Itinerary planner platforms are getting a serious reimagining from the minds behind TripKit, who today launched Lucia by TripKit.
According to Grace Lucia McBride, the founder and CEO of TripKit (which she calls an “intelligent virtual assistant” for travel advisors), Lucia elevates the itinerary planner from static PDF to exciting storytelling platform, offering sought-after features unavailable to advisors today.
Here, McBride shares how creating thousands of itineraries on behalf of travel advisors led to the creation of the luxury travel planner. She also chats about her favorite Lucia features, from themed designs and video integration to the ability to create itineraries while on the go.
What made you want to launch Lucia by TripKit? Was this something travel advisors were asking for?
Advisors were constantly asking us which itinerary platform we recommend, because they couldn’t find one that met all their needs. The common denominator of their frustrations was that [these platforms] weren’t made for the ultra-luxury client.
Current itinerary platforms export to PDFs, drastically restricting their ability to offer dynamic content. For that reason, we are staying away from PDFs so that we can be more artistic, experimental and interactive with our platform.
Will you still be using other itinerary planners with TripKit? Or will your clients at TripKit be automatically changed over to Lucia?
Advisors do not need to be a TripKit client to use Lucia, and vice versa. We will continue servicing other itinerary platforms, but eventually, all new clients will be heavily incentivized to use Lucia. For example, all [TripKit] ToolKit clients will immediately receive free Lucia access.
What does Lucia offer that other itinerary platforms do not?
Our favorite feature is our “skins,” which allow advisors to choose a themed design for their itineraries. Our clients’ brands are all different, and we felt their itineraries should reflect that. This feature, along with the opportunity to custom design your own skin, will amplify an advisor’s branding and marketing.
Advisors will also be able to make itineraries on their mobile devices. Currently, they can only make itineraries on a computer, but this will let them make an itinerary on the go.
Some other features include video, calendar exporting, daily condensed itineraries delivered via text and some secret collaborations that haven’t been announced just yet. We will have an app soon for advisors to download, but in the meantime, our mobile version will be just as easy to use.
How will you be telling stories with Lucia, or using images differently?
Lucia’s goal is to advance itineraries into a storytelling tool. Social media is so focused on video and photos because people are emotionally invested in those mediums, which is also why most travelers don’t read long itineraries.
Lucia’s goal is to advance itineraries into a storytelling tool. Social media is so focused on video and photos because people are emotionally invested in those mediums, which is also why most travelers don’t read long itineraries.
Lucia will include video and dynamic photo visuals, and a layout that focuses on images more than text. Current itinerary platforms export to PDFs, drastically restricting their ability to offer dynamic content. For that reason, we are staying away from PDFs so that we can be more artistic, experimental and interactive with our platform.
How does an advisor begin using Lucia?
Any advisor or agency can sign up on our website, letslucia.com, starting Sept. 14. The first 50 Founding Members that register on our website will only pay for a founding price for their first year, and 10% off after that. This will only be available for our first 50 clients. The Founding Member price is $99/month or $1,000/year (first 50 people only). The standard price is $199/month or $2,000/year.
Is there training offered?
Lucia is designed to be simple and intuitive, and if we needed to offer training then we wouldn’t be successful in that mission. While we will offer a short video explaining how to use our integrations and collaborations, there won’t be any training necessary for most advisors.
What is the backstory behind Lucia’s creation?
The ideation and design process for Lucia has always been a topic of conversation, but we were able to capitalize on our free time during the COVID-19 pandemic to make it come to life. Designing Lucia was actually easy for us since we have our own brain trust of expert itinerary creators in-house.
TripKit has made thousands of itineraries across all platforms, so what better way to design this platform than to turn to our team? It took six months for the platform to be developed, but the design took us virtually no time at all.
TripKit has made thousands of itineraries across all platforms, so what better way to design this platform than to turn to our team?
Aside from our internal team, we owe our thanks to TripKit clients, the Sion [invoicing platform] team and industry confidantes who kept this project under wraps while giving us extensive advice, feedback and invaluable time.
How will Lucia help advisors offer a better user experience?
Lucia has pre-loaded content with stunning images and colorful descriptions that don’t need editing, and it simplifies the itinerary creation process with its linear workflow and simplified fields. Also, itineraries can be made on the go; traveler names auto-populate throughout the itinerary; and pricing can be shown or hidden with a simple button. We will be announcing integrations on our Instagram soon.
What does the name "Lucia" mean in relation to the product?
Lucia is named after my namesake and great grandmother, but the mission of our brand comes from St. Lucia, the patron saint of the blind or “bearer of light.” We believe that travel, diversity and culture open people’s eyes, making them more understanding and compassionate people.
We want Lucia to be that first step of introducing people to the beauty of travel — to see the world through other people’s eyes.
The Details
Lucia by TripKit
