Privacy Policy

1.1 Personal information

In the course of providing our services, we may collect and hold the following types of personal information:

Contact details, including your full name, email address, postal address and telephone number(s). Identification details, including your date of birth, gender, nationality and passport information (name as it appears on passport, passport number, issue and expiry dates, and a copy of your passport identification page). Booking and travel details, including your travel preferences, room type preferences, dietary requirements, emergency contact details, travel insurance policy details, and any other information you provide to us in connection with your holiday booking.

Payment details, including credit or debit card information provided for the purpose of processing payments. We use a secure external merchant facility to process card payments and do not store your card details on our systems.

Feedback and communications, including survey responses, testimonials, complaints, compliments and other correspondence.

1.2 Sensitive information

Under the Privacy Act, certain categories of personal information are classified as sensitive information and receive additional protection. In the course of our business, we may collect the following sensitive information:

Health information: including information provided on our Fit to Travel medical clearance form, details of pre-existing medical conditions, mobility or accessibility requirements, and any health information relevant to your participation in our holidays.

Dietary requirements: including allergies, intolerances and medically required diets.

We only collect sensitive information with your consent, or where it is reasonably necessary for us to assess your suitability for a holiday, arrange appropriate services, or meet our duty of care obligations. We will not collect sensitive information unless it is directly relevant to your booking or travel arrangements.

1.3 How we collect your information

We collect personal information in several ways:

Directly from you: when you make a booking enquiry, submit a booking form, provide your travel documents, complete a Fit to Travel form, respond to a survey, subscribe to our communications, enter a competition, or contact us by phone, email or post.

From third parties: in limited circumstances, we may receive personal information about you from a travel agent acting on your behalf, a travel companion who has included you in a booking, a medical practitioner completing a Fit to Travel form, or a tour operator or supplier providing us with information relevant to your booking.

From our website: we collect certain non-personal information automatically when you visit our website, including through cookies and similar technologies. See section 4.3 for details.

1.4 Why we collect your information

We collect and use your personal information for the following purposes:

• To process and manage your holiday booking, including confirming your reservation, processing payments, issuing travel documentation, and communicating with you about your booking.
• To assess your suitability for a holiday, including reviewing fitness and health information where required by the nature of the holiday.
• To arrange and coordinate your travel, including sharing necessary details with our service providers such as tour operators, accommodation providers, airlines, transport providers, local guides and other third parties involved in delivering your holiday.
• To facilitate our roommate matching service, which may include sharing your first name and email address with a matched roommate prior to departure, as outlined in our Booking Terms and Conditions.
• To facilitate group communication, including through WhatsApp groups established for your travel group, as outlined in our Booking Terms and Conditions.
• To send you information about our holidays, offers and services that we believe may be of interest to you (see section 3.4 on direct marketing).
• To collect and publish feedback, including anonymous or first-name testimonials on our website or promotional materials, in accordance with our Booking Terms and Conditions.
• To use photographs or recordings taken during a holiday for promotional purposes, in accordance with the image release provisions in our Booking Terms and Conditions.
• To conduct market research and analysis to improve our services (in a way that does not personally identify individuals).
• To comply with our legal and regulatory obligations.

1.5 What happens if you do not provide your information

If you choose not to provide certain personal information, we may not be able to process your booking, assess your suitability for a holiday, arrange your travel services, or communicate with you about your booking. Where information is optional, we will make that clear at the time of collection.

2.1 Third party service providers

To deliver your holiday, we share relevant personal information with third party service providers. These may include:

Tour operators and ground operators responsible for delivering components of your holiday itinerary.

Accommodation providers, including hotels, resorts and cruise operators.

Airlines, rail companies, coach operators and other transport providers.

Local guides, activity providers and facilitators.

Payment processors and merchant service providers for the purpose of processing your payments securely.

Marketing and communication service providers engaged by us to manage promotional campaigns, surveys or market research.

Insurance providers, where relevant to a claim or coverage enquiry.

Professional advisors, including legal, accounting and auditing services.

Government and regulatory authorities, where required or authorised by law.

We only share personal information with third parties to the extent necessary for the relevant purpose, and we take reasonable steps to ensure that our service providers handle your information consistently with the Australian Privacy Principles.

2.2 Overseas disclosure

Because we operate holidays in destinations outside Australia, we are likely to disclose your personal information to recipients located overseas. This occurs primarily when we share your booking details and travel documentation with tour operators, accommodation providers, transport companies and ground operators in the countries where your holiday takes place.

The countries to which we are likely to disclose personal information will depend on your holiday destination and may include (but are not limited to) countries in Europe (including but not limited to Italy, France, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Croatia, Greece, the United Kingdom and Ireland), North America (Canada and the United States), Asia, the Middle East, Africa and South America.

Where we disclose personal information to an overseas recipient, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient handles the information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles. However, you acknowledge that by booking a holiday with an overseas component, you consent to the disclosure of your personal information to overseas recipients for the purpose of arranging and delivering your holiday, and that we may not be able to ensure that the overseas recipient handles your information in accordance with Australian privacy law.

2.3 Direct marketing

We may use your contact information to send you details of our holidays, special offers, newsletters and other communications that we believe may be of interest to you.

You can opt out of receiving marketing communications from us at any time by:

• Using the unsubscribe link in any email communication from us.
• Contacting us by email at holidays @encountertravel.com.au or by phone on 1300 653 692.

We will process your opt-out request promptly. Please note that even if you opt out of marketing communications, we may still contact you with information directly related to your booking or travel arrangements.

3.1 Data security

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, unauthorised access, modification and disclosure. These measures include physical, technical and organisational safeguards appropriate to the nature of the information we hold.

Personal information is stored on secure systems maintained by our Australian-based hosting provider and on our internal business systems. Credit card details are processed through a secure external merchant facility and are not stored on our systems.

While we take all reasonable precautions, no method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.

3.2 Data retention

We retain your personal information only for as long as it is reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, or as required by law. When personal information is no longer needed for any purpose for which it may be used or disclosed under the Privacy Act, and we are not required by law to retain it, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or de-identify the information.

As a general guide, booking and travel records are retained for a minimum of seven years after the completion of your holiday to meet our legal, regulatory and insurance obligations. Marketing and communication records are retained until you opt out or request deletion.

3.3 Cookies and website analytics

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to monitor how visitors use our site, identify which pages and content are most popular, and improve your browsing experience.

A cookie is a small data file placed on your device by your web browser. Cookies do not identify you personally. You can configure your browser to refuse cookies or to prompt you before accepting a cookie. However, if you refuse cookies, some features of our website may not function as intended.

We may also use internet protocol (IP) addresses to analyse website traffic and user trends. This information is used in aggregate form and does not identify individual users.

Where we use third party analytics services (such as Google Analytics or similar tools), these services may collect information about your website usage on our behalf. This information is used to help us understand how visitors engage with our site and to improve our content and services.

3.4 Data breaches

In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to any individual whose personal information is involved, we will comply with the Notifiable Data Breaches scheme under Part IIIC of the Privacy Act. This means we will take reasonable steps to contain the breach, assess the risk of serious harm, and notify the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) and affected individuals as required.

4.1 Accessing your information

You have the right to request access to the personal information we hold about you. To make an access request, please contact us using the details in section 5. We will respond to your request within a reasonable period (and in any case within 30 days) and provide access in the manner you have requested, where it is reasonable and practicable to do so.

In some circumstances, we may refuse to provide access, for example where providing access would pose a serious threat to the life, health or safety of any individual, or would unreasonably impact the privacy of other individuals. If we refuse access, we will provide you with written reasons for the refusal and information about how you can complain about the decision.

4.2 Correcting your information

We take reasonable steps to ensure that the personal information we hold is accurate, up to date, complete and relevant. If you believe that any information we hold about you is inaccurate, incomplete or out of date, please contact us and we will take reasonable steps to correct it.

If we correct information that we have previously disclosed to a third party, we will take reasonable steps to notify that third party of the correction, unless it is impracticable or unlawful to do so.

4.3 Unsolicited information

If we receive personal information about you that we did not request and that is not reasonably necessary for our functions or activities, we will destroy or de-identify that information as soon as practicable, provided it is lawful and reasonable to do so.

4.4 Making a complaint

If you believe that we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles or handled your personal information inappropriately, you are entitled to make a complaint.

To lodge a complaint, please contact us in writing using the details in section 5 below, setting out the details of your concern. We will acknowledge your complaint within five business days and investigate it promptly. We will provide you with a written response within 30 days of receiving your complaint.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may escalate your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC):

Online: www.oaic.gov.au
Phone: 1300 363 992
Post: GPO Box 5288, Sydney NSW 2001

5.1 Changes to this policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, our services, or applicable legislation. The most current version of this policy will always be available on our website. We encourage you to review this policy periodically.

All personal information held by us will be governed by the most recent version of this policy.

5.2 Governing law

This Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles.

5.3 How to contact us

For any questions, requests or complaints relating to your personal information or this Privacy Policy, please contact us:

Email: holidays @ encountertravel.com.au

Phone: 1300 653 692 (AU)  |  0800 653 692 (NZ)

Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (AEST)

Post: Encounter Travel, PO Box A1088, Sydney South NSW 1235