In today's world, multi-day tourism operators must balance two very different travel styles - FIT (Free Independent Travellers) versus those who prefer Scheduled Departure tours.
Each model offers distinct opportunities and operational challenges. Understanding how to provide for both unlocks opportunities to grow a resilient tourism business.
This article explores the differences between these traveller preferences. Strong product positioning backed up by robust technology will give you the foundation for success.
What is FIT Travel?
In tourism, FIT means "Free Independent Traveller." A FIT likes to research, plan and book everything themselves. This could include all their own transportation, accommodation and activities.
You might wonder where a tour operator aligns with the concept of tourism FIT. The key is tapping into what they value most - flexibility and customised experiences. If you can offer this while removing the hassles of travel logistics, you have a tour model to offer this group. Offer options to tailor activities, accommodations, and schedules. Let travellers choose their own dates, pace, and preferences, like places to eat and visit.
Meanwhile, behind the scenes, the tour operator handles everything else. They manage accommodation bookings, gear allocation, transfers, and resources like bikes. A custom itinerary and mobile navigation tools assist the FIT during their adventure.
While FIT travellers want independence, they still rely on the expertise of a local on the ground. The tour operator is there to advise, curate and support their experience.
What is a Scheduled Departure Tour?
Scheduled Departure tours are more structured. They have fixed start (or departure) dates, set itineraries, and often involve a guide. Customers join as part of a group, and the operator manages all logistics from their base. This includes guides, vehicles, meals, equipment, and accommodation.
This model suits travellers who want everything taken care of, and who enjoy the camaraderie of a group setting. Scheduled Departure tours can also offer personal touches, such as accommodating dietary requirements or providing optional excursions
How to Cater for the Operational Differences?
Communication & Documentation
For FIT travel, communication is more detailed and more frequent:
You’ll need to send reminders, confirmations, waivers, itinerary and supplier notes. Use branded email templates, with options for automation or manual send. You should be able to see the email transactions eg send date, read, bounced, etc.
A mobile app is critical. It becomes their guide, with navigation, daily timings, and bookings. It includes details on hotel services, check-in times and directions. Activity bookings and how to get support in an emergency is important too. Sorry folks, but a 50 page ‘roadbook’ in .pdf format is not what a self-guided multi-day cyclist or hiking group needs. Travellers expect a mobile app today. Info like the best lunch spot or how to store a bike overnight can make or break the experience.
For Scheduled Departures, the guide plays a central role. Streamline and target communication:
Email templates should be specific to guides. Separate communications with customers and suppliers.
Resource scheduling is a key workflow to help plan availability and to roster guides, assign vehicles, etc.
Store documents like customer details or supplier links in the Master record for the tour. Provide these to the guides as output reports for on tour management. They might include dietary or fitness information, and medical or accessibility requirements.
The mobile app supports customers with direct itinerary info —like "What time do we meet today?"
Resource and Staff Management
Both models need:
Rostering (luggage drivers, customer support)
Vehicle, bike, and gear assignments
Where it differs:
FIT tours need per-traveller configuration for equipment dropped outside the depot. Bikes matched to height, luggage tagged per day, transfers booked per location.
FIT tours also need special briefing documentation. Your staff needs all the information about the tour, to deliver a valuable pre-tour briefing. This attention to detail will wow your customers.
Scheduled tours manage resources per group, and guides often oversee execution. Guides need to know their roster schedule ahead of time, who their team is, and the resources allocated to them.
For FIT travel, managing these micro-details requires technology that can handle many suppliers for the same function (e.g. a taxi one day, staff the next). All done behind the scene to ensure you keep the customer experience seamless.
Supporting the Customer On-Tour
Scheduled travellers ask questions, for example when’s lunch, where do we meet, what’s next? A mobile app with daily schedule info reduces pressure on guides and improves the guest experience. Most guided companies don’t think they need an app for their customer, but those that do are delivering a higher quality experience.
FIT travellers need confidence and autonomy. Their mobile app must include maps and navigation tools, weather forecasts, key times and vouchers for activities, supplier contacts, and offline access for remote areas. This lets them travel with freedom while knowing support is a call or text away.
Can you find where your FIT travellers are in case of an emergency, or weather event? Tour Operators serving hundreds of customers per day consider this feature in Odyssey essential. Using SMS or WhatsApp to share important or urgent updates will earn extra points with your customers.
Why This Matters
Many operators lean toward one model but the real opportunity lies in offering both. FIT tourism opens new revenue streams with lowering operational staff overheads. Scheduled departures provide high-margin, fixed-date inventory that’s easier to market.
Trying to run both models using spreadsheets, disconnected apps, or email alone would be chaos.
That’s where software like Odyssey comes in, which caters for the nuances of multi-day travel. It is flexible enough to support guided and FIT travel operations from the same system.
Delivering both FIT and Scheduled Departure tours doesn’t need to be complex. All you needs is the right system to:
Centralise data - one source of truth
Automate & template communication
Manage resources without stress
Support customers wherever they are
Whether you’re growing your FIT travel product or expanding into group departures, Odyssey will adapt to your products and company size. Simplicity when you need it, great depth as you grow.
Contact us if you have any questions about how to manage FIT or Scheduled Departures. Book a Demo if you want to understand and see how Odyssey can help your business manage these.
