Building an Adventure Tour Company People Come Back To for 20 Years with Dan Oberlatz of Alaska Alpine Adventures

Between Booking and Trip Day — The Pre-Trip Experience That Wins Reviews

Did you know that most guest satisfaction is shaped before the trip even begins? In this episode of the Tour Operator Growth Podcast, we break down the often-overlooked part of the customer journey that happens between booking day and trip day. This is the window where guests either become more excited and confident about their purchase… or start second-guessing whether they made the right decision. Greg and Nikki unpack how confirmation emails, post-purchase communication, real-time updates, and pre-trip messaging can dramatically improve guest confidence, reduce cancellations, increase upsells, and lead to more five-star reviews. They also share real stories from Western River Expeditions, Kilimanjaro, Svalbard, and more to show what great pre-trip communication actually looks like in practice. This episode kicks off Stage 4 of the Growth Engine: Experiencing. Because the guest experience starts long before anyone shows up at the meeting point. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters: 00:00 Why the Guest Experience Starts Before Trip Day 02:18 The Swamp Tour That Felt Like a Scam 06:06 How Great Pre-Trip Communication Builds Trust 11:32 The Confirmation Email Every Tour Operator Needs 14:41 Using Post-Purchase Emails to Increase Revenue 17:47 Smart Upsells That Actually Add Value to the Trip 19:46 Why Personalized Communication Reduces Cancellations 21:52 Real-Time Notifications That Improve the Guest Experience 26:07 Pre-Trip Messages That Eliminate Support Calls 29:36 How to Apply This to Day Tours and Short Booking Windows

Building an Adventure Tour Company People Come Back To for 20 Years with Dan Oberlatz of Alaska Alpine Adventures

What makes a tour feel truly transformational? And how do you build an experience guests never stop talking about? In this episode, Nikki sits down with Dan Oberlatz, founder of Alaska Alpine Adventures, to talk about building one of Alaska’s most respected wilderness adventure companies over the last 28 years. Dan shares how Alaska Alpine grew from a single guest and a Backpacker Magazine ad into a thriving adventure travel business serving more than 400 guests a year. They dive into attracting the right traveler, creating experiences that genuinely change people’s lives, why expectation-setting matters so much in adventure travel, and how word of mouth, repeat guests, and emotional connection have fueled long-term growth. You’ll also hear: - Why “transformational travel” creates stronger referrals and loyalty - How Alaska Alpine filters for the right-fit customer - Lessons learned from working with OTAs vs direct bookings - What makes email marketing still incredibly effective - How storytelling and emotion drive bookings - Why great experiences start long before the trip begins This episode touches every stage of the Growth Engine — from Dreaming and Planning to Experiencing and Sharing — and is packed with insights for tour operators who want to build a business guests remember for the rest of their lives. Learn more about Dan and Alaska Alpine Adventures: https://alaskaalpineadventures.com/author/dan-oberlatz 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters:  00:00 Welcome to the show - Alaska Alpine Adventures 01:50 How Dan Fell in Love With Alaska 04:20 Starting an Alaska Tour Company With $5,000 05:57 Competition in Alaska Adventure Travel 07:16 What Creates a Transformational Guest Experience 09:40 Why a Better Booking System Increased Sales 10:18 Defining the Right Adventure Traveler 12:19 Why Alaska Alpine Had to Filter Out the Wrong Guests 15:58 How Transformational Travel Creates Word of Mouth 17:44 Why Guests Keep Coming Back to Alaska 21:13 Why OTAs Didn’t Work for Alaska Alpine Adventures 24:07 Email Marketing Strategies That Still Drive Bookings 33:00 Dan’s Advice for Tour Operators Starting Today

Build a Checkout Flow That Actually Closes the Sale

You did the hard work — they clicked Book Now. So why are so many of them dropping off before they finish? In Part 2 of the Booking Stage, Nikki, Greg, and Brandon Lake dig into what happens after the click: the checkout flow, mobile experience, upsells, and the small friction points quietly costing tour operators bookings every day. We talk through how many steps your booking process should really have, the calendar and form mistakes that send visitors to a competitor, why mobile-first matters more than ever, and how smart upsells can lift your average order value without adding a single new customer. Plus how offline conversions — phone calls, chats, and emails — fit into the bigger picture. In this episode: * The biggest checkout killers: friction, uncertainty, and a broken mobile experience * Where to place upsells (and how to grow average order value on any tour) * Why post-booking silence is killing your conversion rate — and what to do instead 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com 0:00 Intro & Welcome to Part 2 of the Booking Stage 0:42 How Often Do People Abandon Checkout? 2:47 Traffic Is Down — Why That's Not Always Bad 5:08 Conversion Rate vs. Traffic Volume 9:02 How Many Steps Should a Booking Process Have? 10:23 Common Friction Points That Cause Drop-Offs 14:13 Eliminating Dead Ends in the Checkout Flow 17:12 Mobile vs. Desktop: Why Conversion Rates Differ 20:15 Mobile Checkout Issues to Watch For 24:06 Uncertainty: The Hidden Checkout Killer 26:18 Silence: Why You Need a Way for Customers to Reach You 27:22 Post-Booking Communication & Customer Confidence 28:33 What to Include in a High-Converting Checkout 30:25 Borrowing Amazon's One-Click Concept for Tours 33:14 How Visibility & Conversion Rate Compound 34:52 Upsells & Increasing Average Order Value 42:13 The Power of Strategic Upsells 42:51 Offline Conversions: Phone, Chat & Email 47:52 Why Personal Connection Drives Bookings 48:46 Wrap-Up & What's Next: The Experience Stage

3 Tour Page Fixes That Drive More Bookings

Your tour pages are the 15-second preview that decides whether a visitor becomes a booking or bounces. In this episode, Nikki and Greg are joined by returning guest Brandon Lake to kick off the Booking Stage of the Resmark Growth Engine, starting with the product page itself. We break down why most tour operator sites convert at just 1–3%, the trust markers and copy that need to live above the fold, and how to write tour descriptions that speak to your ideal customer instead of yourself. Plus real numbers from real clients — including a 37% conversion lift in a single month and a 150% increase from tour page optimization alone. In this episode: * Why 98 out of 100 visitors walk out of your "theater" — and how to keep more of them * How to write tour descriptions that match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) * The relevance, reassurance, and performance framework for fast conversion wins 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com Chapters:  0:00 Intro & Kicking Off the Booking Stage 1:14 Why People Land on Tour Pages and Don't Book 1:21 The Theater Analogy: What Conversion Rate Really Means 4:35 The 5 Questions Every Visitor Is Asking 6:45 How to Optimize Tour Pages for Conversion 8:34 Imagery That Resonates With Your Ideal Customer 10:10 Converted Skeptics & Named Guides 12:15 Trust Markers & Cancellation Policies 13:23 Writing Tour Descriptions for Your Ideal Customer 14:54 The Data-Driven ICP Process at ResmarkWeb 18:08 Speak to Them, Not About You (Features vs. Outcomes) 22:08 Qualifying and Disqualifying Visitors 23:24 The "Know Before You Go" Section 24:42 What Belongs Above the Fold 29:27 The Power of a Key Differentiator 31:06 Real Client Results: 150% Conversion Lift 32:35 The 3 Final Fixes: Relevance, Reassurance, Performance 39:43 Wrap-Up & What's Next in Part 2

Why Tour Operators Lose Bookings Without Clarity

What actually makes someone choose your tour over everyone else? In this episode, we bring on Katja from the Resmark team, who works hands-on with tour operators every day, to break down what’s really happening in the Planning stage. We get into why so many potential guests open multiple tabs, feel overwhelmed, and leave, and how a lack of clarity is usually the reason.  From a traveler’s perspective and real client experience, we talk about what builds trust, what makes your experience stand out, and how to capture and nurture people who aren’t ready to book yet. 🚀 Take the Growth Engine Assessment to find out where you might need to improve: https://www.resmarksystems.com/growth-engine-survey 📲 Follow Us on Social Media - Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ResmarkSystems - Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/resmarkllc - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@RESMARKSystems - LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/resmark-systems 📈 Want Help Growing Your Tour Business? Visit https://www.resmarkweb.com Book a call: https://www.resmarkweb.com/request-quote Call or text us directly: 385-449-4079 Email Nikki: nikki@resmarksystems.com