1.1 Guide Me Away Worldwide Connections Ltd. (“Guide Me Away“, “we“, “us” or “our“) is a travel agency incorporated in British Columbia, licensed by Consumer Protection BC (Licence No. 90178) and accredited under IATA TIDS (No. 96240535), based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
1.2 This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, retain and safeguard personal information in connection with our travel planning and booking services, our website at https://guidemeaway.com (the “Website“), our newsletters, and any other interaction you have with us, whether online, by telephone, by email, by messaging application or in person (collectively, the “Services“).
1.3 “Personal information” means information about an identifiable individual. It does not include business contact information used solely to communicate with an individual in relation to their employment, business or profession.
1.4 We handle personal information in accordance with the Personal Information Protection Act (British Columbia) (“PIPA“) and, where applicable, the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (Canada) (“PIPEDA“). Where we serve clients located outside Canada, we will also take reasonable steps to respect privacy laws that apply to them by reason of their location.
1.5 This Policy applies to Guide Me Away, its employees, and the independent contractor travel advisors who provide Services under the Guide Me Away name (“Advisors“). Each Advisor is contractually bound to handle client personal information in accordance with this Policy.
1.6 By using the Services or providing personal information to us, you acknowledge that you have read and understood this Policy. Where consent is required by law, we will obtain it as described in Section 4.
2.1 We collect only the personal information reasonably required to provide the Services you request. Depending on those Services, this may include:
Category | Examples |
|---|---|
Identity and contact | Full legal name as it appears on travel documents, date of birth, gender as shown on travel documents, mailing address, email address, telephone numbers |
Travel documents | Passport details (number, issuing country, issue and expiry dates), visas, citizenship, Known Traveller or NEXUS/Global Entry numbers, redress numbers |
Booking and preference | Itineraries, destinations, dates, accommodation and seating preferences, loyalty program numbers, special-occasion details, travelling companions |
Payment | Credit card details, billing address, payment and refund history |
Insurance | Travel insurance selections, and information required by an insurer to quote or issue a policy |
Emergency contact | Name and telephone number of a person to contact in an emergency |
Communications | Correspondence by email, telephone, video call, messaging application or social media, and notes of consultations |
Website and technical | IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, referring site, and cookie data (see Section 6) |
2.2 Sensitive information. To arrange accessible travel, special assistance, dietary accommodation or insurance, we may collect information about health, mobility, disability, medical equipment, allergies or dietary or religious observances. We collect such information only where you choose to provide it for a specific purpose, use it only for that purpose, and share it only with the suppliers or insurers who need it to accommodate you.
2.3 Information about other travellers. If you provide personal information about other people, such as family members, travelling companions or members of a group, you confirm that you are authorized to do so and that you have informed them of this Policy. In the case of a minor, you confirm that you are the minor’s parent or legal guardian or are otherwise authorized to act on the minor’s behalf.
2.4 How we collect it. We collect personal information directly from you, from a person booking on your behalf, from travel suppliers and our consortium in the course of a booking, from our booking and scheduling tools when you arrange a consultation, and automatically through the Website. We do not purchase personal information from data brokers.
2.5 Payment cards. Wherever practicable, card payments are processed directly by the relevant travel supplier or by a payment processor compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard. We do not retain full card numbers after a transaction is complete except where a supplier’s procedures or applicable law require it.
3.1 We use personal information for the following purposes:
3.2 We will not use or disclose personal information for a purpose other than one identified in this Policy or at the time of collection, unless we obtain your consent or the use or disclosure is otherwise permitted or required by law.
4.1 We obtain your consent before or at the time we collect personal information, except where PIPA or PIPEDA permits collection, use or disclosure without consent.
4.2 Consent may be express or implied. When you ask us to book travel and provide information for that purpose, you consent to our using it, and disclosing it to the relevant suppliers, to complete the booking. We will seek your express consent before collecting or using sensitive information, and before sending commercial electronic messages where the law requires it.
4.3 You may withdraw or vary your consent at any time on reasonable notice, subject to legal or contractual restrictions, by contacting our Privacy Officer (Section 10). We will explain the likely consequences of withdrawal. For example, we may be unable to complete or modify a booking without certain information, and information already transmitted to a supplier will be subject to that supplier’s own privacy practices.
5.1 We do not sell, rent or trade personal information. We disclose it only as described below.
5.2 Travel suppliers. We disclose personal information to airlines, cruise lines, hotels, resorts, tour operators, ground handlers, car rental companies, rail operators, travel insurers and other suppliers as needed to make and service your bookings. Once received, your information is subject to the supplier’s own privacy policy, over which we have no control.
5.3 Advisors and consortium. Personal information is accessible to the Advisor handling your file and to Guide Me Away staff who need it to support that Advisor. As a member of the TRAVELSAVERS consortium, we may process bookings through consortium or host-agency systems, which may receive booking information for that purpose.
5.4 Service providers. We use third-party service providers to support our operations, including booking and reservation systems, payment processors, cloud email and document storage, client-relationship and scheduling tools, newsletter platforms, website hosting and analytics. We provide them only the information they need to perform their services and require them, by contract or otherwise, to protect it and to use it only for that purpose.
5.5 Legal and regulatory. We may disclose personal information where required or permitted by law, including to government, border, customs, immigration and aviation security authorities as a condition of travel; in response to a subpoena, warrant or court order; to Consumer Protection BC or another regulator; to protect the rights, property or safety of any person; or in an emergency that threatens a person’s life, health or security.
5.6 Business transactions. If Guide Me Away is involved in a sale, merger, amalgamation or other transfer of all or part of its business, personal information may be disclosed to the parties to the transaction, as permitted by PIPA, on condition that it is used only for purposes related to the transaction and the continued provision of the Services.
5.7 Storage and processing outside Canada. By its nature, international travel requires us to transmit personal information to suppliers and authorities in the countries you visit or transit. In addition, some of our service providers, and some members of our team, store or process information outside British Columbia and Canada, including in the United States, the Philippines and other jurisdictions. Information held in another jurisdiction is subject to that jurisdiction’s laws and may be accessible to its courts, law enforcement and national security authorities. Questions about our service providers outside Canada may be directed to our Privacy Officer.
6.1 Cookies and analytics. The Website uses cookies and similar technologies to operate core functions, remember preferences, and understand how visitors use the site. Details of the cookies we use, and how to manage or refuse them, are set out in our Cookie Policy, which forms part of this Policy. You may disable cookies in your browser settings, although some features of the Website may not then function properly.
6.2 Comments. If you leave a comment on the Website, we collect the information in the comment form together with your IP address and browser user agent to help detect spam. Comments may be screened by an automated spam-detection service. A hashed form of your email address may be sent to the Gravatar service (operated by Automattic Inc., whose privacy policy is at https://automattic.com/privacy/) to determine whether you have a Gravatar profile. Once a comment is approved, it and any associated profile image are publicly visible. Do not include personal information in a comment that you do not wish to make public.
6.3 Uploaded images. Images uploaded to the Website may contain embedded location data (EXIF GPS), which other visitors can extract. Please remove such data before uploading.
6.4 Embedded content and links. Pages on the Website may embed content (such as video, maps, booking widgets or social media posts) from, or link to, third-party websites. Embedded content behaves as though you had visited the third-party site, which may collect data, use cookies and track your interaction. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of third-party sites, and encourage you to review their policies.
7.1 We send newsletters and promotional messages only with your consent, in accordance with Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (“CASL“) and other applicable law. Each commercial electronic message identifies Guide Me Away, includes our contact information, and contains a functioning unsubscribe mechanism.
7.2 You may unsubscribe at any time by using the link in any message or by contacting us. We will process your request within ten (10) business days. Unsubscribing from marketing does not stop transactional or service messages relating to an existing booking.
8.1 Retention. We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected and to meet our legal, regulatory, tax and accounting obligations, including the record-keeping requirements that apply to licensed travel agents in British Columbia. Where we use personal information to make a decision that directly affects you, we retain it for at least one (1) year after that decision, as PIPA requires. Subject to those requirements, and unless a claim, dispute or legal hold is outstanding, we apply the following retention periods:
Category of information | Retention period |
|---|---|
Booking, payment, invoicing and accounting records | Seven (7) years after the end of the calendar year in which travel was completed |
Passport and travel-document details, and sensitive information (health, accessibility, dietary or religious information) | Ninety (90) days after the traveller’s return, after which it is deleted from our files; the underlying booking record is kept as above |
Client profiles and travel preferences | For as long as you remain an active client; reviewed after three (3) years without a booking, then deleted or anonymized unless you ask us to keep it |
Enquiries and quotes that did not result in a booking | Two (2) years after our last communication |
Newsletter subscriptions and consent records | Until you unsubscribe; consent records are kept for as long as needed to demonstrate compliance with CASL |
Website comments and their metadata | Until deleted on request |
When personal information is no longer required, we securely destroy it or render it anonymous. Information already transmitted to a supplier or authority is retained by that party under its own policies.
8.2 Safeguards. We protect personal information with security arrangements appropriate to its sensitivity, including password and multi-factor protection of accounts, encryption in transit, access limited to those who need it, confidentiality obligations in our agreements with staff, Advisors and service providers, and secure disposal practices. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
8.3 Breach notification. If a privacy breach involving personal information under our control creates a real risk of significant harm to you, we will notify you and the appropriate regulator as required by applicable law, and take steps to contain and mitigate the breach.
8.4 Accuracy. We make reasonable efforts to keep personal information accurate and complete. Because suppliers and authorities rely on traveller details exactly as they appear on travel documents, please tell us promptly of any error or change.
9.1 We do not knowingly collect personal information directly from children under the age of 13 through the Website. We collect information about minors only from a parent, guardian or other authorized adult, and only to arrange their travel. A parent or guardian may exercise the rights in Section 10 on a minor’s behalf.
10.1 Access and correction. Subject to the exceptions in applicable law, you may request access to the personal information we hold about you, information about how it has been used, and the names of the individuals and organizations to whom it has been disclosed. You may also request correction of any error or omission. We will respond within thirty (30) business days of receiving a written request, or within any extended period the law permits, and will give reasons for any refusal. We may charge a minimal fee for access, and will tell you the estimated fee before processing the request. There is no fee for a correction.
10.2 Deletion and portability. You may ask us to delete your personal information or to provide a copy of it in a commonly used electronic format. We will do so except where we must retain it for legal, regulatory, administrative, accounting or security reasons, or where it has already been transmitted to a supplier.
10.3 Verification. We may ask you to verify your identity before responding to a request.
10.4 Privacy Officer. Guide Me Away has designated a Privacy Officer who is accountable for our compliance with this Policy and applicable privacy law. Requests, questions and complaints should be directed to:
Privacy Officer — [Lia Hershkovitz, Founder & CEO] Guide Me Away Worldwide Connections Ltd. Vancouver, British Columbia Telephone: +1 (778) 655-5135 · Toll-free: (833) 553-4119 Email: info@guidemeaway.com
10.5 Complaints. We will investigate every complaint and, where it is justified, take appropriate measures, including amending our practices. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner for British Columbia (www.oipc.bc.ca) or, where PIPEDA applies, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (www.priv.gc.ca).
11.1 We may amend this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or in the law. The amended Policy will be posted on the Website with a revised effective date. Where a change materially affects how we use personal information already collected, we will take reasonable steps to notify you and, where required, obtain your consent.
12.1 We serve clients in English, Spanish and Hebrew and may provide translations of this Policy for convenience. In the event of any inconsistency, the English version prevails.
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