Terms of Service

1. Platform Nature & Purpose

Holiday Friends is a travel social networking platform that connects travellers with local residents who are willing to act as cultural guides, dining companions, sightseeing partners, or social companions during a trip. The platform exists solely to facilitate social connections between consenting adults for lawful leisure and cultural exchange.

Holiday Friends is NOT an escort agency, adult entertainment platform, dating agency, employment agency, or any form of intermediary for sexual services. Any use of the platform for such purposes is expressly prohibited and constitutes a material breach of these Terms.

Holiday Friends does not employ, endorse, supervise, direct, or represent any local companion listed on the site. The platform does not participate in, negotiate, or take responsibility for any arrangement, agreement, or transaction made between users. All arrangements are made voluntarily between independent adult users at their own discretion.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 20 years of age to register or use Holiday Friends in any capacity, whether as a traveller, local companion, or agency operator. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that:

• You are 20 years of age or older.
• All information you provide is truthful, accurate, and current.
• You have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements in your jurisdiction.
• You are not prohibited by any applicable law from using this platform.
• You are not on any government watchlist, sex offender registry, or subject to court orders restricting contact with others.

Each individual may only maintain one account. Creating multiple accounts may result in permanent suspension of all associated accounts.

3. Strict Prohibitions

The following conduct is strictly prohibited on Holiday Friends and constitutes grounds for immediate and permanent account termination, reporting to relevant authorities, and potential legal action:

• Sexual services: Soliciting, offering, arranging, advertising, or engaging in sexual services, escort services, adult entertainment services, or any exchange of sexual favours for money, points, gifts, or any other form of consideration. This prohibition applies whether explicitly stated or implied through coded language.
• Human trafficking & exploitation: Any form of human trafficking, forced labour, coercion, controlling another person for financial gain, or any conduct associated with modern slavery. We report all credible cases to relevant law enforcement authorities.
• Illegal activity: Any activity that violates applicable local, national, or international law, including but not limited to drug trafficking, weapons offences, fraud, money laundering, and identity theft.
• Minors: Any attempt to contact, solicit, arrange meetings with, or produce content involving persons under the age of 20 (or the applicable legal age of majority in the relevant jurisdiction, whichever is higher).
• Harassment & abuse: Threatening, harassing, stalking, intimidating, or engaging in abusive, discriminatory, or violent behaviour toward any user, whether on or off the platform.
• Deception & impersonation: Uploading false or misleading information, fake or stolen photos, impersonating another person or entity, or misrepresenting your identity, intentions, or qualifications.
• Unauthorised commercial use: Using the platform to operate or advertise a competing service, scrape data, send unsolicited commercial messages (spam), or conduct any commercial activity not expressly authorised by Holiday Friends in writing.
• System abuse:Attempting to bypass, hack, reverse-engineer, or otherwise interfere with the platform's technical systems, access controls, or security measures.

4. User Conduct & Responsibilities

Users are solely responsible for all activity conducted under their account and for all arrangements made through the platform. By using Holiday Friends, you agree that:

• You will use the platform only for lawful social and cultural activities.
• You take full personal responsibility for your own safety when meeting other users offline.
• You will not share your account credentials with any third party.
• You will promptly report any suspicious, harmful, or illegal activity to our support team.
• Any arrangement you make with another user is entirely between you and that user. Holiday Friends is not a party to such arrangements.
• You will comply with all laws of the country or region in which you are physically located when using the platform.

5. Offline Meeting Risk Warning

6. Platform Rights & Moderation

Holiday Friends reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to:

• Review, reject, or remove any profile, photo, or content that violates these Terms or is deemed inappropriate.
• Suspend or permanently terminate any account, with or without notice, for any violation of these Terms.
• Block or restrict users from accessing any part of the platform.
• Report users to law enforcement or relevant authorities if there is credible evidence of illegal activity.
• Cooperate fully with law enforcement investigations, including disclosing user data as required by law.
• Monitor platform activity for suspicious patterns, including unusual connection attempts, duplicate accounts, or content that suggests prohibited services.

Holiday Friends may take these actions without prior notice and without liability to you. No refund of points or fees will be issued upon account termination for cause.

7. User-Generated Content

You are solely responsible for all content you upload to Holiday Friends, including profile photos, bio text, service descriptions, and reviews. By uploading content, you represent and warrant that:

• You own the content or have the rights to publish it on this platform.
• The content does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party.
• The content does not contain false, misleading, defamatory, obscene, or illegal material.
• The content does not violate any applicable law or these Terms of Service.

By uploading content, you grant Holiday Friends a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to display, reproduce, and distribute your content on the platform for the purpose of providing our services. This licence terminates when you delete the content or your account, subject to content already cached or distributed.

Holiday Friends is not responsible for the accuracy, legality, or appropriateness of user-generated content and does not endorse any views expressed by users. We may remove content at our discretion without prior notice.

8. Disclaimer of Liability

Holiday Friends is a technology platform that facilitates introductions between users. We are not and shall not be considered an employer, agency, staffing firm, travel operator, or party to any agreement between users.

Holiday Friends expressly disclaims all liability for:

• The behaviour, conduct, actions, or omissions of any user, whether on or off the platform.
• Any injury, loss, damage, harm, theft, assault, or death arising from offline meetings arranged through the platform.
• The accuracy, truthfulness, or completeness of any user-provided information, including profile photos, stated age, or service descriptions.
• The quality, legality, or outcome of any services agreed between users.
• Any financial loss arising from point transactions, payment disputes, or arrangements between users.
• Unauthorised access to your account resulting from your failure to secure your credentials.
• Platform downtime, data loss, or technical failures outside of our reasonable control.

This platform is provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. Your use of this platform is entirely at your own risk.

9. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the total liability of Holiday Friends and its operators, directors, employees, and agents for any claim arising out of or related to your use of the platform shall not exceed the amount of points or fees you have paid to Holiday Friends in the three (3) monthsimmediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

In no event shall Holiday Friends be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of goodwill, personal injury, or property damage, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

10. Points, Subscriptions & Refunds

10.1 Nature of Points

Points purchased by travellers are a virtual platform currency used solely within Holiday Friends to access features such as profile unlocks, messaging, and gifts. Traveller-purchased points have no guaranteed cash value outside the platform and cannot be transferred between accounts.

Points earned by Local Friends and Agencies as revenue share are credited to their account and may be withdrawn subject to the conditions described in Section 16.2. Earned points only acquire cash value upon successful completion of a withdrawal request.

Bonus points (including sign-up bonuses and referral rewards) are granted at Holiday Friends' sole discretion. Bonus points have no cash value, are non-transferable, non-withdrawable, and may be modified, expired, or revoked at any time without notice.

10.2 Subscription Passes

Holiday Friends offers subscription plans (“Passes”) — Day Pass, 1-Week Pass, Monthly Pass, and 3-Month Pass — which grant a fixed allocation of points upon activation and upon each renewal cycle. An active Pass is required to spend points. Subscriptions renew automatically until cancelled. An active subscription is required to send messages on the platform.

• Points from a Pass are credited at the start of each billing period and are available immediately.
• If your subscription lapses, expires, or is cancelled, your remaining point balance is frozen and may not be spent until an active subscription is restored.
• Frozen points are not deleted — they are held until your subscription is renewed, at which time they become available again.
• If your account is terminated for cause, all frozen and available points are forfeited permanently without compensation.
• You may cancel your subscription at any time; it will remain active until the end of the current billing period and will not auto-renew.

10.3 Top-Up Packages

In addition to subscription plans, travellers may purchase one-time point top-up packages at fixed prices. Top-up points are added to your balance immediately upon successful payment. Top-up point purchases are non-refundable under any circumstances, as points are a consumable digital good delivered at the moment of purchase.

10.4 Refund Eligibility

Refunds on subscription purchases are available only in limited circumstances:

11. Anti-Human Trafficking & Exploitation

Holiday Friends has zero tolerance for human trafficking, sexual exploitation, forced labour, or any form of coercion or control over another person for financial gain.

• All local companion profiles are manually reviewed by our team before being listed on the platform.
• We actively monitor for behavioural patterns consistent with trafficking operations, including multiple profiles from the same IP address, evidence of third-party control over accounts, and suspicious communication patterns.
• Users are encouraged to report concerns about potential trafficking or exploitation via our reporting feature or by emailing support@theholidayfriends.com.
• We cooperate fully and promptly with law enforcement authorities, national and international agencies, and NGOs investigating trafficking and exploitation.
• Any account found to be involved in trafficking, exploitation, or coercion will be immediately terminated and reported to the relevant authorities without notice.

12. Privacy

Your privacy is important to us. Please refer to our Privacy Policy for detailed information on how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data. By using Holiday Friends, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in our Privacy Policy.

13. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, including any question regarding their existence, validity, or termination, shall first be attempted to be resolved by good-faith negotiation between the parties. If no resolution is reached within 30 days, the dispute shall be submitted to the courts of Hong Kong, and you irrevocably submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of those courts.

Notwithstanding the above, Holiday Friends may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent irreparable harm.

14. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Holiday Friends and its operators, directors, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your use of or access to the platform.
• Your violation of these Terms of Service.
• Your violation of any rights of a third party, including intellectual property or privacy rights.
• Any arrangement, agreement, or offline meeting you enter into with another user.
• Any content you upload to the platform.

15. Account Termination & Agency Remediation

15.1 General Termination

Holiday Friends reserves the right to suspend or permanently delete any account that violates these Terms, at our sole discretion, without prior notice and without obligation to provide a reason or refund. Users may request deletion of their own account at any time by contacting our support team. Upon deletion, your profile will be removed from public view. Some records may be retained for legal, security, fraud prevention, or regulatory compliance purposes for up to 7 years after account closure.

15.2 Immediate Termination (Serious Violations)

The following violations will result in immediate and permanent account termination without warning or opportunity to remedy, regardless of whether the account belongs to an individual user, companion, or agency:

• Any involvement in sexual services, escort services, or solicitation thereof.
• Any involvement in human trafficking, exploitation, or coercion.
• Any illegal activity involving minors.
• Fraud, identity theft, or deliberate impersonation.
• Any conduct posing an immediate risk to the safety of another person.

In these cases, the account will be terminated, any outstanding points forfeited, and the matter may be reported to relevant law enforcement authorities.

15.3 Agency Remediation Process (Minor Violations)

For agency accounts where a violation is identified that does not fall under Section 15.2, Holiday Friends may, at its sole discretion, issue a formal warning and grant a remediation period before account closure. The process is as follows:

• Holiday Friends will notify the agency of the specific violation(s) identified.
• The agency must submit a written Remediation Report within 7 calendar days, acknowledging the violation and detailing the corrective measures taken or planned to prevent recurrence.
• Holiday Friends will review the report and determine, at its sole discretion, whether the measures are adequate. If accepted, the account may be reinstated or allowed to continue with conditions.
• If the agency fails to submit a report within 7 days, submits an inadequate report, or repeats the violation, the account will be permanently closed without further notice.

Submission of a Remediation Report constitutes the agency's written acknowledgement of the violation.Holiday Friends bears no liability for any conduct that occurred prior to or after the remediation period. The agency remains solely responsible for ensuring all companions listed under its account comply with these Terms.

16. Companions, Guides & Agencies: Independent Status & Commission Disclosure

16.1 Independent Contractor Status

All local companions and guides (“Companions”) who list profiles on Holiday Friends are independent individuals operating on a self-employed or independent contractor basis. Companions are not employees, agents, contractors, sub-contractors, or representatives of Holiday Friends in any capacity.

Similarly, agenciesthat manage multiple Companion profiles on the platform (“Agencies”) are independent commercial operators. Agencies are not franchisees, agents, or business partners of Holiday Friends. Holiday Friends is not a party to any arrangement between an Agency and the Companions it manages.

Holiday Friends provides a technology platform to facilitate introductions and does not direct, supervise, schedule, instruct, or control the manner in which any Companion or Agency conducts their activities. Each Companion and Agency is solely responsible for complying with applicable tax, labour, insurance, and licensing laws in their jurisdiction.

16.2 Platform Handling Fee

When a traveller spends points on a Companion service (e.g. a profile unlock, message, or gift), Holiday Friends retains a platform handling feefrom the points collected. The remainder is credited to the Companion's (or Agency's) account as earnings. The current platform handling fee percentage is displayed in the Companion dashboard and may be updated by Holiday Friends with reasonable notice.

Points credited as earnings do not represent cash until a withdrawal (payout) is approved and processed. The cash value of points is calculated at a fixed exchange rate set by Holiday Friends, which may be adjusted with reasonable notice. Points have no guaranteed cash value until conversion is completed.

16.3 Agency Commission Split

Companions who join the platform via an Agency invitation may be subject to an agency commissiondeducted from their earnings. This commission:

• Is set by the Agency independently of Holiday Friends and is disclosed to the Companion at the time of invitation.
• Is deducted automatically from the Companion's net earnings (after the platform handling fee) and credited to the Agency's account.
• Is a private commercial arrangement between the Companion and the Agency. Holiday Friends facilitates the split mechanically but is not responsible for the terms agreed between them.
• The applicable agency commission rate can be viewed at any time in the Companion's account dashboard.

17. Phone Call Services (Wake-up Calls & Voice Calls)

Holiday Friends offers optional phone-based interaction features, including Wake-up Calls and Voice Calls, as supplementary social services for travellers who wish to interact with local companions remotely. These features are provided for social, cultural, and recreational purposes only.

17.1 Nature of Phone Services

Holiday Friends acts solely as an introduction platform. When a traveller unlocks phone contact with a companion, the platform facilitates the exchange of contact information only. Holiday Friends does not participate in, monitor, record, relay, or take any responsibility for the content of any telephone call, voice message, or any other communication between users.

All calls take place directly between users using their own personal telephone networks and are entirely outside the technical infrastructure and control of Holiday Friends.

17.2 Permitted Use

Phone-based services on Holiday Friends are intended exclusively for:

• Friendly wake-up calls as a travel convenience service.
• Casual social conversation, cultural exchange, and language practice.
• Travel planning assistance, local tips, or general companionship.

17.3 Prohibited Call Content

The following content is strictly prohibited during any call arranged through Holiday Friends:

• Sexual content: Any sexually explicit, suggestive, or adult-oriented conversation, role-play, or audio content of a sexual nature. This platform does not permit or support phone-based adult entertainment services in any form.
• Solicitation: Offering, negotiating, or arranging any form of sexual services, escort services, or other prohibited activities over a call.
• Harassment & abuse: Threatening, intimidating, harassing, stalking, or engaging in abusive behaviour during a call.
• Illegal activity: Any communication relating to illegal transactions, fraud, money laundering, drug dealing, or any other criminal conduct.
• Impersonation & deception: Misrepresenting your identity, falsely claiming to be another person, or deceiving the other party in any material way during a call.

Users found to have used phone services for prohibited purposes will be subject to immediate and permanent account termination under Section 15.2 and may be reported to the relevant authorities.

18. Changes to These Terms

Holiday Friends reserves the right to modify these Terms of Service at any time. Material changes will be communicated via a notice on the platform or by email. The revised Terms will carry an updated revision date. Continued use of the platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must cease using the platform and may request account deletion.

19. Severability

If any provision of these Terms of Service is found by a court or tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable in any respect, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining provisions continue in full force and effect. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision of these Terms.

20. Entire Agreement

These Terms of Service, together with the Privacy Policy and any additional terms applicable to specific features of the platform, constitute the entire agreement between you and Holiday Friends with respect to your use of the platform and supersede all prior agreements, understandings, representations, or communications — whether written or oral — relating to the subject matter herein.

No waiver by Holiday Friends of any right or provision of these Terms shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such right or any other right. Any failure by Holiday Friends to enforce a provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of the right to enforce it at a later time.

21. Contact

If you have questions, concerns, or complaints about these Terms of Service, or to report a violation, please contact us at: support@theholidayfriends.com