Modernised and managed a travel booking platform for a specialist expedition operator

Chimu Adventures is a Sydney-based travel operator specialising in Latin America, Antarctica, and Arctic expeditions. The company offers small ship cruises, tailor-made itineraries, small group tours, and full flight and transfer arrangements for international travellers.

In 2018, Chimu needed to replace an ageing Drupal 6 website that was limiting performance and preventing them from managing bookings and content efficiently as the business grew.

• An outdated Drupal 6 platform caused frequent breakdowns and degraded site performance.
• The information architecture was cluttered, making it difficult for customers to navigate offerings.
• No automated deployment pipeline existed, slowing development and release cycles.
• Booking management relied on disconnected systems without a reliable API integration.
• Chimu lacked a managed service partner to own ongoing platform stability and upgrades.

1. Migrate cleanly, not just quickly

Classic Informatics treated data migration as a distinct workstream — transferring all content to Drupal 8 while simultaneously removing obsolete records, ensuring the new platform launched with a clean, accurate dataset rather than carrying forward legacy clutter.

2. Automate the development pipeline

Automated development, staging, and production pipelines were introduced early in the project, giving Chimu's team predictable, reliable release cycles and reducing the risk of errors reaching live environments.

3. Build integrations that match business workflows

The Web Traveller booking system integration was built using custom PHP modules and API services — designed around how Chimu's team actually manages itineraries and bookings rather than forcing them to adapt to a generic integration.

4. Take full ownership of ongoing management

Classic Informatics did not exit after launch. The team took on full platform management responsibility — hosting on AWS, executing version upgrades, applying security patches, and developing custom modules as Chimu's requirements evolved.

Platform & Infrastructure

• Drupal 8 website with improved performance, security, and scalability
• AWS hosting setup with ongoing stability management and performance optimisation
• Automated development, staging, and production deployment pipelines

Booking & Integration Systems

• Web Traveller booking system integration via custom PHP modules and API services
• SendGrid integration for transactional and marketing email communications
• Third-party API integrations for external data exchange and extended platform capabilities
• Payments and travel package booking simplification

Content & Localisation

• Full data migration from Drupal 6 with data cleansing and obsolete content removal
• Google APIs integration for localised content delivery and multicurrency display
• Versioning control, coding standards, and UI improvements for ongoing content management
• Ongoing Drupal version upgrades, patches, and custom module development

Chimu Adventures moved from an unstable, manually managed legacy platform to a modern, fully integrated Drupal 8 website with automated pipelines, a live booking integration, and an ongoing managed service covering all hosting, upgrades, and development needs.

Business Impact

• Platform stability restored with AWS hosting and automated deployment pipelines
• Booking management streamlined through live Web Traveller API integration
• Localised content and multicurrency support extended reach to international audiences
• Ongoing managed service eliminated the need for an in-house infrastructure team
• Custom module development continued to match Chimu's evolving business requirements