Expert WordPress Developer to Build a Fully Functional Travel & Tour Booking

Job Description / Project Overview:

We are looking for an experienced WordPress developer to overhaul and expand our existing website, satvikease.com (Global Holiday Packages Portal). The current site is live but uses only basic features. We need a full-fledged, high-performance, mobile-responsive, and user-friendly travel portal equipped with an advanced booking engine and an admin panel.

The selected freelancer will be responsible for creating a scalable platform that can manage curated holiday packages, process payments, and provide a seamless booking experience for customers on both mobile and desktop devices.

Scope of Work
1. Theme Selection & Design Customization: Developers have complete creative freedom. You may use a premium travel/booking template, use an existing starter template, or build your own custom design from scratch. However, the final look, layout, and feel must be highly professional, polished, and intuitive—on par with industry leaders like MakeMyTrip.
2. Package Management & Itinerary Builder: Set up a back-end system for creating unlimited tour packages with descriptions, multiple pricing tiers (adults, children, group discounts), dates, itineraries, and image galleries.
3. Booking & Payment Gateway Integration: Integrate a robust booking system with real-time availability, an on-page booking process, and partial or full payment methods via WooCommerce (Stripe, PayPal, and local bank transfers).
4. Advanced Search & Filtering: Develop a powerful, user-friendly search bar that filters tours by destination, price, duration, and tour type.
5. User & Admin Dashboard: Configure customer registration/login, user profiles (booking history, invoices, and wishlists), and an admin panel to manage inquiries, bookings, and content.
6. Speed and SEO Optimization: Ensure the site is lightweight, fast-loading (GTmetrix/PageSpeed optimized), and integrated with standard SEO practices including JSON-LD Schema markup for travel packages.

Technical Requirements
Platform: WordPress (PHP, MySQL)
Core Plugins/Tools: WP Travel, WP Travel Engine, or Tourfic
Page Builder: Elementor or Gutenberg (clean and lightweight)
Communication: Automated email notifications/SMS alerts for both admins and customers when a booking is made.
Security & SSL: Enforced HTTPS, SSL configuration, and anti-spam protection on contact/booking forms.

Deliverables
Fully Configured Website: Complete installation and setup on our purchased hosting/domain.
Payment Gateway Setup: Tested and operational payment and booking workflows.
Admin Training/Documentation: A brief guide on how to add new packages, edit pages, and process bookings.
Post-Launch Support: 30 days of bug-fix support following the launch.

Ideal Candidate Profile
3+ years of WordPress development experience, specifically with e-commerce, travel, and booking websites.
Strong portfolio showcasing previously built travel portals or booking platforms.
Proficient in WooCommerce, payment gateway APIs, and front-end optimization.
Excellent communication skills for updates and project handover.

Project Milestones:
Milestone 1: Requirement understanding, documenting the project scope, and finalizing initial specifications — ₹200
Milestone 2: Theme setup, styling customization, and responsive homepage design (MakeMyTrip style look and feel) — ₹3,000
Milestone 3: Tour package management setup, seasonal variations, and itinerary builder implementation — ₹4,000
Milestone 4: Advanced booking engine configuration and payment gateway integration (Stripe, PayPal, and WooCommerce) — ₹4,500
Milestone 5: Search and filter system development, user registration, and dashboard configuration — ₹3,500
Milestone 6: Speed optimization, SEO integration, rigorous testing, and final deployment — ₹2,800