How to redirect WP Travel Engine to external booking platform?

You know that feeling when you’ve built this beautiful travel website, showcased your trips perfectly, and then… You hit a wall?

Your clients want to book through the platform they already trust. Or maybe you’re working with three different partners who each insist on using their own booking system. Or perhaps, and this is super common, you’ve got a legacy booking platform that’s been running your business for years, and you’re not about to abandon it just because you built a WordPress site.

Here’s the thing: you shouldn’t have to choose between a great website and the booking system that actually works for your business.

That’s exactly why WP Travel Engine’s Custom Booking Link add-on exists. And honestly? It’s one of those solutions that makes you wonder why it isn’t just built into everything by default. Because let’s be real, one-size-fits-all rarely fits anyone properly.

What This Add-On Actually Does

Think of the Custom Booking Link add-on as your escape hatch from booking system prison.

Instead of forcing every customer through WP Travel Engine‘s default booking flow, this add-on lets you redirect that “Check Availability” or “Book Now” button to literally anywhere you want. An external booking platform. Your custom form. A partner’s website. Your CRM system. Whatever makes sense for your business.

The beautiful part? Your website still looks seamless. Customers don’t see the technical gymnastics happening behind the scenes—they just click a button and land exactly where they need to be.

Here’s what makes it particularly clever:

You can set a global booking link that applies to all your trips (perfect for agencies that use one main booking system), but you can also override that link for specific trips. So maybe your hiking tours go through one platform, your luxury cruises through another, and your local day trips through a simple contact form. All from one WordPress dashboard.

That flexibility is… kind of amazing, actually.

Who Really Needs This Thing?

Look, not everyone needs this add-on. If you’re perfectly happy with WP Travel Engine‘s built-in booking system, keep using it. It works great.

But if you’re nodding along to any of these scenarios, you definitely want to keep reading:

You’re already committed to another booking platform. Maybe you’ve been using Rezdy or Bokun, or FareHarbor for years. Your team knows it inside and out, your accounting is synced with it, and honestly, it just works. You don’t want to migrate everything just to have a WordPress site.

You work with multiple partners. Travel agencies often partner with different tour operators, hotels, or activity providers. Each partner might have their own preferred booking system. With this add-on, you can route customers to the right place based on which trip they’re booking—all while managing everything from your central WP Travel Engine dashboard.

You’re focused on lead generation first. Some businesses prefer not to have the booking occur immediately. They want to capture contact info, qualify leads through their CRM, and then follow up personally. This add-on lets you point that “Book Now” button to a contact form or lead capture system instead.

You’re running white-label services. If you manage travel websites for multiple clients, each client probably wants their own booking system. This add-on lets you handle that without needing to build separate sites for everyone.

You’ve got a legacy system you can’t abandon. We get it—enterprise booking systems represent years of investment and customization. This add-on builds a bridge between your shiny new WordPress site and your established backend infrastructure.

Before You Start: What You’ll Need

This is pretty straightforward, but let’s cover the basics so there are no surprises.

You must have WP Travel Engine version 4.0.0 or later. Earlier versions won’t work with this add-on. If you’re running an older version, update the main plugin first. (And honestly, you should probably update it anyway for security and features.)

You need a valid license. You can’t just download this for free—it’s a premium add-on. But once you’ve purchased it, you’ll get a license key that unlocks updates and support.

You should know where you’re redirecting people. Before installing anything, decide on your booking platform or URL. Have that external link ready. You can change it later, but it helps to have a plan going in.

That’s it. No coding required. No developer needed. Just basic WordPress admin skills.

Installing the Add-On

Alright, let’s get this thing installed. I’ll walk through this assuming you’ve never installed a premium WordPress plugin before.

Step 1: Download the Add-On File

First, you need to actually get the add-on file onto your computer.

Go to wptravelengine.com/my-account and log in. If you just purchased the add-on, you should already have an account. If not, create one using the email you used for your purchase.

Once you’re logged in, navigate to wptravelengine.com/plugins/custom-booking-link. You’ll see a Download button on the right side of the page (instead of the pricing info that non-customers see).

Click that button. Your browser will download a zip file called “wp-travel-engine-custom-booking-link.zip”—don’t unzip it. Keep it zipped.

Step 2: Upload and Install

Now head to your WordPress dashboard. Find Plugins > Add New in your left sidebar.

At the top of that page, you’ll see an Upload Plugin button. Click it.

Your browser will ask you to choose a file. Select that zip file you just downloaded. Then click Install Now.

WordPress will do its thing—uploading, unpacking, and installing. This usually takes 10-30 seconds, depending on your hosting speed.

Step 3: Activate the Add-On

After installation finishes, you’ll see a success message. Right there, you’ll see an Activate button. Click it.

(Alternatively, you can go to Plugins > Installed Plugins, scroll down to find the Custom Booking Link add-on in your list, and activate it from there. Same result.)

Step 4: Activate Your License

This step is important if you want to receive updates. And you do want updates—they include bug fixes, security patches, and new features.

Go to WP Travel Engine > Plugin License in your WordPress dashboard.

You should have received a license key via email when you purchased the add-on. Copy that key and paste it into the license field on this page.

Click Save Changes.

Now refresh the page. You’ll see an Activate License button appear. Click that button.

Once it’s activated, WordPress will automatically notify you when updates are available, and you can update the add-on directly from your plugins page just like any other plugin.

That’s it. Installation complete. Let’s configure this thing.

Setting Up Global Booking Links

Global settings are where you establish your default behavior. Think of this as your baseline—what happens if you don’t customize anything at the individual trip level.

Accessing the Settings

Navigate to WP Travel Engine > Settings > Extensions > Custom Booking Link.

This is your command center for the add-on. Everything you configure here will apply to all trips on your site unless you specifically override it for individual trips (which we’ll cover in a minute).

Enabling the Feature

You’ll see an option to enable the Custom Booking Link feature. It’s probably toggled off by default. Turn it on.

Once you enable it, two configuration options appear.

Adding Your Booking Link

The first field is labeled Booking Link. This is where you enter the URL where you want customers redirected.

Here’s the thing: this can be literally any URL. Some examples:

• External booking platform: Something like https://yourcompany.rezdy.com/catalog
• Custom booking form: Maybe https://yoursite.com/booking-form
• Contact page: Perhaps https://yoursite.com/contact-us
• Partner platform: Could be https://partnerbooking.com/yourtrips
• Payment gateway: Direct link to a payment processor
• CRM capture form: A lead generation form that feeds your CRM

Whatever URL you put here, that’s where the “Check Availability” button will send people.

Pro tip: Make sure the URL is complete and includes https:// at the beginning. Don’t just type yoursite.com/booking—use the full https://yoursite.com/booking format. WordPress won’t guess the protocol for you.

Deciding on Tab Behavior

The second option is Open in New Tab.

Should clicking the booking button open your custom link in a new browser tab, or should it navigate away from your site in the same tab?

Here’s how I think about this decision:

Enable “Open in New Tab” if:

• You’re sending people to an external website (booking platforms, partner sites, etc.)
• You want customers to easily return to your site after checking out the booking system
• The booking process might take several steps, and you want your site still available for reference

Disable “Open in New Tab” if:

• You’re redirecting to another page on your own website (like a contact form)
• You want a seamless, uninterrupted flow
• The booking process is straightforward and final

There’s no wrong answer here, just different user experiences. I personally lean toward “open in new tab” for external platforms because it feels less jarring to customers. They can always close the tab and return to browsing your trips if they’re not ready to book yet.

Save Your Settings

Once you’ve entered your booking link and chosen your tab behavior, click Save Settings.

That’s your global configuration done. Now every trip on your site will use these settings… unless you override them.

Testing Your Global Configuration

Before moving on, you should definitely test this to make sure it works.

Navigate to one of your trip pages on the actual website (not the admin dashboard). Reload the page to make sure the new settings are in effect.

Now click the “Check Availability” or “Book Now” button on that trip.

Did it redirect to your custom booking link? Did it open in the right tab behavior (new tab or same tab)?

If yes, perfect. You’re good to go.

If no, double-check that you saved your settings and that the URL is formatted correctly. Sometimes it’s just a typo—missing https:// or an extra space at the end of the URL.

Setting Up Individual Trip Booking Links

Here’s where this add-on gets really interesting.

Maybe your African safari tours need to go through one booking system, but your European river cruises need to go through a different partner’s platform. Or maybe most trips use your global default, but a few special promotional packages need custom handling.

That’s exactly what individual trip overrides are for.

Accessing a Specific Trip

Go to WP Travel Engine > Trips (or just Trips, depending on your setup) in your dashboard.

Find the trip you want to customize and click Edit.

Finding the Custom Booking Link Tab

Once the trip editor loads, scroll down to the bottom of the page. You’ll see a section called WP Travel Engine > Trip Settings—it’s displayed as a meta box below your main content area.

Inside that box, there are several tabs. Look for the one labeled Custom Booking Link and click it.

Enabling the Override

In that tab, you’ll find a checkbox or toggle for Override Global Booking Link.

By default, this is disabled, which means this trip is using your global settings. Check this box to enable trip-specific customization.

Once you enable it, two fields appear: Booking Link and Open in New Tab. These work exactly like the global settings, but they only apply to this specific trip.

Configuring Your Custom Link

Now enter the unique booking link for this trip. Some ideas:

• A different booking platform from your global default
• A partner-specific URL that includes affiliate tracking
• A custom form designed specifically for this trip type
• A direct link to an external agency system
• A specific payment link or invoice system
• A different contact form for special inquiries

And again, choose whether to open in a new tab or not. You can make this decision trip by trip based on what makes sense.

Save Your Changes

Click the Save or Update button (usually at the top right of the trip editor) to save your trip-specific settings.

This trip will now bypass the global settings and use the custom link you just configured.

Test the Individual Trip

Don’t skip this step. Go to that trip’s page on your website, reload it, and click the “Check Availability” button.

Does it go to the right place? Does it open the way you expected?

If yes, you’re set. If no, go back and double-check your URL and settings.

Real-World Scenarios Where This Actually Matters

Let me paint you some pictures of how travel businesses actually use this thing, because sometimes examples make everything click into place.

Scenario 1: The Multi-Partner Agency

Sarah runs a travel agency that partners with local tour operators across five continents. Each operator has their own booking system that handles availability, pricing, payments, and logistics.

Rather than trying to integrate all these disparate systems into WordPress (which would be a nightmare), Sarah uses the Custom Booking Link add-on. Tours in Africa redirect to her South African partner’s booking platform. Tours in Asia redirect to her Bangkok-based partner. European tours go through a different system entirely.

Her customers just see beautiful trip pages and a simple “Book Now” button. Behind the scenes, they’re being intelligently routed to the right booking system. Sarah manages everything from one WP Travel Engine dashboard.

Scenario 2: The Lead Generation Focus

Marcus doesn’t want to capture bookings directly. His business model is high-touch, consultative travel planning for luxury clients. He wants to qualify leads first.

He uses the Custom Booking Link add-on to redirect the “Book Now” button to a detailed inquiry form that feeds into his CRM. When someone shows interest in a trip, his team gets an alert with the lead’s details and which trip caught their attention. They then follow up personally to have a conversation before any booking happens.

For Marcus, the add-on transforms the booking button into a lead generation tool.

Scenario 3: The Legacy System Bridge

Jennifer’s company has been using an enterprise booking system for 15 years. It’s integrated with their accounting, their inventory management, their partner network—everything. But their old website was terrible, and she wanted to rebuild it in WordPress for better content management and SEO.

The Custom Booking Link add-on lets her build a gorgeous WordPress site with WP Travel Engine while keeping her existing booking infrastructure completely intact. The booking button just redirects to her legacy system. No data migration. No retraining staff. No expensive custom development.

Scenario 4: The Seasonal Promoter

David runs limited-time promotional campaigns. During the holiday season, he offers special packages with different terms and conditions that need custom booking flows.

He uses individual trip overrides to redirect holiday packages to a special promotional booking page with specific terms and payment options. The rest of his catalog uses the normal global booking link. When the promotion ends, he just updates those few trip-specific links—no site-wide changes needed.

Things That Might Trip You Up (And How to Avoid Them)

Let me share some common stumbling blocks I’ve seen people hit:

The URL Format Issue

If your custom link isn’t working, 99% of the time it’s a URL formatting problem. Make sure you’re using the complete URL with https:// at the beginning. Not www.yoursite.com but https://www.yoursite.com.

Also, watch out for extra spaces at the end of the URL. They’re invisible, but they break things.

The Caching Confusion

If you change your booking link settings but the old link still appears on your site, you might be dealing with caching. Clear your site’s cache (through your caching plugin or hosting control panel), then reload the page.

If you’re using Cloudflare or another CDN, you might need to purge the cache there too.

The External Platform Problems

Remember: once customers click through to your external booking system, that experience is outside your control. If that platform goes down, loads slowly, or has a confusing interface, it reflects on your brand.

Choose your external platforms carefully. Test them regularly. Have a backup plan if your primary platform becomes unavailable.

The Analytics Blind Spot

When you redirect to external platforms, you might lose visibility into the booking funnel. You can track how many people click the booking button, but if they complete the booking elsewhere, that data lives in the external system.

Consider setting up event tracking in Google Analytics (or your analytics platform) to at least capture the redirect clicks. That way, you know which trips generate the most interest, even if the final booking happens off-site.

Security and Privacy Considerations

Let’s talk about the serious stuff for a minute.

Vet Your External Platforms

Before redirecting customers anywhere, make sure that the platform is legitimate, secure, and reliable. Check for:

• Proper SSL certificates (the URL should start with https://)
• A professional appearance and functionality
• Clear privacy policies
• Secure payment processing if bookings happen there

A poor experience on an external platform damages your reputation even if you didn’t build it.

Be Transparent With Customers

Consider adding text near your booking button that explains customers will be redirected to an external platform. Something like: “You’ll be redirected to our secure booking partner to complete your reservation.”

This transparency builds trust. Customers won’t be confused when they land on a different site.

Update Your Privacy Policy

If you’re sending customer data to third-party platforms (even just their click behavior), your privacy policy should disclose this. Mention that clicking booking links may redirect them to external services, and explain how their data is handled.

This isn’t just good practice, it’s required under regulations like GDPR and CCPA, depending on where your customers are located.

Best Practices That’ll Save You Headaches

Here’s what I’ve learned works well:

Test Everything in Staging First

If you have a staging environment (and you really should), test your booking link configurations there before deploying to production. Test different browsers. Test mobile devices. Make sure everything works smoothly.

Document Your Configuration

Create an internal document that lists:

• Which trips use which custom booking links
• Why did you choose each configuration
• Contact info for external platform support
• Date of last review

This documentation saves you when you’re troubleshooting six months from now and can’t remember why a specific trip redirects to an unusual URL.

Schedule Regular Audits

Set a calendar reminder to review your booking links every quarter. Check that:

• All links still work (platforms sometimes change their URLs)
• External platforms are still performing well
• Your business relationships haven’t changed
• The configuration still makes sense for your current operations

Monitor Performance

Keep an eye on:

• Click-through rates on booking buttons (are people clicking?)
• Bounce rates after clicks (are they leaving immediately?)
• Booking completion rates if you have access to that data from external platforms

If performance drops, investigate. Maybe an external platform changed its interface or is loading slowly.

Have a Backup Plan

What happens if your primary booking platform goes down during peak season? Have a contingency URL ready—maybe a contact form or alternative booking method. You can quickly swap it in if needed.

When You Might Not Need This Add-On

Let’s be honest for a second. Not everyone needs this tool.

You probably don’t need it if:

• WP Travel Engine’s built-in booking system does everything you need
• You’re not redirecting to external platforms
• You don’t work with multiple booking systems or partners
• You’re happy with one unified booking experience across all trips

That’s perfectly fine. The built-in system is solid. Use it.

But if you’re even considering external booking platforms, multiple systems, or custom workflows, this add-on is probably worth the investment. It’s one of those things that either solves a problem you definitely have, or solves a problem you don’t have at all.

The Bottom Line

Here’s what this add-on really does: it gives you freedom.

Freedom to use the booking systems that actually work for your business. Freedom to work with multiple partners without building separate websites. Freedom to maintain your existing infrastructure while still having a modern WordPress presence.

The setup is straightforward—honestly, you can have it running in 15 minutes if you know where you want to redirect people. The ongoing maintenance is minimal. And the operational flexibility it provides is substantial.

For travel agencies juggling multiple platforms, working with external partners, or maintaining legacy systems they can’t abandon, the Custom Booking Link add-on is pretty much essential. It’s the bridge between “my website looks great” and “my business actually runs smoothly.”

Is it perfect? No plugin is perfect. You’ll still need to think about security, test your configurations, and maintain your external platform relationships. But it solves the core problem elegantly: letting you customize the booking experience without rebuilding your entire operation.

If you’ve been frustrated by the limitations of one-size-fits-all booking systems, this is your escape hatch. Give it a try. Configure your global settings, test it on a few trips, and see if it makes your operations smoother.

Chances are, once you set it up, you’ll wonder how you managed without it.

Now go redirect some booking buttons. You’ve got trips to sell.

TLDR:

Want to dive deeper into specific features, need help with advanced customization, or have questions about your particular setup? Drop a comment below or check out the official documentation at WP Travel Engine.