How booking works on Ranch Route
You book and pay here. The family hosts you there. Here is exactly what happens in between.
Pick an open day
Every listing has a calendar. Only days the host is open are selectable, with start times and spots left shown as you go. If a day is not highlighted, the host is closed, full, or needs more notice.
Tell the host what they need
Your name and email always. Some hosts ask for everyone's names and ages, dietary or mobility needs, an emergency contact, or their own questions. If the host has a waiver, you read it and agree to it right there; your name and the time are kept with the booking.
Pay with Stripe
Checkout is Stripe's, the same system behind most online stores. Your card details never touch Ranch Route. The payment goes to the host's own account, so their name is on your statement.
Instant or request
Some experiences confirm the moment you pay. Others are "request to book": your card is authorized but not charged, the host accepts or declines, and only an accepted request is charged. No answer within six days and the hold is released on its own. You get an email either way.
Everything for the day in one place
Your confirmation email and your Bookings page carry the meeting point, the host's phone, what to bring, what's included, and the cancellation policy.
What does it cost me?
Exactly the listed price plus any state tax Stripe calculates for your location. No booking fee on top.
Can I cancel?
Each listing shows its cancellation policy. To cancel or change a booking, contact the host directly; their phone and email are on your Bookings page. Refunds go back to the card you paid with.
Who do I call if something goes wrong?
The host, first. They are running the day. If you cannot reach them, email harrison.vrtis@ranchroute.co and a real person will help.
Set your rhythm once
In your dashboard, tell us which days you run, start times, spots per time, how much notice you need, your season, and closed dates. The calendar guests see is built from that, and checkout enforces it, so nobody can book a day you are not open or more seats than you have.
Choose how you take bookings
Instant: guests pay and are confirmed on the spot. Request: you get a yes-or-no on each one, with the guest's card on hold until you answer. Request is the right choice if you also sell on your own site or want to check the weather first. Your own site: we send guests to your booking page and take nothing.
Price it your way
Per guest, or one price for the whole party (a boat, a private tour). Ask guests for whatever you need: names, ages, emergency contact, your own questions. Paste your own waiver and every guest agrees to it before paying.
Get paid directly
Connect Stripe once (about five minutes, in the Finance tab). Payments land in your own Stripe account; Ranch Route never holds your money. Ranch Route's commission is 8% of the booking, taken automatically. Stripe's card fee (2.9% plus 30 cents) comes out of your side, as it would on your own site.
Run it from one list
Every booking shows in your Reservations tab with the guest's contact, their party, their answers, and the waiver record. Accept, decline, or cancel with a refund from the same row. You are emailed and, if you turn it on, texted for every new one.
Who is responsible for the experience?
You are. Ranch Route is the marketplace: it takes the booking and the payment and hands you the guest. The experience, safety, licensing and insurance are yours, and your waiver is between you and the guest. Our partner terms spell this out.
What if I need to cancel?
Open the booking, add a note, and hit Cancel and refund. The guest gets a full refund including our commission, and an email with your note.
Can I still take bookings elsewhere?
Yes. Use request mode so you can check your own calendar before accepting, or block dates here as you fill them there.
Questions about any of this? harrison.vrtis@ranchroute.co