Settings & Configuration

This switch controls whether the Waitlist feature appears on your trips at all.

Open the Waitlist settings and turn Show Waitlist ON. If your screen uses a toggle switch, ON usually means the switch is colored and slid to the right. If this setting is OFF, travelers will not see any option to join the waitlist on any trip.

Once this is on, you can decide how the waitlist should appear.

These are the first words travelers see before they decide to join.

Enter a Section Title for the pop-up form. A common choice is "Waitlist" or "Join the Waitlist."

Then add a Short Notice Message that appears on the trip page. Keep it short and clear. For example, if you run a sold-out Everest Base Camp departure, you might write: "This departure is full. Join the waitlist to hear if a spot opens up."

Clear wording helps travelers know what happens next. Once this reads well, move on to when the waitlist should appear.

This setting decides when travelers see the waitlist button.

Pick the option that matches how you want to sell the trip.

When Trip is Fully Booked

The waitlist button appears only after a trip or departure date sells out.

Use this if you want normal booking to stay open until all seats are taken. This is the best fit for most tour operators. For example, if you run a 12-seat Annapurna trek, travelers can book those 12 seats first. After that, new travelers see the waitlist option.

From the Start

The waitlist button appears as soon as the trip is published.

Use this if you want to collect interest before you open booking. For example, you might publish a new seasonal rafting trip, collect names, and open paid bookings later once dates and pricing are final.

In this mode, travelers join the waitlist instead of booking the trip directly.

If you are not sure, start with When Trip is Fully Booked. You can change it later if your sales process changes.

This setting helps you keep the list at a size you can manage.

Enter a number in Waitlist Capacity if you want a limit. For example, if you usually release 2 to 4 extra spots on a sold-out small group tour, you might set the waitlist capacity to 10.

Leave this field blank if you want unlimited waitlist entries. That can work well if you run many departures and want to measure demand over time.

Pick the limit that feels realistic for your team. Then decide how much of that information travelers should see.

These settings control what travelers can see before they join.

Turn on Display Waitlist Booked Seats if you want travelers to see how many people have already joined the waitlist. Turn on Display Waitlist Available Seats if you want them to see how many spots are left on the waitlist.

This can help create urgency. It can also make a long list feel discouraging. For example, a small food tour with only a few likely cancellations may be better off hiding counts. A large seasonal trek with regular movement may benefit from showing them.

Pick the approach that fits how you want to present the trip. Next, set expectations before travelers submit the form.

This note helps travelers understand what joining the waitlist does and does not mean.

Enter a short message in Popup Disclaimer Text. For example, you could write: "If a place becomes available, we will email you a booking link. Joining the waitlist does not confirm a booking."

This is helpful for fixed-date group tours, special holiday departures, or trips where availability changes quickly.

A clear disclaimer prevents confusion later. After that, you can make the button match your site.

This helps the button match your site and makes the next action clear.

Edit the Button Label to something clear such as "Join Waitlist" or "Notify Me When a Spot Opens." Then choose the Background Color and Text Color.

Make sure the text stands out against the button color. If the button is hard to read, travelers may miss it even when the feature is working.

A quick check on one trip page is usually enough here. If you want extra protection against spam sign-ups, set that up next.

reCAPTCHA is a Google tool that helps block fake form submissions from bots. A bot is an automated program that fills out forms without a real traveler behind it.

Turn Enable ReCaptcha ON if you want added protection on the Waitlist pop-up form.

If this is your first setup, you can leave this off for now. You can come back to it after the rest of the waitlist is ready.

This controls how long a traveler has to claim a released spot.

Enter the number of hours in Link Availability Duration. If you enter 24, the booking link in the waitlist email stays active for 24 hours. After that, the link stops working.

A shorter time works well for high-demand trips. For example, a sold-out spring trek may need a 12-hour window so spots move quickly. A longer time may suit premium custom tours where travelers need more time to respond.

Once you save this, your site-wide Waitlist rules are in place. Next, you can set up the email travelers receive when a spot opens.

The subject line helps the traveler understand the email right away.

Enter your Email Subject. You can include personalization tags to make it specific to the trip. For example, write A spot is now available for {trip_name} or Your chance to book {trip_name}.

A clear subject usually gets a faster response than a clever one. Then you can write the message itself.

This message tells the traveler what happened and what to do next.

Use Email Message to write the body of the email. Keep it warm and direct. For example, you might tell a traveler that a seat has opened up on your Manaslu trek, mention the departure date, and ask them to use the booking link before it expires.

You can use the editor to add formatting. Short paragraphs are easier to read on a phone.

A good message reduces back-and-forth and helps travelers act faster. The next step shows how to fill in trip and traveler details automatically.

Personalization tags fill in trip and traveler details automatically.

Open the Personalization dropdown and insert the tags you need. When the email is sent, the system replaces each tag with the real details from that waitlist entry.

For example, a family day tour company could write: Hi {traveler_name}, a place has opened up on {trip_name} for {trip_date}. Use the link below to book before it expires.

Once your email reads well with these tags in place, it is ready to use. The next section shows how to change the waitlist rule for one departure date.

This is where date-specific waitlist rules live.

In your WordPress dashboard, open the trip you want to edit. Then go to WP Travel Engine - Trip Settings - Date and Price - Edit Pricing and Dates - Dates.

You are now in the area where each departure date can have its own booking settings. Next, choose the date you want to change.

Each departure date can have different Waitlist behavior.

Click the specific date you want to update. For example, if your June departure is almost full but your September departure still has many seats, you can change only the June date.

This gives you flexibility without changing every departure. Once you open the date, choose how Waitlist should work for it.

This setting decides how Waitlist behaves for this one departure.

Find Waitlist Status and choose the option you want:

• Disabled - Turn off Waitlist for this date
• When Trip is Fully Booked - Show Waitlist only after all seats are sold
• From the Start - Show Waitlist as soon as the date is available

After you save the date, that departure will follow its own rule. If you plan to use spam protection, set up your reCAPTCHA keys next.

WP Travel Engine needs two keys from Google to connect your form to reCAPTCHA.

Go to the Google reCAPTCHA Admin Console. Enter a name for your site. Choose the version you want to use. Add your website domain.

Google will then give you a Site Key and a Secret Key. Copy both keys and keep them ready while you return to WordPress.

Once you have both keys, you are ready to add them to the plugin settings.

Waitlist can only use reCAPTCHA after those keys are saved in the plugin settings.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to WP Travel Engine - Settings - Extensions - reCAPTCHA. Choose the same reCAPTCHA version you created in Google. Then paste in your Site Key and Secret Key.

Click Save Settings. After that, go back to your Waitlist settings and turn Enable ReCaptcha ON if it is not already on.

Once both parts are done, your Waitlist form has spam protection. The next section shows where to manage the people who join your list.

This is where WP Travel Engine stores waitlist activity for each trip and departure date.

In your WordPress dashboard, go to WP Travel Engine - Upcoming Tours. You will see trips and dates with related booking activity.

If your waitlist is active and travelers have joined, this is where you will manage them. Next, open the details for the trip or date you want to work with.

This screen shows the travelers who joined the list for a specific trip or date.

Click Waitlist Details for the trip or departure date you want to review. You will see the people on the list and their current status.

This gives you one place to check demand before you release any seats. Then you can decide how many private spots to offer.

This setting lets you offer open spots to waitlisted travelers without reopening public booking.

Set Total Released Seats to the number of spots you want to release. For example, if two people cancel on a 16-day group trek, you can release 2 seats to the waitlist instead of opening public booking for everyone.

These seats stay private. Travelers can book them only through the special email link.

This gives you more control over who gets access first. After that, review each traveler entry before you send anything.

This helps you decide who to contact and what they need.

Check each waitlist entry for the traveler's name, number of travelers, contact details, message, and status. This is useful if you want to prioritize a couple waiting for two seats on a fixed departure, or a family asking about a school holiday date.

Seeing the full entry helps you respond with context instead of guessing. When you are ready, you can send the release email from the same screen.

You can send the release email without leaving this screen.

Click the Mail icon beside a traveler entry. A pop-up opens with the recipient, subject, and message already filled in from your global Waitlist email template.

Review the email before sending it. You can change the wording if needed. For example, you might mention a seasonal price change or a group discount that applies only to that departure.

That gives you control while still saving time. If something does not behave the way you expect, check the troubleshooting section below.