The traveller booking flow
Date and headcount chosen first, with live remaining capacity, so nobody plans a trip around a boat that filled an hour ago. Per-person pricing with child, senior and PWD rates, joiner versus private options priced differently, add-ons like transfers, gear rental, drone shots and environmental fees, and a cut-off that closes bookings at the time the operator actually needs the manifest.
The operator console
A capacity calendar per departure or time slot, not a stock count. Seasonal and holiday rate cards, blackout dates, minimum-pax rules that auto-cancel an under-filled joiner tour on a set day, and a manifest with guest names, ages, contact numbers and dietary or medical notes ready to hand to the coast guard or the resort. Operators confirm or decline inside a countdown.
Vouchers and offline check-in
Confirmation is a QR voucher in email, Messenger or Viber, with the pickup point, the guide's number and what to bring. Guides check guests in by scanning, and the app works offline — a boat captain in El Nido has no data and the check-in cannot depend on it. Scans sync when signal returns, and the manifest exports as a printable sheet for anyone who prefers paper.
Downpayments, balances and multi-currency display
Travel rarely takes one payment. Book with a 30-50% downpayment, balance due a set number of days before departure, with automatic reminders and an auto-release of the seat if the balance lapses. GCash, Maya and local cards through PayMongo, international cards for foreign guests, and prices displayed in USD or EUR while settling in pesos so an Australian family can see what they are actually paying.
Cancellations, weather and refunds
The policy is enforced by the platform, not argued in Messenger at 5am. Tiered refunds by days before departure, a separate weather and force-majeure rule that offers rebooking credit rather than cash, and operator-initiated cancellation that refunds guests automatically and logs against the operator's record. Guests see the policy before paying, which is where most travel disputes are actually won.
Operator payouts after the trip
The mechanic that makes travel different: money is held until the departure date has passed and no dispute is open, then released minus commission. Paying at booking means chasing an operator for a refund when a typhoon cancels a trip they never ran. Payout runs go to GCash or bank on your schedule, with a per-operator ledger of bookings, commission, refunds and adjustments.
Trust, accreditation and agent accounts
Operators upload DOT accreditation, LGU permits, boat registrations and insurance certificates, with expiry dates the platform tracks and prompts. Reviews attach only to completed trips. Travel agents and resellers get their own logins with net rates, so a Manila agency can book your operators at trade pricing and keep the mark-up, which is where a lot of a travel platform's early volume comes from.