Trip code of conduct
Byline Travel, Inc. • Version v0.2
Please read this before you book. By joining the trip, you agree to travel by it.
Why this exists
Every trip rests on one idea: everyone on it should feel safe and respected from the first day to the last. To protect that, we hold every traveler to a clear and firm standard, and agreeing to it is part of joining.
You will spend several days traveling closely with a small group, some of them strangers at the start. These ground rules make sure all of you begin with the same understanding of how we treat one another and the places we visit.
For almost everyone, none of this will feel like a stretch, because it describes how good travel companions already behave. Read it anyway, so you know what to expect from the people around you and what they can expect from you.
What you can expect from us
You should expect to feel safe, respected, and welcome from the moment the trip begins until it ends. You can expect a group held to the same standards you are. You can expect your trip leads, concierges, and guides to look out for the wellbeing of everyone on the trip, to handle problems fairly, and to take any concern you raise seriously and discreetly.
If something does not feel right, you will always have someone to go to. More on that at the end.
What we expect from you
Treat everyone with respect. Travelers, hosts, guides, concierges, hotel and restaurant staff, drivers, and the people whose home you are visiting. You do not have to agree with everyone. You do have to be decent to everyone.
Make room for difference. This is a mixed group. People will have different backgrounds, beliefs, ages, abilities, identities, and ways of doing things. A good traveler is curious about that, not bothered by it.
Respect personal space and consent. Ask before physical contact, even a hug. Pay attention to when someone wants conversation and when they want quiet or solitude. If someone signals they are not interested, that is the end of it.
Share the group’s time and space. Be on time. The group cannot run on one person’s schedule, and a late arrival holds up everyone. Keep shared spaces tidy, keep noise reasonable around rest hours, and be considerate about communal areas and sleeping arrangements.
Give the host and the team room to do their job. The person hosting this trip is part of the group, not on call around the clock. Enjoy their company the way you would any travel companion, and let your guides and concierges run the logistics so everyone gets a good experience.
Respect where you are. You are a guest in someone else’s country, culture, and community. Follow local customs, dress appropriately at religious or significant sites, ask before photographing people, and follow the laws of the place you are in.
Enjoy yourself responsibly. A drink with dinner is part of the fun. Drinking to the point where you put yourself or others at risk, or repeatedly disrupt the group, is not. Know your limit and stay on the right side of it.
Look after your own safety and everyone else’s. Listen to safety briefings, follow the instructions of your guides and local operators, and speak up early if you are unwell, uncomfortable with an activity, or worried about someone.
What is not okay
Some behavior crosses a line no trip can absorb. The following are not tolerated at any point on the trip:
- Harassment, bullying, or intimidation of any kind.
- Discrimination, slurs, or hateful conduct based on race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, disability, or any other part of who someone is.
- Unwanted sexual or romantic advances, comments, gestures, or contact. Consent is required for any physical contact, and “no” or silence both mean no.
- Any conduct toward a child that is inappropriate, exploitative, or endangering. This carries zero tolerance.
- Violence, threats, or any behavior that makes someone fear for their safety.
- Illegal drugs, or weapons of any kind.
- Theft, vandalism, or deliberate damage to property.
- Behavior that endangers the group, ignores clear safety instructions, or exposes the host or other travelers to legal or physical risk.
- Pressuring, isolating, or repeatedly bothering another traveler, the host, or a member of staff after being asked to stop.
This list is not exhaustive. It describes the spirit of the thing. If conduct would make a reasonable person on the trip feel unsafe, unwelcome, or unable to enjoy the experience, it does not belong here.
Cameras, content, and privacy
This is a trip where a lot of moments get captured and shared, and that is part of the fun. It also means a few clear courtesies around content:
- Get a person’s okay before you post a photo or video that identifies them, whether that is another traveler, the host, a guide, or a local person.
- Be especially careful with images of children. Never post a photo or video that identifies a child who is not your own without their parent’s or guardian’s clear permission.
- If someone asks not to be filmed or photographed, respect it, every time.
- Do not record in private spaces such as hotel rooms, bathrooms, or anywhere people have a reasonable expectation of privacy.
- Do not share another person’s private information, conversations, or images without their consent.
Capturing the trip is encouraged. Doing it at someone else’s expense is not.
Traveling with children
Children are welcome on trips where the itinerary allows, and we want families to feel at ease. A few things keep everyone comfortable:
- This code applies to every traveler, including children. Parents and guardians are responsible for their children’s behavior and for supervising them at all times during the trip.
- Please keep your children with you or with another adult you have arranged to look after them. Our guides and concierges run the trip, but they are not childcare.
- Adults on the trip should not place themselves alone or unsupervised with a child who is not in their care. This protects everyone.
- We hold child safety to the highest standard. Any conduct that endangers a child, or is inappropriate toward a child, will result in immediate loss of access to the group and the host-led events and, where warranted, a report to local authorities.
- If a child loses access to the group for conduct, the parent or guardian traveling with them does too, on the terms described below.
What happens if you break this code
We want to be plain about this, because it is the whole point of the document. If your behavior crosses the lines above or otherwise puts the safety, wellbeing, or experience of the group at risk, you can lose access to the group and to the influencer-led parts of the trip.
That means you would no longer be able to join the group or take part in the host-led activities and events. You keep any reservations you have paid for yourself, such as your hotel room, dinners, and third-party bookings, and you are free to continue your own travel. What you lose is access to the group and the influencer-led experiences, not your own arrangements.
Depending on the situation, your trip leads, concierges, or guides may have a quiet word, ask you to stop, keep you out of a specific activity, or, when it is warranted, remove your access to the group and the host-led events for the rest of the trip. They will use good judgment and aim to be fair, and for clear or serious conduct they may act immediately without a warning.
We trust the people running the trip to read each situation as it happens. No document can anticipate every circumstance, so the final call on the ground, including the decision to remove someone’s access, rests with them. Their judgment in the moment is final for the duration of the trip.
If you lose group access
If you lose access to the group for conduct, your participation in the group and the host-led events ends at that point, and any fees you have paid toward the trip are not refunded. You keep the reservations you arranged and paid for yourself, including your hotel, dinners, and any third-party bookings, and any costs of continuing or changing your own travel are yours to manage.
In serious cases we may involve local authorities, and we reserve the right to take further action where appropriate. Conduct on a trip may also affect eligibility for future trips.
We do not take this lightly, and it is rare. It exists so that the rest of the group never has to wonder whether someone’s behavior will be allowed to spoil or endanger their trip.
How we keep each other safe
If you ever feel unsafe or uncomfortable, or you see something that crosses a line, say something. You can go to your host, your guide, or your concierge at any time, and in an urgent situation contact local emergency services first.
You can also reach the Byline Travel team directly and confidentially at safety@byline.travel. Tell us as much as you can. We will look into it, handle it discreetly, and never penalize someone for raising a genuine concern in good faith.
We rely on the group to help protect the group. Most of the time, a safe and respectful trip is simply the natural result of good people traveling together, which is exactly who we expect you to be.
Your agreement
By booking and joining the trip, you confirm that you have read this code of conduct, that you understand it, and that you agree to travel by it, including the parts that describe how and when a traveler can lose access to the group. If you are booking for or traveling with others, including children, you confirm that you are responsible for their understanding of and compliance with this code.
This trip is operated by Byline Travel.