Nature guides: booking public nature outings with places

Run each public outing as a bookable service with a set number of places: a dawn birdsong walk, a family orienteering course, a mushroom identification morning. Say in the description where to meet, the minimum age, how long and how far it goes, and what to bring. Families and walkers book one place each, the outing closes itself when the group is full, and you know before the day who is coming and how many children are in the group.

A two-hour family treasure hunt and a five-hour ridge walk don't suit the same people. On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service, sits within one day and has its own capacity.

Durations, places and prices are examples: set your own. Say whether the price is per person or per family.

Set places to the group size you can guide safely and still let everyone see and hear: smaller for wildlife watching, larger for an orienteering course. When the last place is booked, the outing leaves your page. Each online booking takes one place, so a family of four books four times or calls you; if you price per family, create a family service with one place per family and say how many people it covers.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the participant's calendar file. Ask in the note for the number and ages of children and any mobility needs.

Say in the description when you decide to cancel for weather, for example the evening before, and how participants will hear. If an outing doesn't run, cancel each booking from your bookings list and contact everyone yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes; offer a place on another date. A phone number in the booking helps when you need to reach people quickly.

Nature follows the seasons: bird migration in spring, insects in summer, mushrooms in autumn. Create each themed outing for its season only, with an end date on its slots, and share the programme a few weeks ahead. Slots repeat each week on the weekdays you choose until an end date, which suits a regular Saturday morning outing.

During school holidays, a nature club over several mornings needs one booking per day, since each slot sits within one day. Open each morning as its own slot and say in the description whether children should book every day, or book the following days yourself for each child after the first booking.

Some sites have limits on group size or seasons when areas are closed for nesting. Check with the landowner or reserve manager, set places within their limits, and say in the description that the route may change to protect wildlife. A short word at the start about staying on paths and not picking plants sets the tone for the group.

Put your booking link on the tourist office listing, local parenting groups, your social profile and posters at the start of popular trails. Families planning a weekend can book straight away.

Check your bookings list for the day's group, and count participants at the start and end. Participants can't move bookings online: they contact you, and you move them to another date from your bookings list. Book doesn't take payments, so say how and when people pay, on the day or beforehand. Your bookings sync with Google, iPhone or Mac calendars. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.