it all in ONE place, ready to be downloaded with a single click.
Automated Emails
A pre-set sequence of tasks sends an automated reminder to each traveler exactly when it’s needed. As a result travelers can manage their pre-trip prep themselves..
Branded website
YouLi is a white-label solution, so Karen's travel pages are branded under Rare Air Travel to help her maintain professional look and status. Stylish landing pages ensure a polished presentation of each trip, on all devices
integrated itineraries
Any changes made to the trip are automatically updated on your site. No outdated website ever, and all travelers are easily informed and never see an out of date version.
reliable back-end support
Rare Air Travel is a small business with big ambitions, so the software has to be able to grow with the company. The flexibility to add capabilities Karen needs is available as her group travel business scales
No monthly fee. No credit card needed.
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