Creating your first trip on SquadTrip is quick and hassle-free. Whether you're a travel organizer, retreat leader, or tour operator, our step-by-step trip builder helps you set up everything from your trip page to payment collection in just a few minutes. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the simple onboarding steps before you begin customizing and publishing your trip page.
1. Set Up Your Organizer Profile
Create Your Account
Click “Sign up for free” or “Create your trip for free” on the homepage.
Select a Trip template from the Options we have or Start from Scratch
To Edit the the trip click on “Claim this trip to start editing” or you can go back to templates by clicking on “Back to Templates”.
Then you can sign up using Google or Email in the Organizer Registration Form
Then we will ask you some onboarding questions under “Tell Us More” tab in Organizer Registration Form. We will ask some basic questions, this would help curate your experience in a better way. We ask some of the following questions:
Select How You Plan to Use SquadTrip
Choose between Personal Use (for friends, family, birthdays, or celebrations) or Professional Use (for tour operators, travel agents, retreat leaders, or event organizers).
Tell Us About Your Travel Volume
Select how many trips you usually organize in a year (e.g., 1–5 trips, 6–10 trips, 11–30 trips, or 30+ trips).
Choose Your Trip Type
Select the types of trips you typically organize, such as Retreats or Wellness Trips, Friends or Social Trips, or Tour or Travel Company Trips.
Describe what kind of business you are
Select from options like Travel agency, influencer or event organizer etc
Add Your Travel Group Info
Enter a name for your travel group or company (this will appear in your SquadTrip URL, e.g., yourtravelcompanyname.squadtrip.com).
Let us know how you heard about SquadTrip (for example, Google or social media).
Click Complete Setup to finish.
Then click Edit Your Trip to start building your first Trip
2. Adding Your Trip Essential Details in the Main Flow
After selecting a template or starting from scratch, you’ll see a preview of your trip page—click Edit Your Trip and then you will asked to put Trip Dates.
After you click Edit Your Trip and add your trip dates, you’ll be taken to the Main Flow. The first step here is the Trip Basics page, where you enter your main trip details before publishing.
On the Trip Basics page under the Main Flow. This is where you’ll add all the essential information about your trip. Fill out the essential information:
Trip Name: Enter a captivating name.
Location label and Map address: Add the destination of your trip.
Trip Dates: Specify the start and end dates.
Trip description (optional): Write a detailed overview of what the trip entails.
Included Amenities and Activities: List all the features and amenities included.
Last day to book and Mark as sold out: Close bookings when you need to. (Group Chat is switched on from the Trip Builder's Optional Enhancements > Group Chat step -- Enable Group Chat -- not here.)
Trip Media: Upload high-quality images to showcase the experience.
Once done click on Save Changes, then click Next to move on to the next step.
Note:
Read more about the Group Chat feature here: How to Use Group Chat on SquadTrip
Many details are optional and can be edited later. However, the more information you provide, the more appealing your trip will be to potential travelers.
Once you’ve completed the Trip Basic Details, the next step is to create your packages in the Main Flow. Packages is the second step in the Main Flow.
Offering multiple trip packages caters to different preferences and budgets, increasing the likelihood of bookings. Packages are bundle of experiences and room options hat you want to provide to travelers.
Steps to Create Trip Packages:
Set up your trip packages based on accommodation types or inclusions.
Click + Add Package to create a new package.
Enter package name, price, and details, then upload relevant photos.
Use Duplicate after clicking three vertical dots (⋮) to copy similar packages or reorder them as needed, and click Save Changes and then Next
Click the the three vertical dots (⋮) on the package thumbnail and then click Edit button on the package thumbnail to make changes to your existing packages.
You can use three horizonal lines (≡) to sort your package order.
💡Tip: For complex offerings like different room types, consider reading more about setting up room types in our advanced settings.
Room Types appears as an extra Main Flow step after Packages once a package has "Set pricing on room types" switched on -- use it when a package should be priced and limited by room rather than per person.
The third step in Main Flow is Payments after creating the packages. The Payments & Settings section allows you to configure flexible payment options and automated payment processing features for your trip.
Payment Options Section
These payment method options allow travelers to finance or split their payments, making trips more accessible. Payment options are all switched on for a new trip. You can use the toggles to switch off any option (Klarna and Afterpay need Stripe and a USD or GBP trip; Affirm is USD only).
Available payment methods:
Klarna
Affirm
AfterPay
Apple Pay
Note:
All trip organizers can use Payment Options for free.
Card payments (Credit and Debit Cards) are automatically enabled by default when connected to Stripe and do not appear in the payment options list. These cannot be disabled.
All the Payment method options are ON by default
Payment Settings Section
Configure automated payment processing and traveler flexibility options by switching off or on the toggles:
Auto-Charge Travelers on Due Dates - Automatically process scheduled payments to streamline collections.
Retry Failed Payments Every 2 Days - Reduce manual intervention by auto-retrying unsuccessful transactions.
Let Travelers Reschedule Payments - Give travelers flexibility to move a payment to any date before the final payment deadline. This is the one setting that starts off for a new trip.
Travelers Can Update Their Payment Method - Always on: travelers can replace their saved card at any time so scheduled payments don't fail. There is no toggle for this one.
Note: All Trip Organizers can use these Payment Settings for free. Auto-charge and retry start on; reschedule starts off. A traveler who books after the first installment date automatically has the remaining balance split across the installments that are left (there is no setting for this).
Configuring Package Payment Plans
Flexible payment options make it easier for travelers to commit, increasing your booking rates.
Steps to Create Payment options:
Navigate to the "Payment Plans" section in your Payments and click Edit Payment Plans.
Choose the package to edit when asked "Which package do you want to edit?" -- you can apply the finished plan to other packages at the end.
For each trip package, choose payment methods:
Pay in Full only: A one-off payment in full. Some people choose this to avoid the installment fee.
Pay in Full + Installments (offered only when the package price is above $99): A deposit followed by monthly payments until your collect-by date. We suggest charging $100 extra for this option.
If offering installments, configure:
Set the minimum deposit per traveler (at least $35): Guests can increase their deposit amount at the time of check out if they wish to reduce their monthly payments.
First installment date will be: Select when installments begin; later installments fall on the same day each month.
Collect all payments by: Pick the date the last installment is due -- the number of monthly installments follows from it.
Additional cost for guests that choose installments: We recommend adding at least $100. This incentivizes your guests to pay in full.
Review the schedule preview, then use Apply to Packages (or Select all) to reuse the plan on your other packages.
Click "Save Changes" and then Next.
Note: Travelers will be charged automatically based on the schedule you set. However remember to set the last date of payment before the Trip Start date as it will affect the number of installments.
Notes:
Payment reminder emails:
SquadTrip sends an email reminder five days before each scheduled payment (the default — configurable under Settings > Automatic emails > Payment Reminder, for all trips) and processes payments automatically on the due date. Failed payments are retried every 2 days, up to 4 times, as long as "Retry Failed Payments" and Auto-Charge are both switched on for the trip (both are on by default). To view or edit automatic emails, go to Settings > Automatic emails (company defaults) or the trip's Automatic Email Settings page (per-trip wording, a Premium feature).Flexible Payment Schedule:
SquadTrip automatically adjusts each traveler's installments based on the date they make their deposit. If you deposit by the organizer’s deadline (e.g., Feb 14th), you’ll follow the original schedule of ten $200 monthly payments. If you deposit later, SquadTrip recalculates your plan to nine payments of approximately $222.22 each, ensuring flexibility no matter when your traveler signs up.
The final step in the Main Flow is Publish & Preview. This is where you officially publish your trip. However, you can preview your trip at any time by clicking the Preview button in the purple bar below.
Publishing your trip makes it live and bookable by travelers. This process ensures your trip is visible to the right audience while providing an option to engage with customers through a waiting list.
Steps to Publish Your Trip:
Go to the "Preview and Publish" section in your trip dashboard.
Review the Publishing Options:
The page holds your trip URL, the Embed Code for your website and the Test Your Trip's Checkout card.
Configure the Waiting List (Optional):
You'll see the question: "Do you want to activate the waiting list?"
The system explains: "Activate the waiting list to engage with interested users when trips are fully booked. If selected, the waitlist will be turned on when your trip is sold out."
Select "Yes" to automatically activate the waiting list once the trip reaches full capacity
Select "No" if you don't want to manage or engage with waiting customers
Preview Your Trip:
You can click on the Preview button at the bottom purple band to check how the trip page looks like anytime and then go back to make changes. You can also preview your page on Preview and Publish Tab
Test Your Checkout (recommended):
Before publishing to real travelers, use Test Mode from the "Test Your Trip's Checkout" card on this page to place a test booking and confirm checkout works end to end. Test Mode auto-disables after 24 hours. See How to Test Your Checkout with Test Mode.
Publish Your Trip:
When you're happy with your settings, click the purple “Publish my trip” button or the Publish button at the bottom. If you haven’t connected Stripe, you’ll be guided through the setup process
If you need to make changes later, you can return to this page and click "Unpublish my trip" to temporarily take it offline
Confirmation:
After clicking publish, a confirmation dialog will appear stating: "Your trip has been published!"
The message continues: "Now it's time to share your trip."
You can either click "Cancel" to stay on the current page or "Share my trip" to proceed to the sharing options. Clicking "Share My Trip" opens a page with your trip URL and an embed code you can use on your website
Also, on the Publish and Preview page, you can find your trip URL and the embed HTML code.
Note: Once published, your trip is live and ready for bookings. It is also listed under Active Trips on your public homepage (your-travel-group.squadtrip.com) until its end date, as well as being reachable through the links you share.
💡Tip: Once your trip is published, you can make your trip page look even better by using the Optional Enhancements like Itinerary, Add-ons, Registration Questions, FAQ, and Legal sections.
We recommend watching this video, which walks you through all the SquadTrip features.
Need help building your trip?
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