The Travel Collection respects your privacy and is committed to handling personal information responsibly. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, hold, use and disclose personal information when you enquire about, plan, book or travel on arrangements organised through us, or otherwise deal with us.
In this Policy, “The Travel Collection”, “we”, “us” and “our” refer to The Travel Collection, operating in Ballarat, Victoria, Australia. Our website is https://thetravelcollection.com.au.
We aim to handle personal information in accordance with applicable Australian privacy laws, including the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles where they apply to us. The application of the Privacy Act can depend on the circumstances and any applicable exceptions.
1. What personal information we collect
The information we collect depends on the services you request. It may include:
Your name, title, date of birth, gender where required by a travel supplier, residential or postal address, telephone number and email address.
Passport details, nationality, citizenship, visa or entry requirements, frequent flyer or loyalty programme details and other traveller identification details.
Travel preferences, itinerary details, booking history, emergency contact details and information about people travelling with you.
Payment, invoicing and transaction details, which may include payment card details where these are provided to us or retained as part of a transaction or booking process.
Information you choose to provide about accessibility requirements, dietary requirements, mobility needs, allergies or health conditions where relevant to arranging travel or assessing travel insurance.
Communications with us, including enquiries, feedback, complaints and information provided through our website contact or enquiry forms, email, telephone or social media.
Technical information relating to your use of our website, such as browser or device information and website usage data, where collected by the website or its service providers.
Some information, including health information, may be sensitive information under privacy law. We will only collect sensitive information where permitted by law and, where required, with your consent. Please provide only information that is reasonably necessary for the service you are requesting.
2. How we collect personal information
We generally collect information directly from you when you contact us, submit an enquiry through our website contact forms, request a quote, ask us to prepare an itinerary, make or change a booking, purchase travel-related services, complete another form, or interact with us on social media.
We may also collect information from a person authorised to make arrangements on your behalf, a travelling companion or family member, or from travel suppliers and service providers involved in your booking.
If you provide personal information about another traveller, you should be authorised to provide it and should let that person know that their information is being provided to us. We may need to contact that traveller directly to confirm details or obtain consent where appropriate.
Information submitted through our website forms may be processed by the website platform or its form service provider.
3. Why we collect, use and hold personal information
We may collect, use and hold personal information to:
Respond to enquiries and provide travel advice, research, itinerary planning and customer service.
Request quotes, make, manage, ticket, confirm, change or cancel travel bookings and related services.
Liaise with airlines, accommodation providers, cruise lines, tour operators, transport providers, travel insurance providers and other relevant suppliers.
Provide invoices, process or facilitate payments where applicable, maintain transaction records and manage fees or refunds.
Assist with travel documentation, special requests, accessibility arrangements and travel insurance enquiries or claims where you ask us to do so.
Communicate important booking information, travel updates, service notices and responses to your questions or complaints.
Maintain business records, meet legal and regulatory obligations, protect our business and deal with disputes.
Maintain, secure and improve our website and services, where applicable.
We do not currently send marketing communications. If this changes in the future, we will handle marketing communications in accordance with applicable privacy and direct marketing laws.
If you do not provide information reasonably needed for a booking or service, we may be unable to provide that service or confirm the relevant arrangements.
4. Who we disclose personal information to
We may disclose relevant personal information to third parties where reasonably necessary to provide the services you request, where you have consented, or where otherwise permitted or required by law.
These recipients may include:
Airlines, accommodation providers, cruise lines, tour operators, rail, ferry and transfer providers, car hire companies and other travel suppliers.
Travel insurance providers, insurers, assistance companies and claims administrators where you request or require those services.
Travel booking platforms, itinerary tools, reservation systems, global distribution systems, technology providers and other service providers that support our business.
Payment providers, accountants, professional advisers and business service providers where required for legitimate business purposes.
Government agencies, border or immigration authorities, law enforcement agencies, courts or regulators where required or authorised by law.
Other people you authorise us to deal with in relation to your booking.
We do not sell your personal information to third parties. We disclose only information that is reasonably necessary for the relevant purpose, subject to applicable law and any permissions or instructions you give us.
5. Overseas disclosure
Travel arrangements often require us to disclose personal information to suppliers or authorities located outside Australia, including in the countries you are visiting or transiting through. Depending on your itinerary, recipients may be located in a range of countries, such as countries in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, North America and elsewhere. The specific countries will depend on your travel arrangements and the providers involved.
Some booking, itinerary, communications, payment or technology providers may also process or store information outside Australia. Overseas recipients may be subject to privacy laws that differ from Australian law. Where applicable Australian privacy laws require us to take steps before disclosing personal information overseas, we will take those steps.
6. Cookies and website analytics
Our website or its service providers may use cookies and similar technologies to help the website function, remember preferences, support security and understand how visitors use the site. We have not yet confirmed the specific analytics tools, cookies or tracking technologies currently used on our website.
You can usually manage cookies through your browser settings. Disabling some cookies may affect website functionality. Any cookie or tracking technology practices will be subject to applicable legal requirements.
Our website may contain links to third-party websites or platforms, including social media. Those services operate under their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, so please review their policies before providing information to them.
7. Marketing communications
The Travel Collection does not currently send marketing communications.
We may still contact you about an enquiry, an existing or proposed booking, payments, travel arrangements, important travel information, customer service or other matters directly related to services you have requested.
If we introduce marketing communications in the future, we will review this Policy and ensure that any communications are sent in accordance with applicable laws, including any required consent and unsubscribe arrangements.
8. How we store and protect personal information
We take reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances to protect personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification or disclosure.
Information may be held in electronic systems, including:
Travefy and travel itinerary platforms.
Email and computer files.
Travel booking and global distribution systems (GDS).
Supplier booking portals.
Cloud storage and online forms.
Payment providers and related transaction systems.
Other business systems and paper records.
We sometimes receive payment card details directly, including through communications or booking processes, and may retain card details in some circumstances. We aim to limit access to payment information and take reasonable steps to protect it.
Access to personal information is limited to people and providers who need the information for relevant business or service purposes.
No method of electronic storage or transmission is completely secure. We review our information-handling practices and take reasonable steps to manage personal information securely. We retain information for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes described in this Policy, including to provide services, maintain business records, meet legal obligations and resolve disputes. When information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely destroy or de-identify it where required and appropriate.
9. Accessing and correcting your information
You may contact us to request access to personal information we hold about you or ask us to correct information that is inaccurate, out of date, incomplete, irrelevant or misleading.
We may need to verify your identity before responding. We will respond within a reasonable period and in accordance with applicable law. We will not charge for making a request, although a reasonable charge may apply for providing access where permitted by law.
Please note that some information may also be held by travel suppliers or other third parties. You may need to contact those organisations directly to access or correct information they hold independently.
10. Privacy concerns and complaints
If you have a question, concern or complaint about how we have handled your personal information, please contact us using the details below and describe the issue, including any relevant dates and the outcome you are seeking.
We will acknowledge your complaint within 5 business days where practicable, review the information provided, make reasonable enquiries and aim to provide a response within 30 business days. If we need more time, we will let you know where practicable. The time needed may depend on the nature and complexity of the complaint.
If you are not satisfied with our response, you may be able to refer your complaint to the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), subject to its requirements and the privacy laws that apply. Information is available at https://www.oaic.gov.au/.
11. Children and information about other travellers
Bookings may involve children or people who are not making the booking themselves. The person providing their information should be authorised to do so and should provide accurate information needed for the travel arrangements. Where required, we will seek consent or deal with a parent, guardian or authorised representative as appropriate.
12. Changes to this Policy
We may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our business, services, technology or legal obligations. The latest version will be published on our website and will show the date it was last updated.
13. Contact The Travel Collection
For privacy enquiries, access or correction requests, or privacy complaints, please contact:
The Travel Collection
Telephone: 03 5338 1718
Email: info@thetravelcollection.com.au
Website: https://thetravelcollection.com.au
Location: Ballarat, Victoria, Australia
ABN: 92 668 266 466
Our postal address is not published in this Policy.