In this episode, David, Molly, and Brad reflect on a packed week at Tern. From in-person team bonding to product rollouts and user empathy exercises, they share what’s new, what’s coming, and how it all ladders up to building the best possible platform for modern travel advisors.

• (00:49) New Hire Offsite Recap

  • Tern’s remote team came together in Plymouth, MI for a new hire orientation focused on building connection, culture, and context. The highlight? A hands-on storytelling activity where teammates pieced together Tern’s origin story through photos and milestones. It sparked emotion, reflection, and a shared appreciation for how far the company has come.

• (08:30) Advisor Simulation

  • To help team members build empathy for the advisor experience, Tern ran a live simulation where employees role-played travelers, advisors, and suppliers. Each group planned a custom trip to Italy under real-world pressures like unclear preferences, last-minute changes, and tight deadlines. For engineers and designers, it was a powerful way to understand the complexity advisors manage every day.

• (14:27) Mobile App Upgrades

  • Tern’s traveler-facing mobile app just got a major usability update. Trips are now clearly split into “Upcoming” and “Past” tabs, helping travelers easily find relevant information. Visual design improvements also polish the overall look and feel. Advisors are encouraged to prompt their clients to update their app for the best experience — especially as Tern rolls out its new content editor.

• (17:19) Agency Tools in Beta

  • A new feature allows agencies to require specific fields — like confirmation numbers or supplier names — before a booking can be marked as complete. This helps improve reconciliation and reporting accuracy. The feature is currently in beta with one agency, and the team is gathering feedback to refine the experience before a broader rollout.

• (24:09) Improved Onboarding for New Users

  • New advisors now land in a clean, guided interface when they join Tern. Instead of being dropped into a pre-filled demo trip, they’re offered clear paths to add a trip, log a booking, or start a credit card authorization. These small changes make the platform more approachable — and even longtime users are loving the improved flow.

• (28:22) What’s Next: The New Editor

  • The long-awaited new rich text editor is rolling out for trips and activities. It enables cleaner formatting, improved styling, and better compatibility across web and mobile. To ensure a smooth transition, the team conducted a detailed side-by-side QA comparing old vs. new formatting. Travelers on outdated app versions may not see formatting correctly, so advisors should encourage updates.

• (32:20) Contact Form Improvements

  • Tern is refining how contact forms work when travelers don’t include email addresses for every person in their party. These updates will reduce the creation of duplicate contacts and make it easier to collect and update traveler details — especially for group and family bookings.

• (20:17 & 35:10) Admin-Level Supplier Templates

  • Tern is researching how to let agency owners define default terms, cancellation policies, and payment details at the supplier level. This feature would save advisors time and reduce errors, especially for large teams. The team is currently collecting feedback to shape what this capability might look like.

• (23:25) Quick Wins & Quality of Life Updates

  • A highly requested update now lets advisors mark payments as “paid” directly from the authorizations table — no need to click in and scroll. It’s a small change, but one that eliminates extra clicks and keeps workflows fast and efficient.

In this episode of the Flight Path Podcast, Tern CEO David Shull is joined by Molly Johnson (Head of Product) and Brad Turner (Head of Design) for a transparent and action-packed recap of the week in product. They cover a recent email bug incident, the long-awaited launch of multi-contact forms, a wave of text editor rollouts, and mobile app upgrades that are making things smoother for travelers. The team also shares what’s coming next, from relationship tracking in forms to their first-ever in-person onboarding.

Key Topics:
(00:00) Intro and Welcome:

• A quick overview of this week’s episode and what’s ahead

(00:47) Week in Review:

• Brad visits a host agency in person and reflects on the in-office travel advisor experience
• Molly shares an emotional conversation with a nonprofit using Tern to help families with serious illnesses
• David checks in from GTM North America and reflects on the intensity of advisor conferences

(05:57) Transparency Around an Email Bug:

• Molly explains a bug that caused duplicate birthday emails and how a quick fix led to wider impact
• The team walks through how incidents are handled at Tern, including retrospectives, communication upgrades, and prevention planning
• Why support is the best place to report urgent bugs, and how the team is evolving its response workflows

(13:40) New Feature: Multi-Contact Forms:

• Molly and Brad detail the launch of multi-contact form elements, allowing lead travelers to submit info for multiple people in one go
• Considerations for field logic, page layout, and when not to use the new section
• How this ties into trip request forms and the broader forms product roadmap

(19:21) Text Editor Rollout Expands:

• Brad shares where the new editor is now live: terms and conditions, forms, tasks, and supplier records
• Molly previews what’s next, including mobile support, itinerary compatibility, and eventually messaging

(22:48) Mobile App Improvements:

• Black buttons, cleaner trip views, and a more branded experience for travelers
• Upcoming navigation enhancements will separate current from past trips
• Visual polish and “juicy” UI updates to make the app feel more cohesive and professional

(25:27) Quality of Life Fixes:

• Confirmation number alerts when marking bookings as booked
• Fix to insurance quote form where dates previously had to be entered twice

(27:21) Team Update: In-Person Onboarding & Travel Simulation:

• Tern’s first new hire orientation is happening next week in Michigan
• The team will run a full simulation where staff play the roles of advisor, supplier, and client to better understand user workflows

(30:04) Looking Ahead:

• Brad previews improvements to how contact relationships will be tracked from form submissions
• Molly shares why this helps reduce duplicate records and improve integrations
• More empty state design work is underway to make Tern easier for first-time users

Flight Path is your weekly window into product updates, company culture, and the future of travel advisor tech. Subscribe wherever you listen to stay up to speed with the team behind Tern.

Happy 4th of July from the Flight Path crew! In this week's episode, David (Tern’s CEO), Molly (Head of Product), and Brad (Head of Design) are celebrating summer—and the avalanche of new features, updates, and future plans at Tern.

And for those curious about where Tern is headed long-term? You’ll hear the team unpack what’s next—from deeper payments infrastructure to potential supplier integrations that could unlock massive advisor efficiencies.

00:00 — Holiday vibes + intros
00:52 — Brad’s week: payments, tacos, and Jack joins Tern
02:50 — Molly’s week: mobile web, form responses, reporting
04:45 — David’s reflections on team growth and Q3 planning
05:25 — The folder frenzy: why advisors are loving this feature
07:10 — Editor rollout preview: what’s changing and how to prep
13:00 — “Trash” feature: recovering deleted trips (and bad jokes)
16:00 — Trip tips: unpublishing, archiving, and custom views
18:59 — New quality-of-life updates (tasks, taxes, accessibility, etc.)
23:38 — What’s coming in Q3: features, reporting, mobile, more
28:59 — Payments and trip funds: how we’re laying the groundwork
35:30 — Supplier integration ideas: eliminating invisible work
37:50 — What’s next week look like + team’s 4th of July plans

Whether you’re working poolside, road-tripping with clients on your mind, or just catching up after the holiday—this episode will keep you in the loop on all things Tern.

Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and drop a comment with your favorite metaphor (or your best folder setup). See you next week on Flight Path!

In this final June episode of Flight Path, the Tern team (David, Molly, and Brad) dive into a transformative week at Tern HQ—and it’s a big one. From team expansion to user conference planning, this episode is packed with behind-the-scenes updates and future-facing product features.

00:00 – Welcome & Week in Review

• David, Molly, and Brad reflect on a week filled with new hires and big ambitions.

• How Tern is building new cross-functional capabilities (AI efficiency, education, and training).

  
  

03:45 – Growing the Team & Expanding Vision

• How team additions like Gal and Karina are shaping Tern’s strategy for scale.

• Canadian expansion and TICO compliance updates after a trip to Toronto.

  
  

05:54 – The User Conference Deep Dive

• Why Tern’s first-ever user conference (on a cruise!) is shaping up to be unlike anything else in the industry.

• How advisors will co-build features live with engineers (yes, in real-time).

• From business workshops to hands-on tooling sessions, Tern wants attendees to leave with actual progress.

  
  

10:14 – Unlocking Group Growth

• Tern will spotlight advisors like Walter who scaled from $300k → $4M in group sales.

• Pairing real business strategy with tool walk-throughs, including AI, automations, and landing page design.

  
  

12:26 – Conference Signup Info

• Interested in joining? Head to tern.travel and click "Conference" in the top nav.

• Or email David directly at [email protected] for more info.

  
  

13:16 – Product Updates: Folders, Groups & Click-Saving

• Folders for email templates are here (350 created in 2 days!).

• Form and task template folders launching next.

• Sub-trip status updates are now editable in-line from the overview screen.

• Cleaner pricing displays now eliminate confusion when client selections are incomplete.

  
  

15:45 – New Group Exports + Real-Time Wins

• Export traveler lists with sub-trip mapping—critical for supplier manifests and wedding groups.

• This update landed during a conference demo, solving two live advisor pain points.

  
  

20:54 – Editor Update (Yes, Finally!)

• The long-awaited block editor replacement is nearly done.

• End of July = no more block editor for activities.

• Email editor improvements will follow soon after.

  
  

23:40 – Agency Commission Tools

• Total payout summaries are now available—no more manual math.

• Loved by agency owners and advisors alike.

  
  

24:59 – Mobile App Glow-Up Coming

• A new series of Traveler app improvements kicks off next week.

• Expect crisper design, better doc access, easier navigation between past/upcoming trips, and more.

• Advisor mobile web experience is next in line for polish.

  
  

29:02 – Forms Reimagined

• Contact forms will soon support collecting details for multiple travelers at once.

• Less repetition. Better UX. Major time-saver—especially for families and group bookings.

  
  

30:59 – What’s Next?

• With a doubling of R&D and a maturing team, Tern is entering a new phase of parallel progress.

• User conference, mobile upgrades, and deeper partnerships are just the beginning of what’s coming in H2.

In this week’s early edition of Flight Path, the Tern team is back with a packed episode recorded just before the Juneteenth holiday. David (CEO), Molly (Head of Product), and Brad (Head of Design) reflect on a week full of shipping updates, new team members, performance improvements, and the challenges of balancing security with user experience.

00:00 – Introductions & Juneteenth shoutout
02:30 – Brad’s week, Palm Springs GTM events
04:50 – Why Tern’s login process is different
09:20 – Magic Link update: how it works + Gmail fix
15:40 – Data performance wins (Received Commissions report)
20:10 – Why more “quick wins” are rolling out
22:00 – UTC payment date fix
23:00 – Reordering form pages
24:00 – Accessibility fix for “Add Additional Traveler”
26:00 – Improved commission reconciliation logic
30:00 – Flight activity naming fix
33:00 – What’s shipping next week (email folders, mobile updates)
34:30 – Rich text editor for trips + activity pages
35:30 – New beta: collecting payments on trip items
37:00 – Why Tern is taking payments carefully (risk & compliance)
38:30 – Travel Market Report Toronto + team updates
39:30 – Quarterly planning + AI roadmap
40:30 – Wrap-up: stay hydrated, subscribe, and more fun to come!

Welcome back to Flight Path, your weekly behind-the-scenes look at what we’re building at Tern! This week is packed with major news, impactful product updates, and a special guest interview you won’t want to miss.

Listen to Office Hours Here

https://open.spotify.com/show/5VoYI891SDJkhlQFpuwuip?si=nIBeINnSQVKo4aJR5IpWFg

00:00 – Intro & chaos avoided
David nearly live-streams the episode by mistake. Molly shares sleep deprivation updates (thanks to a teething baby), and we all express gratitude to Faith, Molly’s mom and Tern hero.

03:08 – A feature that brought tears
Molly recalls a powerful moment where an advisor emotionally responded to the new occupancy rates feature — a reminder of why we do what we do.

03:33 – Major News: Tern Acquires Lucia!
Tern officially welcomes Lucia into the family!
Co-founder Grace Van Hollebeke joins the episode to talk about:

• Lucia’s origin story (hint: it started as a college class project!)

• Why vetted freelance co-pilots are essential to ending invisible work

• Her new role as Head of Marketing and Services at Tern

• The power of combining humans + tech to remove manual work for advisors

• Sneak peek at Office Hours podcast and our growing Instagram presence (follow @ternsoftware)

10:30 – The future of co-pilots in Tern
Brad and Molly lay out the vision for Lucia’s integration:

• Context-aware prompts for help (e.g. “need assistance on a group trip?”)

• Embedded support workflows inside Tern

• Empowering co-pilots to deeply understand Tern tools

20:05 – Product Highlights:

• Subfolders in the Library (finally!): Organize templates, activities, and more with nested folders — complete with emojis.

• Flexible Dates for Lodging: Let travelers select custom check-in/check-out dates (perfect for destination weddings & FITs). Combine with occupancy rates for dynamic pricing.

• New “Save to Library” Flow: Save activity templates in 3 clicks instead of 10. Name, folder, and share — all from the itinerary.

• Copy Confirmation Numbers: Tiny change, big impact. One-click copying for commission tracking.

• TICO-Compliant Invoices: Add your agency address directly in business settings.

• New Rich Text Editor in Invoices: The upgraded editor is now PDF-friendly — a big step toward full rollout on trip itineraries.

39:48 – What We’re Working on Next Week:

• Performance & Scalability: Optimizing reporting and load times as large agencies import 1,000s of bookings.

• Trip Funds (early R&D): The team is back in the trenches on payment collection for group trips — but taking it slow and safe. No live release soon, but important foundational work is underway.

• GTM West: David hits the road to represent Tern at his first GTM event. Let us know if you’ll be there!

In this week’s episode of Flight Path, David, Molly, and Brad pull back the curtain on the latest behind-the-scenes progress at Tern. From a milestone host agency partnership to significant product updates, this is a big one. Tune in for a grounded yet energizing look at how the team is learning directly from users, rapidly iterating, and pushing the platform forward—especially when it comes to groups and pricing logic.

Timestamps & Topics:

00:00 - Intro & Weekly Reflections

• Why this episode’s coming at you early (hint: it’s Romance Forum week!)

• Molly’s coffee outing, and how even small personal highlights matter

01:45 - Mobile App Prototype Sneak Peek

• First look at upcoming mobile upgrades with a clickable prototype

• Improving polish, UX, and advisor confidence

02:30 - New User Office Hours: Real Pain, Real Learning

• Molly’s call with a struggling user turns into a breakthrough

• How one advisor planned a cruise live and finally got that “aha” moment

04:15 - Facing the Gaps: Friction, Workarounds & Urgency

• Brad’s back-to-back user calls highlight where Tern still needs to grow

• The emotional and motivational impact of facing real advisor feedback

• Why Tern refuses to silo user research from product ownership

06:50 - Tern at the Romance Forum & TPI Milestone

• David reporting live from Cancun

• Tern’s first appearance at a destination wedding conference

• Launching occupancy-based pricing + variable date selection

• Partnership announcement: TPI becomes Tern’s first enterprise-scale host agency integration

11:48 - Feature Deep Dive: Occupancy-Based Pricing

• Why this long-requested feature unlocks major simplicity

• Clean setup, accurate pricing, and better room capacity validation

• No more creating “fake rooms” just to display rates for different occupancies

15:50 - Child & Pet Pricing? Coming Eventually… Maybe 🐾

• The internal joke behind “no kids, no dogs”

• Future roadmap nods toward child pricing logic

17:10 - Clean Pricing Inputs: One Click, No More Deleting Zeros

• Quality-of-life update that smooths pricing input workflows

• How small UI changes prevent big data entry mistakes

21:00 - Complete Tasks from the Overview Tab

• Minor tweak, major time-saver: mark tasks as done without extra clicks

• Why this fits the long-term vision of the trip dashboard

22:52 — Sticky Headers & Save Feedback on Activities

• Quiet magic: keeping context visible while editing

• How one engineer (Zach!) proactively improved debug UX for everyone

25:24 - What’s Coming Next: Folders & Mobile Authentication

• Subfolders rolling out for activity templates and email templates

• Why refactoring now helps scale all libraries down the line

• Upcoming: one-click traveler login links for smoother mobile access

27:36 - Another Groups Milestone: Variable Date Selection

• Travelers can now pick their own check-in and check-out dates

• Especially impactful for weddings and all-inclusive trips

• More flexibility without breaking your room block logic

30:15 - Liberty Bell Challenge Metaphor & Closing Gratitude

• Why the team is running back-to-back marathons for the sake of the community

• Shoutout to Tern’s users—your feedback drives everything

• Join the livestream replay on YouTube for feature demos and Romance Forum highlights

Welcome back to Flight Path! This week; David, Molly, and Brad — unpack a packed week of updates, team reflections, and product evolution. Coming off Memorial Day and a week at ASTA, the team brings fresh insights and exciting momentum. If you’re a Tern user or just travel-curious, this episode is packed with meaningful updates, feature walkthroughs, and what’s coming next.

Timestamps:

• 00:00 — Intro & Memorial Day Weekend Recap

• 01:49 — Major Product Milestone: New Bookings Tab Replaces Pricing

• 05:54 — Why this redesign matters + what users are loving already

• 09:05 — Under-the-hood complexity: Packages, nesting, and how the new UI simplifies it

• 12:08 — Language alignment: From confusion to clarity in workflows

• 16:25 — Editor Migration Update: What happened, what we fixed, and what we learned

• 20:47 — Deep Dive: The % bug that caused content loss and our team’s recovery response

• 22:54 — Why content reliability is non-negotiable + the systems now in place to prevent future issues

• 26:41 — Quality-of-life features: Workflow automation visibility + one-click loyalty number copying

• 29:20 — Coming Next Week: Destination weddings, Romance Forum, and new group travel tools

• 32:00 — Mobile upgrades kick off: What's happening on app, web, and iPad next

• 34:00 — Final thoughts, a look ahead, and an invitation to share feedback

00:00 — Intro & ASTA Check-in
Brad and Molly explain why David's out and set the tone for an episode full of reflections and updates post-webinar.

02:30 — The Hiring Squeeze
The team discusses the intense hiring phase, balancing product momentum with the need to grow thoughtfully.

03:45 — Shared Folders Launch
No more one-by-one item sharing! Learn how new bulk folder sharing is already saving advisors hours of work—and bringing some to tears of joy.

06:30 — Design Simplicity Behind the Scenes
Brad and Molly unpack the UX decisions and technical challenges behind making folder sharing feel as intuitive as Google Drive.

07:50 — Trip Overview Feedback & What’s Next
User feedback is shaping this evolving “hub” for trip planning—quick add, task toggles, booking visibility, and more are on the way.

09:20 — The Future is Customizable
Tern is considering a more customizable trip overview experience. Think "views" tailored to how you run your business.

11:00 — Upcoming Folder Features
Get ready for subfolders and expanded folder support across email templates, forms, and more—rolling out in priority order.

13:45 — How We’re Future-Proofing
Molly shares how engineers are building common components now to reduce complexity later.

14:45 — Ursula’s Strong Start
The new designer is already shipping high-impact features—like an easier way to recover accidentally deleted trips.

16:00 — Redesigning Pricing → Bookings
A major update is coming: pricing is becoming bookings, with a cleaner, table-based view including confirmation numbers.

18:00 — Groups + Flexible Pricing
Advisors can soon set different prices based on room occupancy (single/double/triple), making group travel planning much simpler.

20:00 — Big Features Before the Romance Forum
Tern is prepping for the Romance Forum by rolling out features advisors need most for destination weddings and groups.

21:00 — Expanding Our Mobile Strategy
Big moves are coming: a dedicated mobile roadmap, client-side app improvements, and eventually an advisor mobile app too.

23:30 — Call for Feedback: What Should the Mobile App Look Like?
Brad invites you to share examples and inspiration for what you'd love to see in a redesigned mobile experience.

24:40 — Wrap-up & What’s Coming Next
This might be the Molly & Brad show for now—but David will be back, and so will more big updates.

In this episode:

• [00:00] Webinar week hangover – The team reflects on the excitement (and exhaustion) of delivering the biggest webinar yet.

• [01:45] Launching three core features – From folders and subfolders to packing lists and booking overviews, the team dives into what shipped—and what blew users' minds.

• [05:00] Community-driven dev – Real-time beta feedback turned into same-day launches thanks to Tern engineers going above and beyond.

• [08:45] The chat that stole the show – From fairy godmothers to pun-fueled feature hunts, we highlight the wild and wonderful comments that made the event unforgettable.

• [11:00] Folders explode in popularity – Nearly 1,000 folders created in under 24 hours (and subfolders are already on the way).

• [13:00] Packing lists go live – Over 200 created in a day. This AI-powered feature helps advisors personalize client experiences like never before.

• [16:00] Signature integration surprise – The chat lit up with requests for consortia integrations—proof that the collaboration wave is building.

• [18:00] Series A funding explained – Why we announced it, what it means, and what it doesn’t. Spoiler: We’re not selling out, we’re doubling down.

• [22:00] Growing the team intentionally – A look at how the team plans to scale without compromising product quality or support.

• [26:45] What’s next – From group booking enhancements to mobile improvements and back-to-back travel conferences, the momentum continues into next week.