Build the message around arrival
Lead with the tour name, departure date and arrival time. Distinguish the time guests should arrive from the time the activity leaves. Include a precise meeting point and a useful landmark. If a map link is available, check it from a phone outside your own account.
Include decisions guests must make
Explain what to wear, what to bring and what is provided. State any participant information or waiver task still required and link directly to the appropriate next step. Use tour-specific instructions: a general packing list can confuse guests when different activities have different requirements.
Keep changes and replies manageable
Name the route for an on-the-day question. Confirm someone monitors that route. Test what happens after a reschedule or cancellation so the original reminder does not send with the wrong time. A message is only useful when the booking information behind it is current.
Use a final human check
Read the message without any internal context. Can you identify where to go, when to arrive and what to do next? Check missing-field examples, long tour names and international date formats. Keep a plain-language version that a staff member can send manually when the automated route is unavailable.
A concrete example
A departure at 9:00 with an 8:45 arrival requirement needs both times labelled. Add the exact meeting point, a checked map link and the one outstanding task the guest still needs to complete.
Put it to work this week
Read your current message as a first-time visitor and mark every detail you would still have to ask about.