What are the key considerations when developing a booking system in PHP that involves date calculations and database storage?

When developing a booking system in PHP that involves date calculations and database storage, it is important to accurately handle date and time calculations to ensure bookings are correctly stored and retrieved. Additionally, proper validation of user input and secure database storage methods should be implemented to prevent data loss or security vulnerabilities.

// Example PHP code snippet for handling date calculations and database storage in a booking system

// Validate and sanitize user input for booking date
$booking_date = $_POST['booking_date'];
$booking_date = date('Y-m-d', strtotime($booking_date));

// Calculate end date based on booking duration
$booking_duration = $_POST['booking_duration'];
$end_date = date('Y-m-d', strtotime($booking_date . ' + ' . $booking_duration . ' days'));

// Store booking information in database
$query = "INSERT INTO bookings (booking_date, end_date) VALUES ('$booking_date', '$end_date')";
$result = mysqli_query($connection, $query);

if($result) {
    echo "Booking successfully saved!";
} else {
    echo "Error saving booking.";
}