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One of the trickiest parts of running a tour or experience operation isn't the booking itself — it's everything that happens between confirmation and arrival. Will guests know where to meet? Will they bring the right gear? Will they show up on time? These last-minute questions, phone calls, and no-shows are a familiar drain on team time and energy.
Yonder's Pre-Trip SMS feature solves this with a simple, automated solution: a customised text message sent to your guests ahead of their experience, at exactly the right time.
What Is Pre-Trip SMS?
Pre-Trip SMS is a feature within Yonder's Reviews and Survey tool that lets you automatically send customised SMS reminders to guests before their booked experience. You choose the timing, write the message, select which products it applies to, and Yonder handles the rest.
The result is fewer last-minute calls to your team, fewer confused guests on arrival day, and a more professional, polished guest experience — all without any manual effort once the template is set up.
Note: Pre-Trip SMS is currently available for US and Canada (+1) phone numbers.
Why Pre-Trip Communication Matters
The window between booking and arrival is a critical but often underserved part of the guest journey. Guests who feel well-prepared and well-informed arrive in a better headspace — more relaxed, more excited, and less likely to create friction for your team on the day.
A well-timed reminder can cover everything a guest needs: where to meet, what time to arrive, what to bring, what to wear, weather conditions, parking information, and any last-minute updates. This proactive communication reduces inbound enquiries, reduces no-shows, and sets the tone for a great experience before it even begins.
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Key Benefits for Tour and Activity Operators
Better guest preparedness. A reminder with clear, specific information — meeting location, what to bring, when to arrive — dramatically reduces the "Where are you?" and "What should I wear?" calls that eat into your team's time on busy mornings.
Significant time savings. Instead of manually emailing or texting each guest before every trip, you set up a template once and automation handles every booking from there. For operators with moderate to high booking volumes, this alone can save hours every week.
A more professional guest experience. Guests notice and appreciate the attention. A timely, helpful SMS reinforces that your operation is organised and reliable — which is itself a form of social proof that contributes to positive reviews and word-of-mouth referrals.
Reduced stress and last-minute scrambles. When you know every guest is being reminded automatically, the frantic check-in phone calls and last-minute logistics questions become a thing of the past.
An upsell and inform opportunity. Your pre-trip message can do more than cover logistics. Include a note about optional add-ons, upgrade opportunities, or relevant information — like "The forecast looks great tomorrow — perfect conditions for your kayaking experience!" — that adds value and potentially increases booking revenue.
How to Set It Up
Getting started with Pre-Trip SMS takes just a few minutes. If you're on Yonder's Reviews product bundle, you're ready to go:
- In the Yonder sidebar, navigate to Pre-Trip SMS → Setup tab
- Click + Add New to create a new template
- Give the template a name and choose when the SMS will be sent (e.g. 24 hours before, 48 hours before)
- Write your message — use variable tags like guest name and booking time for personalisation
- Toggle Enable this template to activate it
- Click Next: Select Products and choose which tours or experiences this reminder applies to
- Save, confirm the compliance notice, and you're live
If you'd like guest replies to come back into Yonder's Unified Inbox, set up the SMS Inbox Channel integration — otherwise messages are sent from a shared Yonder number and replies won't be routed back to your system.
Best Practices for Getting the Most From Pre-Trip SMS
Time it right. A reminder sent 24–48 hours before the experience hits the sweet spot — close enough to feel timely, far enough ahead to be useful. Too early and it gets forgotten; too late and it's not actionable.
Personalise the message. Use variable tags to address guests by name and reference their specific booking time. "Hi Sarah, we're looking forward to your kayaking tour tomorrow at 9am!" feels entirely different from a generic reminder.
Include only the essentials. SMS has a limited character count — focus on the information that most reduces anxiety and most frequently drives inbound questions. Meeting location, arrival time, what to bring, and a contact number covers the majority of needs.
Test before you go live. Create an internal test booking to verify the message, timing, and product selection all behave as expected before enabling the template broadly.
Monitor your SMS allowance. Yonder plans include a monthly SMS send allowance shared across Pre-Trip SMS and other SMS features. Yonder sends alerts at 75%, 95%, and 100% usage — check your plan at Yonder Pricing to ensure your allowance matches your booking volume.
Combine with other touchpoints. Pre-Trip SMS works best as part of a broader communication flow. Pair it with a post-booking email confirmation, and follow up after the experience with Yonder's automated review request — turning a smooth arrival into a five-star review.
Close the Loop — Before, During, and After
Pre-Trip SMS handles the before. Yonder's AI Chatbot handles the during — answering questions on your website 24/7 and guiding visitors toward booking. Yonder's AI Voice Agent answers every phone call instantly, around the clock. And Yonder's Reviews and Survey tool closes the loop after — automatically requesting feedback and directing your happiest guests to share publicly.
Together, they cover every stage of the guest journey with automation that works while your team focuses on delivering exceptional experiences.
Want to see Pre-Trip SMS and the full Yonder platform in action? 👇
