Privacy policy

Privacy Policy

Thrifty Adventures (Pty) Ltd ("Thrifty Adventures", "we", "us" or "our") organises group tours and travel packages. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share and protect your personal information when you visit www.thriftyadventures.co.za, make an enquiry, book or travel with us, or otherwise communicate with us (the "Services").

We process personal information in line with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 ("POPIA") and other applicable data protection laws. For the purposes of POPIA, Thrifty Adventures is the responsible party for your personal information.

1. Information We Collect

We collect only the information we need to arrange and support your trip, and to run our business. Depending on how you use the Services, this may include:

  • Contact details: name, email address, phone or WhatsApp number, and billing address.
  • Traveller and identity details: full names as they appear on your passport or ID, date of birth, gender where airlines require it, passport or ID details, nationality, country of residence, country of departure, transit route, visa or permit status, and travel history that may affect entry to a destination.
  • Booking information: the tours you enquire about or book, travel dates, room-sharing arrangements, quotations, invoices, payment history and correspondence.
  • Payment information: transaction references, amounts and payment status. Card payments are processed by our payment service providers on their own secure pages. We do not store your card number, security code or banking passwords, and we will never ask you for them.
  • Health and special requirements: only where you choose to share it or where it is needed for your trip, such as dietary requirements, medical conditions relevant to activities, accessibility needs, pregnancy clearance or vaccination records. We process this information with your consent or where the law allows it.
  • Emergency contact details you provide for use during a tour.
  • Photos and videos taken by our team during tours, as described in section 14 of our Terms & Conditions.
  • Device and usage information: IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed and how you interact with our website, collected through cookies and similar technologies.

2. How We Collect It

  • Directly from you when you book online, enquire by WhatsApp, email or phone, fill in forms, or speak to our team on tour.
  • From the lead booker when someone books on behalf of a group, friends or family. If you provide information about other travellers, please make sure they know you are sharing it with us and have read this policy.
  • Automatically through cookies and similar technologies when you use our website.
  • From service providers such as payment providers, airlines, accommodation and transport partners, and Shopify.

3. How We Use Your Information

  • To arrange and deliver your trip: making reservations for flights, accommodation, transport and activities; allocating rooms; issuing tickets; and managing your booking.
  • To process payments: verifying payments, managing instalments, issuing refunds and preventing duplicate or fraudulent transactions.
  • To communicate with you: sending quotations, confirmations, payment reminders, travel updates and pre-departure information by WhatsApp, email or SMS, and responding to your queries.
  • To support you on tour: coordinating the group, contacting you or your emergency contact, and resolving concerns.
  • To help with travel documents: giving general guidance on entry requirements and, where you use our visa services, preparing supporting documents.
  • To handle complaints and disputes: investigating concerns, refund requests and payment disputes, and keeping records of the outcome.
  • Marketing: sending you news, promotions and travel offers, and showing relevant advertising. You can opt out at any time (see section 8).
  • Tour photos and videos: sharing edited pictures with travellers and showcasing our tours on social media and our website. Tell us if you would prefer not to appear.
  • Security, legal and business purposes: protecting our website and customers, complying with laws and lawful requests, and improving our Services.

We process your information because it is needed to perform our contract with you, because you have consented, because the law requires it, or because it is in our legitimate interests to run and protect our business.

4. Who We Share It With

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only where needed, with:

  • Travel suppliers: airlines, hotels and other accommodation, transport operators, activity providers, tour guides and ground handlers who deliver parts of your trip.
  • Payment providers: online payment gateways, instalment providers and banks that process your payments and refunds.
  • Visa and immigration bodies: embassies, consulates, visa application centres or immigration authorities, where you use our visa services or where required for travel.
  • Insurers where you ask us to help with travel insurance or a claim.
  • Technology and service providers: Shopify, which hosts our website and online store, and providers of email, messaging, cloud storage, analytics and customer support tools.
  • Marketing and advertising partners that help us show relevant advertising, subject to your right to opt out.
  • Authorities and professional advisers where required by law, to protect our rights, or to resolve disputes, including with banks and payment schemes in the case of chargebacks.
  • A buyer or successor if our business is sold or restructured.

We require our service providers to protect your information and use it only for the purposes we have agreed.

5. International Transfers

Because we arrange travel to destinations outside South Africa, we must share some of your information with suppliers and authorities in the countries you travel to or through. Some of our technology providers, including Shopify, may also store or process information outside South Africa. When we transfer personal information across borders, we do so as permitted by section 72 of POPIA, for example where the transfer is necessary to perform our contract with you, where you have consented, or where the recipient is subject to adequate data protection laws or agreements.

6. Relationship with Shopify

Our website is hosted by Shopify, which collects and processes personal information about your access to and use of the website in order to provide and improve it. Shopify may also use information about your interactions with our store, other merchants and Shopify to provide enhanced features. In those cases, Shopify is responsible for that processing. To learn more, visit the Shopify Consumer Privacy Policy or the Shopify Privacy Portal.

7. Cookies

We use cookies and similar technologies to operate our website, remember your preferences, understand how visitors use the site and support advertising. You can control cookies through your browser settings, although blocking some cookies may affect how the website works. Our website recognises the Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal as a request to opt out of sharing for targeted advertising for that browser or device. For more on the cookies Shopify uses, see Shopify's cookie policy.

8. Marketing and Your Choices

You can unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in any email, reply STOP to marketing messages, or contact us to be removed from marketing lists. You can also opt out of the sharing of your information for targeted advertising here. We will still send you messages about your bookings, payments and travel arrangements.

9. How Long We Keep Your Information

We keep personal information only for as long as needed for the purposes described in this policy, including to provide your trip, handle refunds, complaints and disputes, and meet legal, tax and accounting requirements. When it is no longer needed, we delete, destroy or de-identify it securely.

10. How We Protect Your Information

We use reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your information against loss, misuse and unauthorised access, including limiting access to authorised staff and using secure, established payment providers. No system is completely secure, so please avoid sending passport copies or other sensitive documents through public channels, and never send card numbers, PINs or banking passwords to anyone. If a security breach affects your personal information, we will notify you and the Information Regulator as required by POPIA.

11. Children

Our website is not intended for children to use on their own. Where a person under 18 travels with us, their information must be provided by, and with the consent of, a parent or legal guardian. If you believe a child has given us personal information without consent, please contact us so we can delete it.

12. Your Rights

Subject to POPIA and other applicable laws, you have the right to:

  • ask whether we hold personal information about you and request access to it;
  • ask us to correct, update, delete or destroy your personal information;
  • object to the processing of your personal information, including for direct marketing;
  • withdraw consent where we rely on it, without affecting processing that took place before you withdrew;
  • submit a complaint to the Information Regulator.

Some requests may affect our ability to provide your trip. For example, airlines and hotels cannot confirm bookings without traveller details. We may need to verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond within a reasonable time as required by law.

13. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us first so we can try to resolve them. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa) at www.inforegulator.org.za. If you live outside South Africa, you may also contact your local data protection authority.

14. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices or the law. We will post the updated policy on this page and change the "Last updated" date.

15. Contact Us

For questions about this policy, or to exercise your rights, please contact our Information Officer:

Thrifty Adventures (Pty) Ltd
📧 Email: info@thriftyadventures.co.za
📱 WhatsApp / Phone: +27 84 331 1059 / +27 65 102 6163
🌐 Website: www.thriftyadventures.co.za