Overview
A custom WooCommerce theme designed for a fictional BC tour company — built by a team of travel enthusiasts who wanted to make trip planning feel simple and inspiring.
We chose a travel agency concept because everyone on our team loves exploring new places. To test scalability, we designed the platform as if it supported both Vancouver and Vancouver Island locations. The main goal was to make browsing easy — so we focused on clear filtering, smooth navigation, and fast performance.
- Role: Frontend-focused WordPress Developer (4-person team)
- Duration: Sept - Oct 2024
- Stack: WordPress / WooCommerce / PHP / JavaScript / SCSS / ACF / Swiper.js
- Live Demo
Homepage — responsive design, quick search, and location-based highlights
The Challenge
The old WooCommerce setup offered little control for users exploring tours. Filtering by region, price, or category was clunky, and the layout wasn’t responsive. We wanted to build a site that felt like a friendly travel assistant — helping visitors find the right tour faster.
Some joked we should actually start a real tour company when the site was done — until we realized how expensive buses are.
Design & Development Approach
I researched major global and local tour brands, then created a minimalist white-on-white design system that emphasized readability and rhythm. From there, we refined layouts and built reusable components for consistent user flow.
- Built responsive location, keyword, and price filters with adaptive sidebar-to-accordion logic
- Implemented a Swiper-powered hero gallery and quick search for instant exploration
- Refined product cards and guide pages based on weekly usability feedback
Wireframe using Figma
Key Features
We designed for both aesthetics and practicality — keeping travelers engaged while making discovery effortless.
- Homepage hero carousel with integrated search and curated highlights
- Persistent filters that adapt across desktop and mobile
- Guide profiles with related programs and storytelling layout
Results & Learnings
- Delivered a cohesive, production-ready theme within six weeks
- Improved filtering UX — users found tours 40% faster in usability tests
- Learned to balance design collaboration and clean implementation in WordPress
Quick preview of the website
Takeaway
This project reminded me that front-end work isn't just about visuals — it's about shaping how people explore and make decisions. Building for travel made that even more tangible.
It also taught me how small design choices — like filter states or spacing rhythm — can turn complex browsing into a relaxed, inspiring experience.