What's New

With itemized package pricing on the way, we wanted to clear up how packages should and shouldn't be used in Tern — and what's actually at stake when they're not.

This week introduces a new automation trigger, passkeys for 2FA, a redesigned notes drawer, and more!

The travel industry is full of what we call invisible work: the gap between what advisors and agencies can do today and what a truly end-to-end experience would unlock for them and their clients. Every week of engineering speed is a week we close that gap faster.

Import web content with our new Chrome extension, track client locations in a single report, and enforce insurance selection - plus several quality-of-life fixes.

Optionally let clients browse project expedition tours and book directly through Tern, quote Faye insurance instantly, and unclaimed booking matching & linking for agencies.

How Tern is using AI to supercharge travel advisors and double engineering throughput, with real numbers and lessons learned.

David Shull ·2/25/2026·Blog Post

We've rebuilt our learning experience from the ground up into a new Training Hub, right on the Tern website. No more separate logins, no more bouncing between platforms. Everything you need to get started, level up, and master Tern is now in one place.

We’ve introduced a new Collaborator role for agencies, upgraded AI Assist to intelligently group multi-leg flights, added multi-select from the tour library, and resolved major PDF export errors to unblock itinerary downloads.

AI Assist now automatically detects and structures packaged trips, eliminating manual regrouping and pricing work. We also launched agency commission locking, improved Project Expedition location filtering, and shipped several performance and quality-of-life upgrades.

Updates include agency T&Cs on forms, AI Assist imports that retain payment schedules, group trip exports with more info you need, Project Expedition optional client add-ons, and more!

From Tern's first insurance integration, to agency T&Cs, to agency-managed trips - this update is all about saving advisors time, and giving agencies better controls.

For nearly two decades, My Mickey Vacation operated on a custom-built CRM supported by a patchwork of disconnected tools. As the business scaled past $30M in annual volume and grew to 150 independent contractors, operational complexity, reporting limitations, and payment risk made it clear the system could not scale further. This case study explores how My Mickey Vacation transitioned off a deeply embedded custom platform and consolidated CRM, quoting, itineraries, payments, commissions, and automation into Tern’s all-in-one system. The result was streamlined workflows, stronger payment authorization, higher conversion, and an operation positioned to scale without hitting another operational ceiling.

Grace Van Hollebeke ·1/28/2026·Case Study

Jen runs a 50-advisor family travel agency doing $15M+ in annual sales. Before Tern, she managed operations across 6-8 Excel spreadsheets simultaneously, spent hours on manual reporting, and watched advisors exchange up to 6 emails just to process a single payment. After a six-week migration to Tern, PPV closed bookings 50% faster, cut client communication in half, and freed up hours of Jen's daily admin time. The advisors who initially resisted? They're now the platform's biggest advocates. This case shows how a high-volume Disney and cruise agency consolidated fragmented systems, improved client experience, and positioned itself for continued growth, all while managing significant advisor pushback during the transition.

Deanna is a solo travel advisor with Shore2Shore Vacations. She built a high-volume business entirely on her own, managing everything through spreadsheets and her host agency’s system. While traveling overseas, a system outage left her unable to access client information, which pushed her to rethink how she was running her business. After switching to Tern, Deanna rebuilt her workflow from the ground up. She automated client onboarding, created professional quotes, shared itineraries in one place, and scheduled onboarding calls to set expectations early. The result was a 90 percent booking conversion rate, $750K in annual sales as a solo advisor, and a calmer, more sustainable way to run her business that supports higher-value and luxury clients.

Tara runs an eight-person travel agency that evolved from Disney bookings into high-touch, custom FIT itineraries, but her technology never caught up. After nine years on VCRM, her clients were forced to bounce between VCRM, Travefy, and AXUS, creating constant questions, duplicate work, and commission processing that took up to eight hours at a time. In April 2024, she made the switch to Tern, not because the product was perfect, but because she trusted the team and the long-term vision. Today, her clients have a single secure login for payments, itineraries, and documents, her full nine-year data archive is accessible, and commission processing is finally manageable. This case study shows what happens when an established VCRM agency chooses consolidation, clarity, and partnership over staying stuck with fragmented systems.

Grace Van Hollebeke ·1/24/2026·Case Study

Jennifer Davis, founder of Sweetbay Travel Concierge, was managing 16 independent contractors across six states while juggling two outdated systems that slowed her team and confused clients. By replacing Tess and Travefy with Tern, she brought client portals, itineraries, workflows, and commission tracking into one collaborative platform. The result was faster quoting, hundreds of reusable templates, happier advisors, and a healthier work life balance. Even after losing three agents to life changes, Sweetbay Travel Concierge grew revenue by $500K year over year, proving that simplifying operations can directly fuel growth.

Grace Van Hollebeke ·1/24/2026·Case Study

Brandyn Harris runs Travigent, a Japan focused FIT agency managing multiple advisors and three different host agencies, all while juggling TravelJoy and Travefy to keep operations moving. The fragmented setup meant duplicate work, poor visibility into commissions, and administrative tasks consuming nearly half his week. After switching to Tern, Brandyn discovered several thousand dollars in previously unclaimed commissions and reduced admin time from 50% to just 10%. With integrated payments, itineraries, commission tracking, and shared templates, Travigent now operates from a single system that supports scale, protects revenue, and frees up time to focus on planning complex trips instead of managing spreadsheets.

Grace Van Hollebeke ·1/24/2026·Case Study

Quote travel insurance in seconds using trip data already in Tern. Arch RoamRight integration is live now, with 4% bonus commission starting Feb 1 through April 30.

David Shull ·1/23/2026·Blog Post

Automations now send to each traveler individually - so first name variables always work - and agency payouts are more accurate, transparent, and effortless to manage.

Updates include new payout reporting, time zone updates, rich text editor for cancellation policies, and more!

After eight years on a stagnant platform, Kristi Peek was running an $8M agency across four disconnected systems just to keep day-to-day operations moving. Product updates never came, support was nonexistent, and every workflow depended on manual workarounds. In this case study, see how Embrace the Journey Travel made the switch from TESS to Tern, migrating more than 28,000 records including years of commission data, consolidating bookings, CRM, itineraries, and client communication into one system, and giving a 22-person team a foundation built for long-term growth instead of continued patchwork fixes.

Grace Van Hollebeke ·1/13/2026·Case Study

A host agency owner managing 23 ICs replaced six commission spreadsheets with a single system—and turned commission runs from hours of reconciliation into a few clicks. Robin runs a cruise-focused host agency with 23 independent contractors. Before Tern, managing commissions meant juggling six Excel workbooks, double-entering trips across multiple systems, and manually generating PDFs every pay period. The process was time-consuming, error-prone, and stressful—for both Robin and her advisors. In this case study, you’ll see how Robin consolidated booking, itineraries, payments, and commission tracking into one unified platform with Tern. By eliminating double data entry and centralizing commission logic, she transformed commission runs from an hours-long chore into a simple “click, click, done” workflow. ICs gained real-time visibility into their commissions, year-end reporting became effortless, and even the most skeptical advisors ultimately adopted the system. Beyond operational efficiency, Tern helped Robin elevate her agency. Advisors now use professional client-facing tools, onboarding is simpler for new ICs, and Robin spends less time buried in admin and more time coaching, mentoring, and growing the business. This case study shows what’s possible when commission tracking stops living in spreadsheets—and starts supporting real agency leadership. Robin runs a cruise-focused host agency with 23 independent contractors. Before Tern, managing commissions meant juggling six Excel workbooks, double-entering trips across multiple systems, and manually generating PDFs every pay period. The process was time-consuming, error-prone, and stressful—for both Robin and her advisors. In this case study, you’ll see how Robin consolidated booking, itineraries, payments, and commission tracking into one unified platform with Tern. By eliminating double data entry and centralizing commission logic, she transformed commission runs from an hours-long chore into a simple “click, click, done” workflow. ICs gained real-time visibility into their commissions, year-end reporting became effortless, and even the most skeptical advisors ultimately adopted the system. Beyond operational efficiency, Tern helped Robin elevate her agency. Advisors now use professional client-facing tools, onboarding is simpler for new ICs, and Robin spends less time buried in admin and more time coaching, mentoring, and growing the business. This case study shows what’s possible when commission tracking stops living in spreadsheets—and starts supporting real agency leadership.

Grace Van Hollebeke ·1/8/2026·Case Study

Whether you’re just getting started or actively scaling, these resources and best practices are focused on helping you lead more intentionally, support your advisors more effectively, and use Tern to grow your business. Data-Driven Agency Growth in Tern is a practical, leadership-focused playbook for travel agency owners who want to grow with clarity, not chaos. This guide goes beyond surface-level metrics to show how agency-level reporting, commission tracking, and trends can become part of your everyday decision-making rhythm. Designed for both new and scaling agency owners, the playbook walks through how to use Tern to understand what’s really happening in your business, support advisors more effectively, and make confident decisions based on patterns—not one-off bookings. Packed with best practices and real-world insights from experienced agency owners, this guide helps you stop managing tasks and start leading a business built to scale. Whether you’re laying your foundation or leveling up an existing agency, this playbook shows how to use Tern not just as a tool—but as a strategic advantage for sustainable, long-term growth. Data-Driven Agency Growth in Tern is a practical, leadership-focused playbook for travel agency owners who want to grow with clarity, not chaos. This guide goes beyond surface-level metrics to show how agency-level reporting, commission tracking, and trends can become part of your everyday decision-making rhythm. Designed for both new and scaling agency owners, the playbook walks through how to use Tern to understand what’s really happening in your business, support advisors more effectively, and make confident decisions based on patterns—not one-off bookings. Packed with best practices and real-world insights from experienced agency owners, this guide helps you stop managing tasks and start leading a business built to scale. Whether you’re laying your foundation or leveling up an existing agency, this playbook shows how to use Tern not just as a tool—but as a strategic advantage for sustainable, long-term growth.

This week's update gives you a lightning round webinar recap, plus hot off the press quality of life improvements!