Example product loading & making your first booking using TourCMS

This screencast takes you through:

• Creating a tour (a scuba diving weekend)
• Creating an option (for example "mask hire")
• Making an online booking
• Finding the booking within the main booking administration section

The following steps describe exactly the steps followed in the screencast above:

Step 1: Add a tour
A tour is a basic product type

• Go to TOURS
• Create a new tour - for example "Scuba diving weekend"
• You can now see the tour on the tour list page. The row is in yellow because new tours are initially highlighted.
• Go into SETUP (for the scuba diving weekend tour)
• On the first tab - tick "Book by web & staff". This makes the tour bookable online
• Go back to the tours list
• Click on DATES & PRICES. Then click on "View and edit departures" (a departure is a kind of tour with a fixed start and end date.... the most basic form of a travel event)
• Add a couple of dates. You need to add a start date and an end date
• On the dates you have added, untick the "CLOSE" column tick.... this will make that date bookable

Step 2: Add an option
An option is a travel product that is added to a tour - optional

• From the homepage, go to OPTIONS
• Create a new option - for example "Mask hire"
• You can now see the option on the option list page. The row is in yellow because new options are initially highlighted.
• Go into SETUP (for the mask hire option)
• Tick "Book by web & staff". This makes the option bookable online (if you just wanted this option to be bookable by staff, you would leave this unticked)
• Go back to the options list
• Click on DATES & PRICES
• Add an option season and an associated price. A season is normally a long period of time.... so ensure you add a date that is several months long... and overlaps with the dates you added for the tour earlier

Step 3: Add the option to the tour
An option must be explicitly added to a tour so that they are associated

• From the homepage, go to TOURS
• Select OPTIONS on the "scuba diving weekend" tour
• Add the "mask hire" option to the tour

Step 4: Find the online booking URL
If you want to get going quickly, add this URL to your existing website

• From the homepage, go to TOURS
• Select SETUP on the "scuba diving weekend" tour
• On the first tab, you can see the online booking URL (If you can't see it, ensure that you have ticked the "Book by Web & Staff" tickbox, save changes, and then go back into the SETUP page)

Step 5: Make an online booking
You can change text, colours and add images to the booking engine - to make it look much like your own website

• Select the month that you entered dates in previously
• Make a booking and remember the reference number!

Step 6: Find your booking in TourCMS
This is the simple search.... there are many more complex booking search types and reports!

• From the TourCMS homepage type in your booking reference in the booking search box
• As you are typing, details about the booking will show in the box (to help you ensure you are going to the right booking)
• Hit ENTER (return) on your keyboard twice.... and you will go to the booking (no need to pickup the mouse)
• Voila! You have made your first booking