Podcast: How Danger Charters turned Trip Protection into a six-figure revenue stream

Listen to the episode

Host: Rebekah Costley

Guest: Haig Smith, Owner of Danger Charters

Episode overview

Danger Charters has been part of the Key West experience for more than 20 years, offering sailing and snorkeling trips that reflect the relaxed pace of Key West. In recent years, the business has grown from two boats to five, scaling steadily while maintaining a strong focus on the guest experience.

In this episode of Growth Powered by FareHarbor, owner Haig shares how adopting Trip Protection became a turning point. What started as hesitation in including an add-on in their checkout evolved into a six-figure revenue stream.

The conversation also explores a broader strategy: focusing on revenue per guest, designing experiences that encourage repeat bookings, and testing new tools instead of overthinking them. It’s a practical look at how small changes at checkout can drive meaningful results across your business.

Key takeaways

Trip Protection works when you test it 

Danger Charters wasn’t sure how customers would respond to an added cost at checkout. By trying it, they uncovered strong adoption — nearly half of bookers opted in, generating over $100,000 in additional revenue over a two-year period.

“You can cancel and get a refund… we’ll refund your money back, not gonna ask questions… Or you can reschedule and go out in the afternoon or the next day… A lot of people wanna go out with us, they just didn’t wanna go out right then [for whatever reason].”

Focus on revenue per guest, not just volume

Rather than relying on more bookings, Danger Charters is working to increase the value of each one.

Add-ons like Trip Protection support this strategy, helping drive revenue without raising base prices or adding operational strain.

Flexibility reduces friction for everyone

Trip Protection makes it easier to handle cancellations and last-minute changes.

Guests book with more confidence, and staff spend less time managing difficult refund conversations.

Build experiences that encourage repeat bookings

Many guests naturally book more than once, starting with a daytime trip and returning for a sunset sail.

By aligning products with that behavior, Danger Charters creates more opportunities for repeat revenue.

Test first. Decide later.

“When FareHarbor suggests trying something like Trip Protection, try it. If it doesn’t work, you can always turn it off.”

Testing removes the guesswork and helps operators uncover what actually works.

Small changes, measurable impact

Danger Charters proves that growth doesn’t always come from big shifts. Sometimes, it comes from testing a single feature and letting the data guide your next move.

Trip Protection started as a question. It became a six-figure answer.

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