How to Use the Labels Feature for Changing Static Strings
Change the default text on your trip pages - like button labels and field names - to match your brand or language, all without editing any code.
What the Labels feature does
WP Travel Engine comes with default text on your trip pages. Things like "Check Availability" on a button or "Travellers" on a booking form. The Labels feature lets you change that text to whatever you want, without touching any code.
For example, you could change "Check Availability" to "Book Now" so it sounds more direct. Or you could change "Travellers" to "Travelers" to match American English spelling.
This is useful for three things:
- Making the text on your site match your brand's voice and tone.
- Quick translations for simple words and phrases (like switching a few labels to French or Spanish).
- Changing wording without needing to hire a developer or edit code yourself.
The Labels feature works behind the scenes using WordPress's __() translation function. That's the built-in system WordPress uses to handle text that can be changed or translated. Because of how it works, Labels is great for short, simple text like button labels and field names. It may not replace longer sentences or text that changes based on what a traveler does on your page. If you need a full translation of your entire site, a tool like Loco Translate is a better fit. You can learn more in our guide on how to translate themes and plugins using Loco Translate.
How to access the Labels feature
You'll need WP Travel Engine installed and active on your WordPress site before you start. If you haven't set that up yet, you can follow our getting started guide first.
Open your WordPress dashboard
Log in to your WordPress admin area. A plugin is an add-on that extends what WordPress can do. WP Travel Engine is a plugin that turns your WordPress site into a tour booking platform.
Go to the Labels settings
On the left sidebar of your dashboard, find WP Travel Engine. Click it, then click Settings. At the top of the settings page, click the Display tab. Then click Labels to open the Labels panel.
You'll see a table here where you can change existing text. That's where the next steps come in.
How to use the Labels feature
Add a new label
Click Add Text at the bottom of the table. A new row appears with two empty fields: Initial Text and Modified Text.
Enter the text you want to replace
In the Initial Text field, type the exact default text that currently shows on your site. For example, type Check Availability if that's the button text you want to change. The text has to match exactly, including capital letters and spacing. If it doesn't match, the replacement won't work.
Enter your replacement text
In the Modified Text field, type what you want it to say instead. For example, type Book Now or Vérifier la disponibilité if you're translating it to French.
Save your changes
Click Save Settings to apply the changes. Your new text will now appear on your live site wherever the old text used to show up.
Remove a change if you need to
If you change your mind about a label, find it in the table and click the trash can icon in the Action column next to it. The text goes back to the original default.
Example use cases
Personalization
Say you run tours for American travelers and your site currently says "Travellers" with the British spelling. You want it to say "Travelers" instead so it feels familiar to your audience.
- Initial Text:
Travellers - Modified Text:
Travelers
Quick translation
Say you run trips in Quebec and want your booking button to read in French. You can switch "Check Availability" to its French equivalent without setting up a full translation system.
- Initial Text:
Check Availability - Modified Text:
Vérifier la disponibilité
Both of these changes take about 30 seconds once you're on the Labels settings page.
Limitations of the Labels feature
Labels is great for quick changes, but there are a couple of things it isn't built for:
Long or changing text
If a piece of text is long or changes based on what a traveler does on your site, the Labels feature may not replace it correctly. It works best with short, fixed text like button labels and form field names.
Full site translations
If you're building a complete multilingual website (where your whole site switches between languages), Labels won't cover everything. In that case, use a dedicated translation plugin instead.
None of these limitations affect the basic label changes described above. If you're only changing a few button labels or field names, you're all set.
Recommended tool for advanced translations
If you need more than a few label changes, like translating your entire site, your theme, or your add-ons, use a tool called Loco Translate. It handles full translations and gives you more control over every piece of text on your site.
You can follow our step-by-step guide on how to translate themes and plugins using Loco Translate to get started.
Summary
The Labels feature is a quick, no-code way to change the default text on your trip pages. It's perfect for small wording changes or simple one-off translations. If you need a full multilingual setup, pair it with Loco Translate to cover the rest.
If you're still stuck or have a question we didn't cover, our support team is happy to help. Reach out at our support page and we'll get you sorted.