Terms of Service
Last updated: August 20, 2025
1. Acceptance of Terms
Welcome to Secret Travel Gems ("we," "our," or "us"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of our website, mobile application, and related services (collectively, the "Service").
By accessing or using our Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you disagree with any part of these Terms, you may not access the Service.
2. Description of Service
Secret Travel Gems is a travel platform that helps users discover hidden gems and secret destinations worldwide. Our Service includes:
- Interactive world map with place discovery
- User-generated travel articles and reviews
- Community features and social interactions
- Personalized recommendations
- Place and article submission tools
3. User Accounts
3.1 Account Creation
To access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:
- Provide accurate and complete information
- Maintain the security of your account credentials
- Notify us immediately of unauthorized access
- Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
3.2 Account Eligibility
You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. By creating an account, you represent that you meet this age requirement.
4. User Content
4.1 Content Submission
You may submit content including articles, photos, reviews, and comments ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you:
- Grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, modify, and display your content
- Represent that you own or have necessary rights to the content
- Warrant that the content does not infringe on third-party rights
- Agree that your content may be made publicly available
4.2 Content Guidelines
User Content must not:
- Contain illegal, harmful, or offensive material
- Infringe on intellectual property rights
- Include personal information of others without consent
- Contain spam, advertising, or promotional content
- Be false, misleading, or deceptive
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations
4.3 Content Moderation
We reserve the right to review, edit, or remove any User Content that violates these Terms or our community guidelines, without prior notice.
5. Prohibited Uses
You agree not to:
- Use the Service for illegal purposes
- Impersonate others or create fake accounts
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
- Distribute malware or harmful code
- Scrape or harvest data from the Service
- Interfere with the proper functioning of the Service
- Violate any applicable laws or regulations
6. Intellectual Property
6.1 Our Content
The Service and its content, features, and functionality are owned by us and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
6.2 User Content
You retain ownership of your User Content but grant us the necessary licenses to operate the Service as described in Section 4.1.
6.3 Copyright Infringement
If you believe your copyright has been infringed, please contact us at zardeord@gmail.com with detailed information about the alleged infringement.
7. Privacy
Your privacy is important to us. Please review our Privacy Policy, which explains how we collect, use, and protect your information.
8. Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind. We disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including:
- Merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose
- Non-infringement of third-party rights
- Accuracy, completeness, or reliability of content
- Uninterrupted or error-free operation
9. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of profits, data, or use.
Our total liability for any claim shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim.
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from:
- Your use of the Service
- Your User Content
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your violation of third-party rights
11. Termination
We may terminate or suspend your account and access to the Service at our discretion, including for violations of these Terms.
You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us or using the account deletion feature in your profile settings.
12. Changes to Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by:
- Posting updated Terms on our website
- Sending email notifications to registered users
- Displaying prominent notices on the Service
Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
13. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of [Your Jurisdiction], without regard to conflict of law principles.
14. Dispute Resolution
Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Service will be resolved through:
- Initial good faith negotiations
- Mediation if negotiations fail
- Binding arbitration as a last resort
15. Contact Information
If you have questions about these Terms, please contact us:
Email: zardeord@gmail.com
Support: zardeord@gmail.com
Address: [Your Business Address]
16. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.