Tern Travel
Tern Travel is an AI-native, all-in-one operating platform that unifies proposals, itineraries, CRM, commission reconciliation, and supplier bookings for independent travel advisors, agencies, and host agencies managing thousands of ICs.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2022
- HeadquartersDover, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Tern Travel does
Tern Travel (legal entity Tern Software Inc.) is a Delaware-incorporated software company founded in 2022 that builds an all-in-one operating platform for independent travel advisors, multi-advisor agencies, and host agencies managing thousands of independent contractors. The platform unifies client-facing workflows (proposals, itineraries, traveler experience, bookings) with back-office operations (CRM, commission reconciliation, reporting, automations), and ships improvements on a weekly cadence. Its technical stack is cloud-based and AI-native, with proprietary features including AI Chat (Fin), AI Notetaker (transcribing Zoom, Google Meet, and Teams calls), Inbox Intelligence (email-to-trip linking), AI Commission Reconciliation (statement parsing), AI Assist (itinerary building), and AI-generated destination guides and packing lists, all wired into structured CRM data. The company also operates Lucia, a freelancer marketplace acquired in June 2025 that connects advisors with vetted CoPilots for data migration, itinerary building, and administrative support.
Tern monetizes primarily through recurring subscriptions — monthly or annual plans for individual advisors and per-seat plans for agencies — supplemented by transaction fees on Lucia marketplace work (10% for paid members, 20% for free members), potential fees from suppliers, conference registration ($999 general / $899 group), and Stripe-processed booking and commission flows. Its go-to-market is hybrid: product-led growth via a 14-day free trial for solo advisors, enterprise field sales for agencies and host agencies, and community-led acquisition through a Facebook group with thousands of users, the Flight Path podcast, and an annual user conference (the first travel tech user conference at sea in 2025; New Orleans in October 2026). The company is backed by Haystack, Viewpoint Ventures, and Upfront Ventures, having closed a $13 million round in May 2025 following a ~$3.8 million seed in 2023. Named strategic partnerships include Google (Calendar/Gmail/Drive APIs), Stripe, Arch RoamRight (lead insurance integration), Faye, Chubb, Trawick, and Travel Planners International.
Tern Travel firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Tern Travel
- Legal name
- Tern Software Inc.
- Website
- https://tern.travel
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2022
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Tern Travel is an AI-native, all-in-one operating platform that unifies proposals, itineraries, CRM, commission reconciliation, and supplier bookings for independent travel advisors, agencies, and host agencies managing thousands of ICs.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Tern Travel industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Travel Agency Software
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), Travel Arrangement and Reservation Services (5615)
- SIC
- Services-Computer Integrated Systems Design (7373)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Travel & Expense (T&E) Management Platforms (THAKANAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking UX (THALAGAD), Traveler Profile, Identity & Duty-of-Care Platforms (THAKANAE)
Keywords
Where Tern Travel is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dover
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Tern Travel business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Subscription Fees - Advisors: Travel advisors purchase subscription plans on either monthly or yearly basis. Provides access to all features, functionality, tools, software, and content within their chosen Subscription Plan. Auto-renews monthly or yearly until cancelled.
- Subscription Fees - Agencies: Agencies purchase subscription plans based on number of seats (advisors) and term length (monthly, quarterly, or yearly). Each travel advisor requires a purchased seat. Includes multi-layer commission structures and agency-wide reporting.
- Seat Fees: Agency subscription plans are based on number of seats purchased for Travel Advisors. Re-assignment of seats allowed during subscription term. No refunds for quarterly and annual seats.
- Lucia Platform Fees: Lucia marketplace charges service fees on freelance work payments. Free membership: 20% service fee. Paid membership ($39/month or $390/annually): 10% service fee. CoPilots set their own hourly rates ($12-30/hour typical).
- Travel Partner Platform Fees: Tern may receive fees from Travel Advisors, Agencies, or Travel Suppliers for certain Travel Offerings or functionality. Per Terms of Service: 'for certain Travel Offerings or other functionality which relates to the Services, Tern may receive a fee from Travel Advisors, Agencies or Travel Suppliers.'
- Conference Registration: Annual user conference revenue. General Admission $999 per person, Group Rate (4+) $899 per person. Includes sessions, workshops, 1:1 working time, meals, and evening events.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Advisor Subscription - Monthly |
| Subscription | Annual | Advisor Subscription - Annual |
| Per seat | Multi-year contract | Agency Subscription - Monthly/Quarterly/Annual |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Lucia CoPilot Freelance Rates |
| Subscription | Pay-as-you-go | Lucia Free Membership |
| Subscription | Annual | Lucia Paid Membership |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Tern Conference - General Admission |
| One time/ perpetual license | Pay-as-you-go | Tern Conference - Group Rate (4+) |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels12 records
Tern Travel product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Tern Travel builds an all-in-one, AI-native operating platform for travel businesses that unifies client-facing workflows (proposals, itineraries, traveler experience, bookings) with back-office operations (CRM, commission reconciliation, reporting, automations). The platform serves solo travel advisors, growing agencies, host agencies managing thousands of independent contractors, and travel suppliers, with proprietary AI capabilities (AI Chat, AI Notetaker, Inbox Intelligence) and a freelancer marketplace called Lucia for outsourced admin and itinerary support.
Product overview
Tern is an all-in-one operating platform for travel businesses — a single platform built to serve both individual travel advisors and agency owners simultaneously. The core platform unifies client-facing workflows (proposals, itineraries, traveler experience, bookings) with back-office operations (CRM, commission reconciliation, reporting, automations). The platform's own AI suite includes AI Chat for conversational CRM and note assistance, AI Notetaker for automatic call transcription, Inbox Intelligence for email-to-trip linking, AI Assist for itinerary building, and AI Commission Reconciliation for automated statement matching. Lucia, a freelancer marketplace acquired by Tern in 2025, extends the platform by connecting advisors with vetted freelance CoPilots for tasks like data migration, itinerary building, and administrative support. The Chrome Extension enables direct content import from supplier websites, and Project Expedition powers direct tour and transfer bookings with supplier pricing parity. Insurance integrations with Arch RoamRight, Faye, Chubb, Trawick, and Travel Insured International bring insurance quoting and purchasing into the booking workflow.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Lucia: A premier freelancer marketplace connecting travel agents and agencies with expert freelancers (CoPilots) for tasks such as itinerary planning, administrative support, CRM management, and commission tracking.
Products and services
- Tern Platform All-in-one, AI-native operating platform for travel businesses that unifies client-facing workflows (proposals, itineraries, traveler experience, bookings) with back-office operations (CRM, commission reconciliation, reporting, automations). Serves solo advisors, growing agencies, host agencies managing thousands of ICs, and travel suppliers.
- Lucia Freelancer marketplace acquired by Tern in 2025 that connects travel advisors and agencies with vetted freelance CoPilots for tasks such as data migration, itinerary building, CRM management, administrative support, commission tracking, and group travel management. CoPilots set their own rates ($12–30/hour typical); Lucia charges a 10–20% service fee depending on membership tier.
- Tern Chrome Extension Browser extension that allows travel advisors to import activities, images, templates, and supplier content directly into their Tern library from any travel website with one click.
Quantifiable outcome
- Weekly product improvements based on user feedback
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Tern Travel
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Tern Travel technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration10 records
AI capability10 records
Feature11 records
Tern Travel partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Arch RoamRightcoreStrategic partnership making Arch RoamRight the first travel insurance provider to offer products directly through Tern's all-in-one platform. Enables travel advisors and travelers to purchase travel protection alongside their booking experiences, streamlining the travel planning and insurance purchasing process. Integration includes trip cancellation, emergency medical coverage, and lost baggage protection.
- LuciacoreLucia was acquired by Tern. Lucia is a premier freelancer marketplace connecting travel agents and agencies with vetted CoPilots (freelance professionals) for itinerary planning, administrative support, CRM management, and data migration.
- Faye (Insurance)coreInsurance provider integration with Faye, available as beta. One of multiple insurance integrations enabling travel advisors to offer coverage directly through Tern.
- Chubb (Insurance)coreInsurance provider integration with Chubb, available as beta. Part of Tern's insurance provider ecosystem.
- Trawick (Insurance)coreInsurance provider integration with Trawick, available as beta. Completes Tern's insurance provider network.
- GooglecoreGoogle APIs used to provide features including Google Calendar API for calendar integration/scheduling, Gmail API for email integration/communication, and Google Drive API for document storage and access.
- StripecoreStripe payment processor used for all payments via Tern platform including subscription fees, travel bookings, and commission/fee payments.
- Travel Planners International (TPI)minorPartnership providing TPI advisors moving to Tern with discounted service fees on Lucia platform. TPI advisors receive waiver of Lucia's service fee when registering through Tern's partnership link.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Tern Travel competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vamoos: Vamoos builds itinerary, CRM, and client-experience apps for travel advisors and tour operators, competing head-to-head with Tern's proposals, traveler experience, and itinerary modules.
- Travefy: Travefy is an all-in-one platform for travel advisors offering proposals, itineraries, CRM, and supplier booking — directly overlapping Tern's advisor-facing feature set and SMB/individual advisor ICP.
- Umapped: Umapped is a B2B platform that gives travel advisors and tour operators client-facing itinerary tools, supplier content, and booking workflows — overlapping Tern's client-experience and Project Expedition functionality.
- Lemax: Lemax provides travel business management software for tour operators and DMCs, covering itineraries, CRM, supplier management, and back-office operations comparable to Tern's agency and host-agency modules.
- Tourwriter: Tourwriter is itinerary-building and operations software for tour operators, DMCs, and travel agents — a comparable workflow platform serving a similar mid-market travel operator segment.
- Traveltek: Traveltek provides booking, pricing, and content APIs and agency software used by OTAs, tour operators, and retail travel agents — overlapping with Tern's supplier connectivity and booking workflows.
Broad incumbents
- Sabre Corporation: Sabre is a global travel technology incumbent offering GDS, agency solutions, and corporate booking tools. It overlaps with Tern at the agency/operations layer but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth.
- Travelport: Travelport is a global GDS and travel commerce platform serving agencies, OTAs, and corporate buyers — a broad incumbent whose agency technology stack competes with Tern's TMC and agency modules.
- Booking.com for Agents: Booking.com's travel-agent program is a broad incumbent offering accommodation and ancillary booking tools for advisors, competing with Tern's supplier connectivity and booking features at scale.
Emerging players
- Journi (travel CRM): Journi is an emerging travel CRM and itinerary platform focused on advisors and small agencies, with narrower scope than Tern but overlapping CRM, itinerary, and client-experience features.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Tern Travel social profiles
Digital presenceTern Travel financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Tern Travel leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
Tern Travel subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries1 record
Tern Travel funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds2 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Tern Travel M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Tern Travel
What does Tern Travel do?
Tern Travel builds an all-in-one, AI-native operating platform for travel businesses that unifies client-facing workflows (proposals, itineraries, traveler experience, bookings) with back-office operations (CRM, commission reconciliation, reporting, automations). The platform serves solo travel advisors, growing agencies, host agencies managing thousands of independent contractors, and travel suppliers, with proprietary AI capabilities (AI Chat, AI Notetaker, Inbox Intelligence) and a freelancer marketplace called Lucia for outsourced admin and itinerary support.
Is Tern Travel a public or private company?
Tern Travel is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Tern Travel founded?
Tern Travel was founded in 2022. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Tern Travel based?
Tern Travel is headquartered in Dover, United States, in the North America region.
How does Tern Travel make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Subscription Fees - Advisors are the primary driver. The others are subscription Fees - Agencies, seat Fees, lucia Platform Fees, travel Partner Platform Fees and conference Registration.
Who are Tern Travel's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vamoos, Travefy, Umapped, Lemax, Tourwriter and Traveltek. Broad incumbents are Sabre Corporation, Travelport and Booking.com for Agents. Journi (travel CRM) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Tern Travel have an API?
No public API is recorded for Tern Travel.
What industry is Tern Travel in?
Tern Travel's product category is Travel Agency Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKANAA, Corporate Travel & Expense (T&E) Management Platforms, with a secondary code of THALAGAD, Online Booking Tools (OBT) & Corporate Booking UX. Its NAICS code is 561510 and its SIC code is 7373.