Tern – Where Can Your Passport Take You?

Overview

Navigating the complexities of international travel can often feel like deciphering a cryptic puzzle, especially when it comes to visa requirements and travel planning logistics. Enter Tern, an innovative dual-platform solution that combines AI-powered travel planning with comprehensive visa intelligence. Operating through two complementary services – a consumer-focused AI travel planner at tern.app and a professional travel agency platform at tern.travel – Tern addresses the complete spectrum of modern travel needs.

Whether you’re a globetrotting tourist seeking personalized itineraries, a digital nomad scouting visa-friendly destinations, or a travel professional managing complex client workflows, Tern offers a comprehensive ecosystem to simplify visa compliance, generate intelligent travel plans, and streamline booking processes with remarkable efficiency. The platform has successfully facilitated over 14,000 trips for travelers from 120 countries, establishing itself as a trusted solution in the competitive travel technology landscape.

Key Features

Tern’s comprehensive platform encompasses both consumer and professional travel solutions, offering a robust feature set designed for diverse travel scenarios:

• Advanced visa eligibility assessment: Instantly determine visa requirements for any destination based on your nationality, providing detailed information on visa types, associated costs, required documentation, processing timeframes, and real-time travel advisories sourced from official government databases and embassy resources.
• AI-powered personalized itinerary generation: Leverage sophisticated artificial intelligence to create customized travel plans within seconds, incorporating destination preferences, travel duration, budget constraints, activity interests, and accessibility requirements while suggesting optimal routing and timing for maximum efficiency.
• Comprehensive destination intelligence and safety rankings: Discover new destinations through intelligent ranking systems that evaluate locations based on popularity metrics, current safety ratings, visa accessibility for your nationality, political climate, health considerations, and seasonal travel advisability.
• Professional travel CRM and client management: A dedicated dashboard for travel professionals featuring comprehensive client relationship management, booking tracking systems, automated communication workflows, commission management, and detailed analytics for business optimization.
• Intelligent proposal and presentation builder: Create professional, customized travel proposals with integrated multimedia content, pricing breakdowns, alternative options, terms and conditions, and branded presentation materials that can be shared digitally or printed for client meetings.
• Integrated booking platform with supplier partnerships: Seamlessly connect with verified booking platforms to facilitate reservations for flights, accommodations, tours, activities, and travel insurance, featuring partnerships with over 6,000 tour operators across 136 countries for comprehensive coverage.
• Collaborative planning tools with real-time sharing: Enable multiple travelers, family members, or colleagues to collaborate on itinerary planning with shared access, editing permissions, comment systems, and real-time synchronization across all devices and participants.

How It Works

Tern’s sophisticated dual-platform architecture delivers seamless experiences for both individual travelers and travel professionals through intuitive, AI-driven processes designed for maximum efficiency and user satisfaction.

For individual travelers using the consumer platform at tern.app, the process begins with a simple conversation-style interface where users specify their destination, travel duration, and personal preferences. Tern’s advanced AI system then analyzes this input alongside comprehensive destination data, real-time pricing information, seasonal considerations, and local insights to generate personalized itineraries within seconds. The platform incorporates map visualization, day-by-day planning, budget optimization, and collaborative features that allow friends and family to contribute suggestions and modifications.

Travel professionals utilizing the business platform at tern.travel access a comprehensive CRM system designed specifically for the travel industry. The platform integrates client management, itinerary building, payment processing, and automated workflow management into a unified interface. Advanced features include AI-assisted trip planning, automated email campaigns, commission tracking, supplier relationship management, and detailed business analytics that help agencies optimize their operations and improve client satisfaction.

The visa checking functionality operates across both platforms, utilizing real-time data feeds from government sources, embassy networks, and official travel advisory services. Users input their passport country and intended destinations to receive instant assessments of entry requirements, including visa types, costs, processing times, required documentation, and any current restrictions or advisories that might affect travel plans.

Use Cases

Tern’s versatile platform architecture addresses diverse travel scenarios across both consumer and professional markets, providing specialized solutions for various user types and travel complexities:

• Comprehensive leisure travel planning: Individual travelers and families can create detailed vacation itineraries with integrated visa checking, activity recommendations, budget management, and collaborative planning features that ensure all travelers’ preferences are incorporated into the final travel plan.
• Professional visa compliance and advisory services: Travel agents and consultants can provide clients with instant, accurate visa requirement assessments, eliminating research time while ensuring compliance with current regulations and avoiding potential travel disruptions due to documentation issues.
• Digital nomad destination research and visa optimization: Location-independent professionals can identify countries with favorable visa policies, extended stay options, digital nomad programs, quality of life indicators, and remote work infrastructure to optimize their travel and work experiences.
• Corporate travel management and expense optimization: Business travel coordinators can streamline employee trip planning, ensure policy compliance, manage travel budgets, track expenses, and maintain detailed records for accounting and reimbursement purposes through integrated business tools.
• Travel agency client relationship management: Professional travel advisors can manage comprehensive client databases, track booking history, automate follow-up communications, process payments securely, and generate detailed business reports to optimize agency operations and improve client retention.

Pros \& Cons

Tern’s comprehensive platform offers significant advantages while presenting certain considerations that users should understand when evaluating the service:

Advantages

• Rapid visa intelligence and compliance assurance: Receive instant, accurate visa requirement information sourced from official government databases, significantly reducing research time while ensuring travelers have current, reliable information for trip planning and documentation preparation.
• Comprehensive dual-platform solution for all travel stakeholders: Single ecosystem serving both individual travelers and professional travel businesses, enabling seamless collaboration between consumers and travel advisors while maintaining specialized tools for each user type.
• Modern, intuitive interface with AI-powered efficiency: Clean, user-friendly design combined with sophisticated artificial intelligence that dramatically reduces planning time while providing personalized recommendations based on individual preferences and travel patterns.
• Extensive booking integration with verified suppliers: Direct access to over 6,000 tour operators and activity providers across 136 countries, ensuring comprehensive options for destinations worldwide while maintaining quality standards through vetted partnerships.
• Collaborative planning tools with real-time synchronization: Enable multiple stakeholders to contribute to travel planning with shared access, real-time updates, and collaborative editing features that streamline group travel coordination and family vacation planning.

Disadvantages

• Platform complexity with multiple access points: The dual-platform structure (consumer vs. professional) may initially confuse users about which service meets their specific needs, requiring clear understanding of the different offerings and their respective target audiences.
• Developing feature set with ongoing enhancements: As a growing platform that has facilitated over 14,000 trips, some advanced features may still be in development or refinement phases, potentially limiting functionality compared to more established, specialized competitors.
• Limited ecosystem maturity compared to industry giants: While offering comprehensive features, Tern may lack the extensive third-party integrations, global supplier relationships, and institutional support systems that larger, more established travel platforms provide.

How Does It Compare?

When evaluated against the current competitive landscape of travel technology solutions in 2025, Tern establishes a unique position through its integrated approach to consumer travel planning and professional travel management.

TravelJoy (2025): TravelJoy has evolved into a comprehensive travel agency CRM platform with robust itinerary building, payment processing, client management, and automation features. TravelJoy excels in serving travel professionals with sophisticated proposal creation, commission tracking, and business analytics tools. However, TravelJoy lacks the integrated visa checking functionality that Tern provides, requiring agents to use external resources for visa compliance. Additionally, TravelJoy focuses exclusively on the B2B travel professional market, while Tern serves both consumers and professionals through its dual-platform approach.

Axus Travel App (2025): Axus continues to provide sophisticated itinerary creation and collaboration tools with strong mobile app capabilities, offline access, and professional branding features. The platform excels in creating visually appealing, detailed itineraries with extensive customization options and client collaboration features. However, Axus lacks the comprehensive visa screening capabilities and AI-powered trip generation that Tern offers. While Axus provides excellent itinerary presentation and management tools, it doesn’t include the CRM functionality or automated business workflows that Tern integrates into its professional platform.

TESS (Travel eSolutions) (2025): TESS has maintained its position as an established travel CRM solution with comprehensive client management, booking tracking, automated workflows, and business reporting capabilities. TESS offers mature features for travel agency operations with extensive customization options and integration capabilities. However, TESS presents a more traditional interface design that may feel dated compared to Tern’s modern, AI-powered user experience. Additionally, TESS lacks the integrated visa checking tools and consumer-facing travel planning platform that Tern provides, focusing exclusively on travel professional back-office operations.

Consumer Travel Planning Platforms (2025): The consumer travel planning landscape includes various AI-powered solutions and traditional booking platforms. While many platforms offer trip planning and booking capabilities, few combine comprehensive visa intelligence with AI-powered itinerary generation and professional travel advisor integration. Tern’s unique dual-platform approach enables seamless transitions between self-service travel planning and professional travel advisor assistance when needed.

Visa Information Services: Specialized visa checking services exist but typically operate as standalone solutions without integrated travel planning or professional CRM capabilities. Tern’s integration of visa intelligence with comprehensive travel planning and professional tools creates a more holistic solution for travelers and travel professionals who need both compliance information and booking capabilities.

Final Thoughts

Tern represents a thoughtful evolution in travel technology that addresses the fragmented nature of modern travel planning by creating an integrated ecosystem serving both consumers and travel professionals. The platform’s dual-platform approach recognizes that different travelers have varying needs for self-service versus professional assistance while ensuring that visa compliance remains consistently accessible across all user types.

The platform’s strength lies in its comprehensive approach to travel intelligence, combining AI-powered planning capabilities with real-time visa compliance data and professional-grade business tools. Having facilitated over 14,000 trips for travelers from 120 countries demonstrates Tern’s practical value and international applicability, while its ongoing development suggests continued innovation in response to user feedback and market demands.

While Tern may be building its ecosystem maturity compared to long-established platforms, its modern architecture, AI integration, and comprehensive feature set position it well for the evolving travel industry. The platform’s emphasis on visa compliance addresses a critical pain point that many travelers and travel professionals face, while its collaborative features recognize the social nature of modern travel planning.

For travelers seeking efficient, AI-powered trip planning with integrated visa intelligence, and for travel professionals requiring modern CRM tools with comprehensive compliance features, Tern offers a compelling solution that bridges the gap between consumer convenience and professional capability. The platform’s continued growth and feature development suggest strong potential for becoming an essential tool in the modern travel technology stack.