Someone books a tour. Seems great, right? Money in the bank. But then the emails start. “Where exactly do I meet you?” “Can you pick me up from my hotel?” “Is the airport too far?” “What about my friend who’s staying across town?”
And here’s the thing, you’re not just answering emails at this point. You’re manually coordinating logistics, tracking who needs pickup where, and wondering if someone’s going to show up late because they couldn’t find the meeting spot. It’s exhausting.
That’s where WP Travel Engine’s Pickup Points add-on comes in. And honestly? It’s one of those tools that makes you wonder how you ever managed without it.
Here’s what I mean: instead of dealing with pickup arrangements after someone books, everything happens right there in the booking process. Customers choose their pickup location, see exactly what it costs (if anything), and boom, done. You’ve got all the information you need, they’ve got clarity and peace of mind, and nobody’s sending frantic “where are you??” texts on departure day.
But here’s what really got me excited about this add-on: it’s not just about making your life easier. It’s actually a revenue tool. Yeah, you can charge for convenient pickups. And people will pay. Gladly.
Think about it: someone just dropped $500 on your trekking tour. They’re already committed. And now you’re offering to pick them up from their hotel for an extra $30? Or straight from the airport for $50? That’s a no-brainer for a lot of travelers, especially if they’re in an unfamiliar city or arriving early morning.
Let me walk you through exactly how this works, how to set it up, and, most importantly, how to use it strategically to grow your business while genuinely making things better for your customers.
What Actually Is the Pickup Points Add-on?
Okay, basics first.
The Pickup Points add-on is a premium extension for WP Travel Engine. If you’re already using WP Travel Engine to run your travel booking website (and if you’re not, well, that’s a different conversation), this add-on lets you create specific pickup locations for each of your tours.
You decide which pickup spots to offer. You decide whether they’re free or paid. And during checkout, customers just select their preferred location from a dropdown menu. If there’s a cost attached, it’s automatically added to their booking total.
Simple, right?
But here’s what makes it powerful: you’re transforming what used to be post-booking coordination chaos into a smooth, automated part of the booking workflow. No back-and-forth emails. No confusion. No manually updating spreadsheets to track who needs pickup where.
Everything’s integrated. Everything’s clear. Everyone’s happy.
Why You Actually Need This (Even If You Don’t Think You Do)
Maybe you’re thinking, “I’ve been handling pickups just fine without this.”
And hey, maybe you have been. But let me paint you a picture of what “just fine” often looks like:
You get a booking. Great! Then an email: “Can you pick me up from the Hilton?” You reply: “Sure, that’ll be $40 extra.” They say okay. Now you need to remember to collect that $40… when? On the day of? Do you invoice them separately? Do you even have their pickup location written down somewhere that’s not buried in your email?
Multiply that by 20 bookings. Or 50. Or 100.
It’s death by a thousand cuts.
Here’s what the Pickup Points add-on does instead:
Increases your revenue automatically. That $40 pickup fee? It’s collected right there during booking. Integrated into the payment. No chasing people down. And because it’s offered at the point of purchase, when people are already in “buying mode”, more people say yes than if you tried to upsell them later.
Makes customers feel taken care of. Modern travelers expect transparency. They want to know exactly what they’re paying for and exactly where they need to be. When you offer clear pickup options during booking, you’re telling them, “We’ve thought this through. We’ve got you covered.” That’s the kind of thing that turns into five-star reviews.
Removes booking barriers. Some people won’t book if they’re unsure about transportation. They’ll think “How do I even get to the starting point?” and just… move on to another tour operator. By showing them upfront that you’ve got free and paid pickup options, you eliminate that friction. You’re basically saying, “Don’t worry about logistics. We handle that.”
Saves you so much time. All pickup information is collected and stored with the booking details. Before the tour, you can see exactly who needs pickup where. You can plan your routes efficiently. Coordinate vehicles. Everything’s already organized. No last-minute panic.
I’m not exaggerating when I say this add-on can pay for itself within the first month just from the time you save on coordination.
Getting Started: Installation and Setup
Alright, let’s get practical. How do you actually set this thing up?
What You Need First
Before you can use the Pickup Points add-on, make sure you’ve got:
- WordPress is installed and running (obviously)
- WP Travel Engine core plugin already installed and activated
- A valid license for the Pickup Points add-on (either purchased separately or included in your WP Travel Engine plan)
Installing the Add-on
The installation process is pretty straightforward:
- Get the file. Download the Pickup Points add-on from your WP Travel Engine account if you haven’t already.
- Upload it. In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New > Upload Plugin. Choose the add-on file you just downloaded and click Install Now.
- Activate it. Once installation finishes, hit that Activate button.
- Activate your license. This part’s important. Go to the WP Travel Engine license management section in your dashboard and enter your license key. This ensures you get updates and support. Don’t skip this—you want those security patches and feature updates.
And that’s it. You’re ready to start configuring pickup points.
Setting Up Pickup Points for Your Tours
Here’s where things get interesting. You’re going to add pickup locations to specific tours. And the cool part? Each tour can have completely different pickup options, because obviously, a city food tour and a mountain trekking expedition need different logistics.
Adding Pickup Points to a Trip
Navigate to Admin Dashboard > Trips and find the tour you want to configure. Click Edit to open the Trip Editor.
Look for the tabs within the Trip Edit Settings panel. You’ll see one labeled Pickup Points. Click that.
Now hit Add New to create your first pickup location.
The Three Essential Fields
For each pickup point, you’ll fill out three things:
1. Location Name
This is huge, actually. Don’t just write “Downtown” or “Airport.” Be specific. Really specific.
Instead of “Downtown,” write something like “Downtown Convention Center – Main Entrance, 123 Main Street.”
Instead of “Airport,” try “International Airport – Terminal 1, Arrivals Hall, Exit B.”
Why so detailed? Because you want zero confusion. The clearer you are, the fewer “where exactly are you?” messages you’ll get on tour day. Make it so obvious that even someone who’s never been to your city before can find the spot.
2. Pickup Type
Choose either Free or Paid.
Here’s how I think about this decision:
Free pickups work great for central, easily accessible locations. Maybe you’ve got a main meeting point in the tourist district that’s convenient for most people anyway. Offering that for free removes a barrier and shows you’re customer-friendly.
Paid pickups make sense for locations that require extra effort on your part—more distance, more time, premium convenience. Airport pickups? Definitely paid. Hotel pickups in residential areas? Probably paid. Is that bus station 30 minutes outside the city center? Yeah, charge for that.
The key is having a mix. Give people options at different price points so budget-conscious travelers can still book with you, while travelers who value convenience can pay for it.
3. Price
If you selected “Paid,” now you enter the amount: just the number—no currency symbols. The system automatically applies your configured currency format.
How do you decide pricing? Think about:
- How far are you traveling to get them
- Fuel costs and vehicle wear
- Driver time and availability
- How much convenience this adds for the customer
That last one matters. Airport pickup for a 6 AM departure? That’s massive convenience. You can price accordingly.
Creating Multiple Pickup Options
Don’t stop at one or two. The real power of this add-on shows up when you offer multiple options.
Let me give you an example. Say you’re running a trekking tour in Nepal. You might create:
- Thamel Tourist District – Free (central location, easy access)
- Tribhuvan International Airport – $50 (convenient for arrivals)
- Hotel Pickup – Kathmandu Valley – $30 (personalized service)
- Chitwan Bus Park – $150 (for travelers from southern regions)
- Pokhara Lakeside – $200 (for travelers starting from the west)
See what you’re doing here? You’re accommodating people coming from all different directions, with all different budgets. And you’re capturing revenue from those who want premium convenience.
Once you’ve added all your pickup points, click Save Changes.
Remember: pickup points are trip-specific. You’ll need to configure them individually for each tour. But that’s actually good, because it gives you complete control over what makes sense for each specific adventure.
Making Sure Customers Can Actually See Pickup Options
Okay, so you’ve added pickup points to your tours. But there’s one more step to make sure customers can actually select them during checkout.
The pickup selection is integrated into something called the Traveler’s Information Form. This needs to be enabled, or none of your hard work matters.
Go to Admin Dashboard > WP Travel Engine > Settings. Click on the Display tab, then select Checkout.
Find the setting for the Traveler’s Information Form. Make sure it’s enabled. If it’s not, flip that switch.
Save your settings.
This is a global setting—you only need to do it once, and it affects all your trips.
Now, when customers book, they’ll see the pickup point selection right there in the checkout flow when they’re entering traveler details. It’s a natural part of the process, not an awkward extra step.
What the Customer Experience Actually Looks Like
Let’s walk through what happens from the customer’s perspective, because understanding this helps you optimize your setup.
Someone decides to book your tour. They choose their date, number of travelers, and maybe some add-ons, standard booking flow.
Then they get to the checkout page and start filling out the Traveler’s Information Form.
Right there, they see a dropdown field specifically for pickup points. All the options you configured appear in the list, with location names and prices clearly displayed:
- Thamel Tourist District – Free
- Tribhuvan International Airport – $50
- Hotel Pickup – Kathmandu Valley – $30
- Chitwan Bus Park – $150
- Pokhara Lakeside – $200
They click, they select. Easy.
What About Group Bookings?
Here’s something really cool: if the booking includes multiple travelers, each person can select their own pickup location.
Think about group tours where people are coming from different places. One friend’s already in the city center (free pickup). Another’s flying in that morning (airport pickup, $50). A third person is staying at a resort outside town (hotel pickup, $30).
The system handles all of this automatically. Each traveler makes their selection, the costs are calculated correctly, and you get a clear record of who needs pickup where.
This is incredibly valuable for group coordinators who would otherwise need to wrangle all this information manually.
Automatic Cost Calculation
When someone selects a paid pickup point, the cost immediately adds to their booking summary. No page refresh needed. No confusion about pricing.
The booking summary updates to show everything clearly:
- Trekking Tour: $500
- Pickup – Chitwan Bus Park: $150
- Total: $650
Transparency builds trust. Customers know exactly what they’re paying for and why.
After booking, they receive confirmation that includes their pickup point information. They know where to be, when to be there, and what it cost. No questions. No anxiety.
Managing Bookings on Your End
Once bookings start rolling in with pickup information, you need to access and use that data efficiently.
When you view a booking in the WP Travel Engine admin area, the pickup information appears right there with all other booking details. You’ll see which pickup location each traveler selected.
For a group booking, it might look like:
- Traveler 1: John Smith – Airport Pickup ($50)
- Traveler 2: Jane Doe – Hotel Pickup ($30)
- Traveler 3: Bob Johnson – Thamel (Free)
Planning Your Logistics
This is where the add-on really shines for operations.
Before a tour departure, you can review all bookings and see exactly how many customers need pickup from each location. This lets you:
- Determine how many vehicles you need (and what size)
- Create efficient pickup routes that minimize fuel costs and time
- Coordinate with drivers or third-party transportation providers ahead of time
- Identify any special requirements or timing considerations
For example, if five customers all selected airport pickup for the same tour, you might send one vehicle to collect all of them instead of making five separate trips. Optimize costs while still providing great service.
Tracking Revenue
The pickup fees integrate into your overall booking revenue, but you can also track them separately for analysis.
This is actually pretty strategic. Understanding how much revenue you’re generating from pickup services helps you evaluate whether your pricing is working. Maybe certain pickup points are rarely selected—too expensive? Not relevant to your customer base? Or maybe one location is super popular—you’ve got pricing power there, or it’s a key value proposition you should highlight in marketing.
Data-driven decisions, you know?
Smart Strategies for Maximum Impact
Alright, you’ve got the basics down. Now let’s talk about using this add-on strategically to grow your business.
Airport Pickups Are Gold
If you’re not already offering airport pickups, start there. International travelers arriving somewhere unfamiliar are willing to pay for the peace of mind of arranged transportation.
Consider offering tiered options:
- Standard Airport Pickup: $40 – Fixed meeting point at arrivals, shared transport
- Premium Airport Pickup: $75 – Meet and greet with name sign, direct vehicle
- VIP Airport Pickup: $150 – Luxury vehicle, refreshments, porter service
Each tier serves a different customer segment. Budget travelers get the standard option. Premium travelers who want something special pay more. Everyone wins.
Multiple City Locations
For urban tours—food tours, walking tours, bike tours—offering pickup at various strategic locations throughout the city makes a huge difference.
Research where your customers typically stay. Which neighborhoods are popular with tourists? Which metro stations are convenient? Where are the major hotels clustered?
Then create pickup points that align with those patterns. You want options that genuinely add value, not random locations nobody will use.
Hotel Partnerships
Here’s a clever move: create pickup points at specific partner hotels.
Why? Three reasons:
- Convenience for guests at those properties. They’ll appreciate the seamless experience.
- Partnership opportunities. Hotels might recommend your tours to their guests in exchange for being a designated pickup location.
- Premium positioning. Being associated with quality hotels elevates your brand perception.
You might even negotiate free pickup from partner hotels (they provide the pickup space, you bring them tour referrals) while charging for non-partner locations.
Distance-Based Pricing That Makes Sense
Use pricing that reflects the actual logistics involved:
- $0 for pickups within 5 kilometers of the starting point
- $20 for pickups within 10 kilometers
- $50 for pickups within 25 kilometers
- $100 for distant suburbs or neighboring cities
This transparent, logic-based pricing builds trust. Customers understand why different locations cost different amounts—it’s not arbitrary, it’s based on distance and effort.
Reducing No-Shows
By collecting specific pickup information during booking and confirming it immediately, you dramatically reduce the likelihood of people missing tours due to confusion about meeting locations.
When customers know exactly where they’ll be picked up and receive clear confirmation, they’re way more likely to be there on time. Fewer no-shows. Less stress. Better reviews.
Advanced Tips for Power Users
Once you’ve got the hang of things, these strategies take you to the next level.
Be Ridiculously Specific with Location Names
I mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating. Don’t write “City Center.” Write “City Center – Municipal Building Steps, South Entrance.”
Don’t write “Airport.” Write “International Airport – Terminal 1, Arrival Hall Exit B.”
The more specific you are, the fewer customer service questions you’ll answer. Save yourself the emails.
Strategic Pricing Psychology
Use pricing that encourages the behaviors you want.
If you want to concentrate pickups at one or two locations for operational efficiency, make those free or very cheap. Price other options higher to discourage them.
If you want to maximize revenue, ensure your paid options provide clear value that justifies the cost.
Also, remember: $25, $30, and $35 feel like meaningfully different prices to customers. But $30, $31, and $32 feel weird and arbitrary. Use pricing increments that feel intentional.
Seasonal Variations
Different times of year might require different strategies.
A winter trekking tour? More hotel pickups probably make sense, since people don’t want to navigate icy streets to a central meeting point.
A summer city tour? Emphasize central, easily accessible spots since the weather’s not a concern, and people are happy to walk a bit.
Regularly review and adjust based on seasonal demand and what actually works.
Marketing Your Pickup Options
Don’t just offer pickup points—actively promote them in your marketing.
Many travelers specifically search for tours that include transportation. Highlight this feature in your trip descriptions:
- “Choose from 5 convenient pickup locations across the city.”
- “Free pickup from downtown hotels included”
- “Airport pickup available for stress-free travel”
These value propositions differentiate you from competitors who don’t offer coordinated pickup services.
Get Customer Feedback
After tours, ask people about their pickup experience. Was the location easy to find? Was the timing convenient? Would they have preferred different options?
This feedback helps you refine your offerings over time, ensuring you’re meeting actual customer needs rather than guessing.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
Things not working quite right? Here are the usual culprits:
Pickup points not showing on checkout?
Check that the Traveler’s Information Form is enabled in your settings. Go to Admin Dashboard > WP Travel Engine > Settings > Display > Checkout and verify it’s turned on. This is the most common issue people face.
Costs not calculating correctly?
Make sure you set the Pickup Type to “Paid” and enter a numeric price value. If you accidentally put in letters or leave it blank, the system can’t calculate properly.
License activation problems?
Verify your license key is properly activated in the WP Travel Engine license management area. If it’s showing as inactive, your add-on won’t function correctly. Contact support if issues persist.
Conflicts with other plugins?
While rare, sometimes other plugins that modify the checkout process can cause issues. Try temporarily deactivating recently installed plugins to identify conflicts. Testing with a default WordPress theme can also help isolate theme-related problems.
Why This Add-on Is Worth Every Penny
Let’s talk ROI for a second.
Say you average 100 bookings per month. If 30% of customers select paid pickup options averaging $40 each, that’s an extra $1,200 monthly. That’s $14,400 annually.
The add-on pays for itself in weeks, not months.
But honestly? The revenue is just part of it.
The time you save on coordination and customer service has real economic value. Every email exchange about pickup locations, every phone call coordinating meeting points, every minute spent dealing with confusion on departure day—that’s costing you money in staff time and opportunity cost.
Automate this process and your team can focus on higher-value activities. Marketing. Customer relationships. Business development. Growing the actual business instead of managing logistics.
And then there’s customer satisfaction. Modern travelers expect seamless booking experiences. When you deliver that—clear communication, minimal friction, professional service—it shows up in reviews, repeat bookings, and referrals.
In crowded travel markets, offering coordinated pickup services genuinely differentiates you. It positions you as more organized, more customer-focused, more premium than competitors who don’t provide this level of integration.
The Bottom Line
The WP Travel Engine Pickup Points add-on transforms a potential pain point—transportation logistics—into a revenue opportunity and competitive advantage.
It’s straightforward to set up. The customer experience is smooth and intuitive. The administrative benefits are substantial.
Whether you’re running airport transfers, city tours, adventure treks, or any other type of travel experience, this add-on gives you the flexibility to meet diverse customer needs while optimizing your operations.
You can offer both free and paid options, serving budget-conscious travelers while capturing additional revenue from those who want premium convenience. You can accommodate group bookings where everyone’s coming from different places. You can streamline your logistics planning and reduce no-shows.
If you’re serious about growing your travel business while genuinely improving the customer experience, the Pickup Points add-on isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s essential.
It’s one of those tools that makes everything better—more revenue for you, better experience for customers, smoother operations for your team. That’s the kind of win-win-win that’s worth implementing immediately.
So yeah. If you’re using WP Travel Engine and you haven’t added this yet… what are you waiting for?
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.
