1. Who we are
Hikepilot LLC operates TripJoiner and is the service responsible for the personal information described in this policy. TripJoiner is a marketplace where travelers can request to join scheduled tours and organizers can manage listings, bookings, and related communications. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle personal information when you create an account, book or organize trips, message other users, upload documents, contact support, or use the site.
You can contact us or exercise a privacy right through Support. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request.
2. Information we process
- Accounts: name, email, profile details, roles (traveler, organizer, admin), and account status.
- Bookings: join requests, booking references, participant details you provide, status history, and payment-claim milestones you or the organizer record (these are workflow claims, not platform-processed payments).
- Messages: content and metadata of conversations between travelers, organizers, and support.
- Documents: files you upload for a booking (for example passport images, waivers, or payment proof) stored for that booking’s parties and authorized admins.
- Support: support case subject, description, category, linked booking references, and related audit events.
- Analytics: device/browser information, IP address, cookie or session identifiers, pages viewed, error events, and performance data used for security, reliability, and product improvement.
- Location and trip search: destinations, meeting points, map searches, and location choices you enter. We do not require continuous device-location tracking.
- Reviews and reports: ratings, review text, organizer responses, reports, moderation decisions, and related audit history.
We collect information from you, the other party to a booking, organizers whose pages you use, service providers that operate the platform, and automated security or operational logs.
3. How we use information
We use personal information to operate accounts and bookings, enable messaging and document exchange, provide support, enforce policies, prevent abuse, send transactional email, and improve the product. We do not use TripJoiner to collect or process traveler tour payments.
Where data-protection law requires a legal basis, we rely as appropriate on performing our agreement with you, complying with law, protecting users and the service through legitimate interests, and consent for processing that legally requires consent. You may withdraw consent for future processing where consent is the basis.
4. Third-party vendors
We use vendors for hosting (Vercel), database/authentication/storage (Supabase), email delivery (Resend), background jobs (Inngest), error monitoring (Sentry), and location search (Geoapify), plus other operational providers we may disclose as the service changes. We may also use analytics tools and — when enabled — a payment provider for organizer memberships and promotions only. Vendors process data under our instructions and applicable agreements. TripJoiner does not place traveler tour money with a payment processor through this platform.
5. Sharing
Booking-related details may be shared with the other party to a booking (traveler or organizer) as needed to fulfill the trip workflow. We may share information with service providers, when required by law, or to protect users and the platform. We do not sell personal information or use it for cross-context behavioral advertising. If that practice changes, we will update this policy and provide any legally required choice before the change applies.
6. Retention and security
We retain account, booking, message, document, and support records for as long as reasonably needed to operate the service, preserve safety and audit history, meet legal obligations, prevent fraud, and resolve disputes. Retention depends on the record type, account or booking status, legal requirements, and active disputes. We delete or de-identify information when it is no longer reasonably needed, except where continued retention is permitted or required by law. We apply administrative and technical controls appropriate to the sensitivity of the data; no method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure.
7. International processing
TripJoiner and its providers may process information in the United States and other countries. Those countries may have different data protection laws. Where law requires a transfer safeguard, we rely on an approved legal mechanism or another lawful basis for the transfer.
8. Your choices and rights
You may update profile information in your account, and you may contact support to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, portability, or an objection where applicable law provides those rights. You may also have a right to appeal our response, opt out of certain sale/sharing or targeted advertising, limit certain sensitive data uses, or complain to a regulator. TripJoiner does not currently sell personal information or use it for cross-context behavioral advertising. We will not discriminate against you for exercising an applicable privacy right. Some records (for example audit trails or booking history needed for safety and fraud prevention) may be retained as permitted by law.
9. Children
TripJoiner accounts are for adults who can enter a binding agreement. A parent or legal guardian may include a minor as a trip participant and is responsible for the minor’s information and participation. The service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly allow them to create accounts. If you believe a child provided personal information through an account without appropriate adult involvement, contact Support.
10. Policy changes
We may update this policy as the service or law changes. We will post the revised policy with a new effective date and provide additional notice when required by law or when a material change warrants it.
11. Contact
Privacy questions can be submitted through Support, or by mail to Hikepilot LLC, 1625 East 7th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11230, United States. Do not upload identity documents or other sensitive material unless Support specifically requests it through an approved secure workflow.