The magic of Safari Portal is that it is designed to take you from the preliminary planning stages of a trip with lookbooks, to the detailed proposal stage with itineraries, all the way to collecting and managing guest information and sharing important pre-travel information and documents. This last stage is done through the guest portals.
So, let's say that you're about to create your very first Safari Portal proposal for a potential guest. You click on Create New Itinerary and are faced with two options that pop up on screen: New Itinerary and New Lookbook. But what on earth is the difference between the two? When should I use each one?
Well, don't fear, the answer is simpler than you might think!
What Is A Lookbook?
Whilst it is not necessary to start from a lookbook before moving to an itinerary, it is often a useful first step as lookbooks can be used to quickly share inspiration or ideas for a potential trip.
A lookbook might include some different possible destinations by pulling in a few area pages; it could include different possible accommodation options by pulling in a few property pages; you might even create a lookbook just of possible activities or tours that might be included in a final itinerary; or even a lookbook of restaurant recommendations for a particular destination. Essentially, anything that already lives within your content library can be pulled into a lookbook and personalized or edited from there as necessary.
The real value with a lookbook is being able to share a visually impactful, detailed, professional-looking proposal within a few minutes of having that first touchpoint or inquiry. This way, you can capture potential guests within your ecosystem rather than having them off googling where to go or where to stay and potentially losing them for good.
The great news is that creating a lookbook can be done in just 2 minutes... and we're not even exaggerating.
❓Need a reminder of how to create a lookbook? Click here.
Note: You cannot change your lookbook into an itinerary.
What Is An Itinerary?
This is the part where ideas turn into actual plans. A travel itinerary will likely include logistical details such as transportation between locations, number of nights at each property, planned activities and excursions, dates, costs, inclusions, and more.
Your clients should be able to refer back to this at all times to remind themselves what each day of their holiday entails; you are always able to generate a print friendly Word or PDF version of any itinerary or lookbook, and the digital links also cache for offline access in case your guests are on a plane or happen to lose network.
❓Need a reminder of how to create an itinerary? Click here.
Looking for some lookbook or itinerary inspiration? Check out the Inspiration section on the Safari Portal Notice Board here.
Have fun creating beautiful content 👩🎨