Privacy policy

01Who we are and when this policy applies

Trip Buddies, based in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra, is responsible for the information we handle as part of our travel business. Our website is tripbuddiesindia.com. Use the contact details at the end of this page for privacy questions or requests.

This policy covers website visits, enquiries, bookings, support, email, telephone and WhatsApp conversations, social media, in-person interactions and relevant supplier or partner communications. It applies to travellers, prospective customers, website visitors and business contacts. We will provide an additional notice if a service requires one.

02How the current website works

• Where the online submission button is available, choosing it sends your reviewed enquiry to our private customer-management system for sales follow-up and travel planning. A successful response displays an enquiry reference. Saving an enquiry does not reserve a trip or subscribe you to marketing.
• If you choose WhatsApp instead, the website prepares a message for you to review. Trip Buddies receives that WhatsApp message only when you send it through that service.
• Enquiry forms ask for the details needed to discuss a trip, such as your name, phone number, travel date or month, number of travellers, joining city, preferences and notes. Avoid placing identity-document numbers, card details or unnecessary medical information in free-text fields.
• Hosting and security services may process technical request information, such as an IP address, browser information and request time, to deliver and protect the website.
• The site remembers cookie preferences in your browser. If you allow analytics, Google Analytics measures page views, package interest, Book Now clicks, successful enquiries and Call/WhatsApp clicks. We do not send names, contact details, enquiry text, payment data or private links to analytics. Advertising and automatic promotional delivery are not active. Optional email and WhatsApp permissions are recorded separately when you submit an enquiry.
• Where an approved quotation offers an enabled payment checkout, Razorpay processes the payment. Card details, CVVs and UPI PINs are entered with the payment provider, not stored in our CRM. Our system records the quotation, terms acceptance, payment references and status needed for booking support and reconciliation. A payment receipt alone does not confirm supplier availability.
• Staff access to enquiry and payment records requires a private administrator login. A necessary session cookie secures that login; it does not enrol visitors in advertising or email marketing.

03Information used for travel services

Once you contact or book with us, the information needed depends on your trip and the suppliers involved. We seek only information relevant to that purpose.

• Contact and identity details: name, email, phone number, address, emergency contact and, where a booking requires them, date of birth, passport or identity-document details.
• Travel information: dates, itinerary, traveller numbers and ages, room and transport choices, dietary preferences, special requests and booking history.
• Payment records: transaction references, invoice or billing details, amount, payment status and refund records. Payment providers handle payment credentials; do not send them to our support team.
• Communications: enquiries, booking messages, support documents, receipts, feedback and content you choose to share. Permission to help with a trip is not permission to publish your photograph or testimonial.
• Assistance information: relevant health or mobility needs you choose to tell us so we can arrange suitable services. We treat this information with additional care and share it only where needed for that arrangement.

04Where information comes from and why we use it

Information may come directly from you or an authorised traveller representative, from suppliers and payment providers involved in a booking, or from permitted verification sources where needed to prevent fraud. Website technical information is generated as you access the site.

We use relevant information to respond to enquiries; plan, confirm and deliver travel; communicate itinerary changes or urgent updates; provide support; manage invoices, payments and refunds; prevent misuse; resolve disputes; and meet applicable legal and recordkeeping obligations.

We process information on the basis permitted by the applicable law, including your consent where required, the requested travel arrangement and legal obligations. Optional marketing and tracking choices are requested separately. We do not treat browsing, accepting booking terms or making an enquiry as marketing consent.

05When information may be shared

• Hotels, airlines, transport providers, destination partners, guides and activity operators, for the services you request or book.
• Hosting, email, messaging and payment services needed to operate communications and transactions. Google Analytics receives limited usage and device information only with analytics permission; Google may process it outside India. It is separate from our private enquiry records.
• Professional advisers, auditors, regulators, courts or law enforcement where required or permitted for a legitimate and applicable legal purpose.
• A successor business in a merger, acquisition or reorganisation, subject to applicable confidentiality and data-protection obligations.

We limit sharing to the relevant purpose and seek appropriate protection from service providers. Independent suppliers and services such as WhatsApp have their own privacy practices; review their notices before sharing information directly with them.

06Cookies, storage and optional tracking

Our Cookie Policy describes browser storage, your saved preferences and how to change them. Google Analytics is blocked until you choose the analytics category. Advertising trackers and Google Signals are not enabled. Consent to optional cookies is separate from consent to receive promotional messages.

07How long information is kept

We retain information for as long as it is needed to handle the enquiry, deliver the booking, meet legal obligations or resolve a dispute. Our existing recordkeeping policy generally anticipates 6–7 years for transaction and booking records where accounting or tax requirements apply; the applicable legal requirement and the record type determine the actual period.

Marketing information is used only while you remain subscribed. If you opt out, we stop promotional use and may retain the limited consent or suppression record needed to honour your choice and applicable requirements. Hosting and security logs are subject to the relevant provider and operational retention requirements.

You can request deletion. Where a legal or necessary recordkeeping exception applies, we will explain why the relevant information must be retained.

08Security and international services

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures appropriate to the information we handle, including controlling access and using secure communications where available. No internet service can be guaranteed completely secure. Any incident will be handled under the applicable legal requirements, including notification where required.

An international trip or a technology provider may involve information being processed outside India. Where that happens, we seek the safeguards and contractual protections required by the applicable law and the nature of the service.

09Your choices and requests

Depending on the applicable law, you may ask to access, correct or delete personal information, withdraw consent, object to or restrict certain uses, or obtain a portable copy where that right applies. Contact us using the details below and explain your request. We may verify your identity using only what is reasonably necessary.

We will respond in accordance with applicable law and explain any relevant limitation. Withdrawing an optional choice does not stop you from browsing or making an enquiry; withdrawing information essential to a requested service may affect our ability to provide that service.

10Children and family bookings

The website is intended for adults aged 18 or over making travel arrangements. Family and educational bookings may require information about children, which should be provided by a parent, guardian or appropriately authorised organiser with the required permission. We do not knowingly collect children’s information without the required consent and will take steps to address any such collection brought to our attention.

11Marketing and opting out

Promotional emails or messages require a separate choice where required. An enquiry, booking or cookie choice does not automatically enrol you. If you subscribe to a future mailing service, its form will explain what you will receive and how to unsubscribe.

You can ask us to stop promotions by emailing us, replying STOP to a promotional WhatsApp or SMS message, or using an unsubscribe link where provided. Necessary booking and support messages are separate from promotions.

12External links, updates and concerns

Other websites and services have their own policies. A link from our website does not make us responsible for how they process information.

We may update this policy when our services, technology or applicable requirements change. The revised date appears above. Material changes will be posted here and, where appropriate, communicated by another suitable method.

For a privacy concern, contact us first so we can investigate. Indian law applies, and disputes fall within the competent courts in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad), Maharashtra, unless applicable law requires otherwise. Email us for a postal contact address if you need to write to our operational base.