WP Travel Engine - Trip Fixed Starting Dates

A departure that doesn't fill is a cost you never get back

By default, WP Travel Engine lets customers book every trip on any day of the year. That doesn't work if your route leaves on the first Saturday of each month, if the group departs with a guide and transport already contracted, or if the tour only exists in season. In a business built on departures, the seat you don't sell on a date can't be recovered: the guide, the vehicle and the lodging cost the same whether the group is full or half empty.

Trip Fixed Starting Dates turns those year-round open trips into departures with a date, seats and a calendar, so customers can only book when you actually run the trip.

How departures are set up with Trip Fixed Starting Dates

You can add one or several dates to each trip, with their times. It suits seasonal tours, events or group trips that need a precise schedule. So you don't have to type every departure one by one, there are recurring dates: daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, and also by a specific week and weekday of the month (for example, the second Sunday of every month).

• Seats per date: you set how many seats each departure has and travellers see how many are left. This lowers the risk of overselling.
• Excluded dates: you block holidays, maintenance or any day you can't operate, and customers only see the dates that are available.
• Custom date inquiry: a built-in form for people who can't find a date that suits them.

What travellers see before they decide

On the trip listing, each card shows its next available departure, and a drop-down menu lets visitors sort trips by departure date. Someone with fixed vacation days finds what leaves that week first, without opening trip after trip.

With the shortcode [WTE_TRIPS_FIXED_STARTING_DATES] you can show the fixed dates of all your trips in one place, whether it's the homepage or a page dedicated to the departure calendar.

When no date works for them, the inquiry form turns that visit into a contact you can follow up, instead of losing it. If you run few departures a year, that route matters more than it seems.

It needs WP Travel Engine and doesn't cover the rest of the booking

It is an add-on: it doesn't work on its own and requires WP Travel Engine to be installed and active. Split by task, it looks like this:

• Already solved: fixed dates with times, recurrences, seats per departure, date blocking, inquiry form, sorting by departure date and a dates shortcode.
• Covered by another add-on: the capacity limit for accommodations and extra services is controlled with a separate WP Travel Engine add-on, not this one.
• Handled by WP Travel Engine, not this add-on: the booking process, prices and payment.
• Up to you: writing each trip, deciding how many seats to open per departure and keeping the calendar up to date when your operations change.

Before you commit, check in the demo how the departure calendar looks on mobile, since that is where many travellers compare dates.

Frequently asked questions

Do I have to type every date by hand?

No. If your departures repeat daily, weekly, monthly or yearly, you set up the recurrence once. You can also schedule by weekday within the month.

How do I avoid selling more seats than I have?

By assigning a number of seats to each date. The customer sees the remaining seats, and you control the size of each group.

Can I close a specific date, such as a holiday?

Yes. You can exclude dates from booking and the customer will only see the ones that remain available.

What happens if the customer can't find a date that works?

They can send you an inquiry through the built-in form and ask for another date.

Does it work without WP Travel Engine?

No. It is an add-on for that plugin and depends on it to work.