Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy explains how ChaloSaath ("we", "our", "us") collects, uses, shares and protects your information when you use our website www.chalosaath.in and related services (the "Platform"). ChaloSaath is a travel-ecosystem platform operated in India that connects travelers with independent vendors and trip managers. We do not directly provide travel services — we facilitate the connection.

1. Information We Collect

a. Information you give us

• Account details: name, email, phone (optional), date of birth (optional), profile photo.
• Verification details: for vendors and trip managers — business name, city, government-issued identifiers where lawfully required, proof documents you upload.
• Booking details: travel dates, destinations, group size, preferences, notes to the vendor.
• Payment information: UPI ID / transaction reference (UTR) / screenshot of the payment proof. We do not store full card, bank, or UPI credentials — payments happen directly via your UPI app.
• Content you post: reviews, trip stories, chat messages, photos.
• Communications: emails, support messages, and feedback you send us.

b. Information we collect automatically

• Device and usage data: IP address, device type, operating system, browser, pages visited, time spent, and referring URLs.
• Cookies and similar technologies: to keep you signed in, remember your language / preferences, and measure usage. You can control cookies through your browser settings.
• Location data (optional): approximate city or coordinates when you use search, maps, or the AI Trip Planner. We use it only for the feature you invoked; we do not track your location in the background.
• AI Trip Planner inputs: destination, travel dates, group size, interests, budget, and any follow-up chat messages you send. These inputs are forwarded to our AI provider solely to generate your plan. We do not use your plans to train any third-party model.

c. Information from third parties

• Social sign-in data (e.g. your name and email from Google) when you choose to sign in that way.
• Public reviews, geolocation lookups, and weather data that power features such as city autocomplete and Trip Assistant.
• Data from trip managers and vendors you engage with — their responses, quotes, itineraries, and confirmations that flow back to you via the Platform.

2. How We Use Your Information

• To create and manage your account and your vendor / trip-manager profile.
• To show you listings, trips, rentals, stories, and managers you can explore.
• To process booking requests, payment proofs, and booking confirmations between you and vendors.
• To match international and domestic travelers with verified trip managers, including filtering by languages they speak (English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean and more).
• To generate personalised itineraries via our AI Trip Planner and store your saved plans in your account.
• To send you transactional emails (OTP, booking updates, review requests, waitlist notifications).
• To maintain trust and safety — verify vendors, detect fraud, enforce our Community Guidelines.
• To improve our Platform, debug problems, and develop new features.
• To comply with applicable Indian laws and respond to lawful government requests.

3. How We Share Your Information

• With vendors and trip managers you choose to book or contact — your name, booking details, and the messages you send them, so that the booking can be fulfilled.
• With other travelers on a group trip you join — your name, profile photo, and messages you post in the trip chat.
• With service providers who help us operate the Platform (hosting, email delivery, analytics, geocoding, weather, AI providers). They may process data on our behalf under confidentiality obligations.
• With authorities when required by law, court order, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of ChaloSaath, our users, or the public.
• In a business transfer — if ChaloSaath is involved in a merger, acquisition, or asset sale, your data may be transferred, subject to this Policy.

We do not sell your personal information.

4. Your Choices and Rights

• Access, update, or delete your profile from your dashboard at any time.
• Download a copy of your account data — email support@chalosaath.in.
• Opt out of marketing emails via the unsubscribe link in any email; transactional emails will still be sent.
• Withdraw consent — you can close your account; residual data may be retained only as required by law.
• Grievance Officer — write to support@chalosaath.in with the subject "Grievance". We acknowledge within 48 hours and resolve within 30 days, in line with the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.

5. Data Retention

We retain account and booking data for as long as your account is active and for a reasonable period after closure, or as required by Indian tax, accounting, anti-fraud, or other applicable laws. Payment proof records (UPI UTR, screenshots) are retained for a minimum of 3 years as part of booking records.

6. Data Security

We use industry-standard security safeguards — encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed passwords, access controls, and restricted server environments. No system is perfectly secure; please use a strong password, avoid sharing your OTP, and contact us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access.

7. Children

ChaloSaath is not intended for users under 18. If you believe a minor has created an account, please write to support@chalosaath.in and we will remove the account.

8. International Users

ChaloSaath is operated from India and designed primarily for travel within India, though we welcome international travelers planning a trip to India. If you access the Platform from outside India, you understand that your information will be processed in India, which may have different data-protection standards than your country of residence. International travelers can filter trip managers by spoken language (English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, Japanese, Korean and others) to find a manager who can assist them throughout the journey.

9. AI Trip Planner

Our AI Trip Planner is an assistive tool — it produces itineraries, suggestions and budget estimates based on the destinations, dates and interests you enter. Plans are generated by a third-party large language model. AI output can be inaccurate, outdated, or miss local context. Please verify critical details (permits, seasonality, safety) with our trip managers or directly with vendors before committing to any plan. We retain your saved plans in your account and use anonymised, aggregated metadata to improve the feature; we do not sell your planner data.

10. Changes to this Policy

We may update this Policy from time to time. Material changes will be highlighted on this page with a revised "Last Updated" date, and where appropriate, notified by email.

11. Contact Us

Questions about this Privacy Policy? Write to us at support@chalosaath.in. Vendors and trip managers may additionally reach out at vendors@chalosaath.in.