Helping travelers dream, discover and book their next adventure
Year
2022
Client
Pentravel
Pentravel, founded in 1983, is a top South African leisure travel agency offering flights, accommodation, packages, cruises, tours, insurance, visas, and foreign exchange. With nationwide branches and online booking, it combines expert service with a Price Promise, ensuring memorable, great-value travel experiences backed by over 40 years of expertise
My role
UX design
UX research
End-to-end visual and interaction design
Development integration
Outputs
Responsive website
Developer guidelines
Bridging the gap between inspiration and booking
Pentravel’s existing website did not align with how modern travellers research, compare, and plan holidays online. Key package details were difficult to scan, destination content was limited, and navigation made it harder for users to discover trips that matched their interests. The site lacked engaging visuals, intuitive saving and revisiting tools, and clear ways to connect with local branches. It also underutilised opportunities to showcase cruise details, flight specials, and SEO-rich content to drive organic traffic.
Without surfacing its strong Hellopeter rating, Pentravel missed a chance to build trust and reduce uncertainty during booking decisions, impacting both user experience and business goals.
Why it matters
Holiday planning is both an emotional and financial commitment, and any friction in researching, comparing, or booking can cause travellers to abandon the process or turn to competitors. For Pentravel, an outdated site risked reduced organic visibility, lower engagement with high-value offerings like cruises and flight specials, and missed opportunities to convert interest into bookings.
To address this, the platform needed to become intuitive, visually compelling, and trustworthy, inspiring customers while simplifying their planning journey.
A critical first step was reorganising the site’s information architecture to align business objectives with user needs, accommodating both decisive travellers and those exploring for inspiration.
A sitemap snapshot
Designed for the way users discover and decide
Holiday packages are now more dynamic than ever, providing users with more information at a glance.
The site also allows users to add packages to their favourites, supporting a common behaviour among holiday explorers who often revisit options multiple times before booking.
Exploration and discovery
To help users find the perfect holiday without confusion, I designed search and filter features that feel familiar and intuitive from the beginning.
As users explore, the site highlights destinations and packages aligned with their interests, introducing options they might not have considered. This approach transforms browsing into an inspiring journey rather than a frustrating search.
Ready to scale
Trusted by travelers
Pentravel’s #1 rating on Hellopeter is more than just a badge — it’s proof that customers trust them to deliver great holiday experiences. I made sure this endorsement is visible throughout the site, so users feel reassured and confident when planning and booking their next trip.
