Creating and Sending Proposals

Your client says "I'm thinking Italy next spring." Now what? You build them a proposal — a polished, branded page with trip options they can browse on their phone at 11pm and accept before they change their mind.

Proposals are how you turn "I'm interested" into "I'm booked." And the best part? Your client doesn't need to download anything, create an account, or log in. Just click the link and go.

Creating a Proposal

Head to Proposals → New Proposal. A quick setup dialog asks for three things:

• Trip Name (required) — something your client will recognize, like "Anderson Family — Amalfi Coast 2026"
• Client (optional) — pick from your client list or skip and add them later
• Destination (optional) — helps with filtering and shows on the proposal page

Click Create Proposal and you're in the builder.

Behind the scenes, creating a proposal also creates a trip. You'll find it in your Trips list, ready for bookings, invoices, and everything else.

The Proposal Builder

The builder uses a card-based layout designed to let you see all your options at a glance and edit each one in detail.

Option Cards

At the top of the builder, you'll see a horizontal strip of option cards — one for each option in your proposal. Each card shows a thumbnail image, the option title, and the total price. Click any card to select it and edit it below.

You can:

• Drag to reorder — grab any card and move it to change the order your client sees
• Sort by price — click the sort button to automatically arrange options from least to most expensive
• Add options — click the + Add Option card at the end to create a new option
• Star your recommendation — mark one option as your "Agent's Pick" and it'll show a star badge on the client-facing page

Tabbed Editing

When you select an option card, its editor opens below with four tabs:

Tab	What Goes Here
Details	Option type, hotel/destination search, title, dates, images, description, highlights
Pricing	Line-item pricing breakdown — per-person, per-room, taxes, fees
Flights	Flight segments with airline, times, airports, and booking references
Add-Ons	Optional extras like travel insurance, excursions, airport transfers

Work through each tab to build out the full picture of what the client is getting.

Option Types

Each option has a type that controls what fields appear and how smart enrichment works. Pick the type that matches what you're presenting:

Type	Best For	Smart Features
Hotel / Resort	Hotels, resorts, all-inclusives	Google Places autocomplete fills in photos, description, rating, and location automatically
Cruise	Cruise itineraries	Cruise line and ship fields, curated cruise photography from our stock library
Tour / Package	Guided tours, bundled packages	Tour operator field, stock photo search for destinations
Custom	Anything else	Manual title and image upload — full creative control

You can mix types within the same proposal. Three hotel options and a cruise? No problem — each option has its own type.

Smart Enrichment (Hotels)

When you select Hotel / Resort and search for a property, JourneyFuse pulls in data from Google Places:

• Cover photo — the property's primary image, ready to use
• Photo gallery — up to 6 additional photos you can browse and swap in
• Description — the editorial summary from Google
• Highlights — rating, property type, and location pulled automatically
• Title — auto-fills with the property name if your option is still untitled

Everything auto-filled is editable. Think of it as a head start, not a straitjacket.

Image Sources

For any option type, you can choose where your images come from:

• Places Photos — available when you've searched for a hotel/destination via Google Places
• Stock Photos — search our Unsplash-powered library for high-quality destination and travel images
• Upload — drag and drop or browse to upload your own photos

The selected cover image appears on the option card and as the hero image on the client-facing page. A photo gallery strip below the cover lets you showcase additional images.

Sharing with Your Client

When your proposal is ready:

1. Click Send to Client to email the link directly, or use Copy Link to share it however you prefer — text, WhatsApp, embedded in an email you're already writing
2. The proposal status moves from Draft to Sent
3. Your client opens a branded page with your agency logo, your photo and contact info, and the trip options you built

No login required. Works on phones, tablets, and desktops. Your client can forward the link to their spouse and they'll see the same polished page.

What Your Client Sees

The client-facing proposal page includes:

• Your agency branding — logo, colors, the whole professional package
• Your agent info — photo, name, and contact details so they know who to call
• Hero image with Ken Burns animation — a subtle slow-zoom effect that makes the destination feel alive
• Photo gallery — when an option has multiple photos, a strip of thumbnails auto-cycles below the hero
• Rating badge — if the property has a Google rating, it shows right on the option card
• Trip options — each option with its full itinerary, images, pricing, and descriptions
• Park day details — if applicable, dining reservations, Lightning Lane plans, and scheduled events
• Trip guides — any resource documents or guides you've attached
• Accept button — one click to confirm their choice

When your client accepts, the proposal status updates and you get notified. No more "did they see it?" wondering.

Proposal Settings

Click Proposal Settings at the bottom of the builder to configure:

• Group Booking Mode — toggle on to turn the proposal into a self-service booking page (see below)
• Client info — name, email, and phone number
• Proposal title and intro message — the headline and personal note your client sees
• Traveler count — how many people the pricing is based on
• Deposit — percentage, fixed amount, hold, or no deposit
• Price guarantee — guaranteed until a date, or locked once deposit received
• Travel insurance recommendation — optionally show a section where clients can request an insurance quote

Tracking Proposal Status

The Proposals list shows where every proposal stands:

Status	What It Means
Draft	You're still building it — client hasn't seen it yet
Sent	Link has been shared, waiting for a response
Accepted	Client said yes — time to start booking
Declined	Client passed. Follow up to understand why.
Expired	The proposal passed its expiry date without a response

Use the search bar to find proposals by title, client name, or destination. The status filter helps you zero in on what needs attention — like all your "Sent" proposals that haven't been accepted yet.

Group Booking Mode

Planning a trip with multiple travelers who need to book independently? Open Proposal Settings and toggle on Group Booking Mode to turn your proposal into a self-service booking page.

When group mode is on:

• A banner at the top of the builder reminds you that travelers will self-book
• Option cards relabel as Packages (because travelers are picking one, not comparing options)
• The "Agent's Pick" star is hidden (not relevant for self-service)
• Group settings appear inside Proposal Settings — booking group, max travelers, attached forms, and payment schedule

See Group Bookings for the full walkthrough.

AI Import

Got a booking confirmation from a supplier? Use AI Import to paste the email text and let JourneyFuse extract the trip details, pricing, and itinerary information. It's a fast way to build out proposal options when you already have supplier quotes in hand.

Tips for Proposals That Convert

1. Lead with the best option. Put your recommended choice as Option 1 and star it. Most clients pick the first option that excites them.

2. Let smart enrichment do the heavy lifting. Search for the hotel, let JourneyFuse pull in the photos and description, then tweak from there. You'll build proposals in half the time.

3. Use real photos, not stock. If the resort sent you property photos, upload those. Clients can smell a generic stock photo from a mile away. But if you don't have property photos, the Google Places images are the next best thing.

4. Don't overload with options. Two or three options is the sweet spot. Five options creates decision paralysis. If your client wants something different, create a new proposal.

5. Send it fast. The client who inquired today is most excited today. A proposal that arrives 48 hours later competes with whatever else they've been Googling in the meantime.

6. Follow up if it sits in "Sent." If a proposal hasn't been accepted within a week, pick up the phone. They might have questions, or they might have forgotten. Either way, a quick call beats waiting.

7. Write the itinerary like a story. "Day 3: Wake up to the sound of waves, grab espresso at the beachside cafe, and hop a water taxi to Positano" sells the trip. "Day 3: Transfer to Positano" doesn't.

FAQ

Does creating a proposal also create a trip? Yes. Every proposal is tied to a trip. You'll see it in your Trips list as soon as the proposal is created.

Can I edit a proposal after sending it? Yes. Make your changes in the builder — the client's link always shows the latest version.

Can my client accept on their phone? Absolutely. The proposal page is fully responsive and works on any device.

What if my client wants to discuss options before accepting? That's common and totally fine. The proposal is a conversation starter, not a take-it-or-leave-it. Talk through the options, adjust if needed, and they can accept when they're ready.

Can I mix different option types in one proposal? Yes. Each option has its own type — you can have a hotel option, a cruise option, and a tour package all in the same proposal.

How does the hotel auto-fill work? When you pick "Hotel / Resort" as the option type and search for a property, JourneyFuse uses Google Places to pull in photos, a description, the rating, and location details. Everything is editable — it just gives you a head start.

Can I reuse a proposal as a template? Use the Itinerary Templates feature to save and reuse itineraries across proposals.