1. Where these rules apply
Everywhere on Otrip: your profile and photo, trip and club chats, plans and polls, events, footprints and statuses, travel books and reels you share, and posts and replies in country communities. They apply in private chats too. They are part of our Terms of Service.
Otrip is used in many countries and languages. Something that is fine where you live can hurt someone somewhere else, so think about who will read what you share.
2. Be kind
- No hate speech: never attack or demean people for their race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, caste, disability, illness, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation or age.
- No harassment or bullying, and no repeated contact with someone who has asked you to stop.
- No threats, and nothing that praises or encourages violence or self-harm.
- Disagree with ideas, never with people. Keep it polite, even when you’re sure you’re right.
3. Keep it clean
- No sexual content or nudity, and no graphic violence or gore.
- Never anything that sexualises, exploits or endangers a child. We remove it, close the account and report it to the authorities.
- Take care with photos of children, and share them only in groups you trust.
4. No spam, selling or scams
- Country communities are for travel questions and tips. No ads, selling, referral codes or promotion.
- Don’t send the same message again and again, or messages nobody asked for.
- Clubs and events may collect money for their own activities, but only for things they really plan to deliver. Never take money for a trip or event that isn’t real.
- Never ask people for passwords, sign-in codes or bank details.
5. Be honest
- Use your own identity. Don’t pretend to be another person, a business or Otrip.
- One account per person. No fake accounts.
- Don’t share information you know is false, especially about safety, borders, visas or health.
- Post only photos, videos and words that are yours or that you have permission to share.
6. Respect privacy
- Never share someone else’s phone number, address, documents or location without their permission.
- Respect people who ask not to be photographed, tagged or posted.
- What is shared in a group stays in that group. Don’t screenshot private chats to embarrass or expose someone.
7. Follow the law and stay safe
- No selling or arranging illegal drugs, weapons, fake documents or protected wildlife, and no helping anyone cross borders illegally.
- Respect local laws and the rules of the places you visit, including protected areas and sacred sites.
- Use SOS only in a real emergency. A false alarm frightens your whole group.
- Never use Otrip while driving or riding.
8. How country communities work
Votes sort posts. Reports hide them. Only helpers and the Otrip team remove them.
- Before you post: you agree to these rules the first time you join in. Posts are text only, with no links. A word filter checks posts and replies, and if it catches something, the post isn’t published. That isn’t a strike: just change the words.
- New members: newer accounts can post twice a day for their first 7 days. They can still reply, vote and report.
- Votes: vote a post or reply up or down, once each, but not your own. A post with a score of −3 or lower folds to one line. Votes never remove anything.
- Best answer: the person who asked picks the reply that helped most.
- Helpers: trusted members who earn the Helper badge by being helpful over time. They need 20 up-votes from different people and 60 days in the community, must live in or have been to the country, and must have had no strike in 90 days. A strike takes the badge away.
9. Reporting and blocking
- Report a community post or reply, or a person from their profile. Pick the reason that fits best: hate, sexual content, threat, spam, wrong information, not about travel, or something else.
- Block anyone from their profile. You stop following each other, they can’t message you, and you won’t see each other in chats, communities, events or Discover.
- Reports are private. The person you report is never told who reported them.
10. What happens after a report
Reported posts are hidden while they are checked, first by trusted helpers and then, if needed, by the Otrip team.
- A community post or reply is hidden from everyone after 3 reports from members, or at once if a Helper reports it.
- Helpers review it, and the majority of 3 votes decides. If they haven’t decided within 24 hours, or a community has no helpers, the Otrip team decides.
- Posts reported as a threat go straight to the Otrip team.
- If the post is kept, it comes back and the reports are cleared. If it is removed, the author is told why.
- The Otrip team reviews reports about people and can warn, remove content, or suspend or close an account.
11. Strikes and pauses
- A removed community post or reply that others saw counts as 1 strike. Each strike clears after 90 days.
- 3 strikes within 90 days pause posting and voting in communities for 30 days. You can still read, reply and report. A new strike during a pause starts it again.
- Serious harm skips strikes. We suspend or close an account at once for threats of violence, sexual content involving children, scams and other serious breaches, and may report them to the authorities.
12. Appeals
If your post was removed, you can ask the Otrip team to look again, once for each removal, from the removal notice in the app. We aim to answer within 2 days. If we were wrong, the post comes back and the strike is removed.
If your account was suspended or closed and you think we made a mistake, email support@otrip.io from your account’s email address.
13. Meeting people safely
- Meet new people in public places, and tell someone you trust where you are going.
- Pay for paid events only to organisers you trust, and keep your receipt. Otrip never holds event money.
- Trust your instincts. Leave any trip, club, event or chat that doesn’t feel right, and report anyone who makes you feel unsafe.
- In an emergency, call your local emergency number first. Otrip is not an emergency service.
14. Changes to these guidelines
We update these guidelines as Otrip grows. When we change something important, we tell you in the app, and in communities you will be asked to agree to the new rules.