Please read the following terms and conditions carefully. These terms and conditions, together with any other documentation we provide you, form the basis of your contract with us (hereinafter The Agreement). This Agreement affects your legal rights. By serving as an affiliate of ours, you are accepting and consenting to The Agreement. If you do not agree to the Terms and Conditions, you must not proceed with serving as an affiliate of ours.
The terms “we”, “us”, “our” and “CharlieTheTraveler” refer to CharlieTheTraveler Limited, which is headquartered in Hong Kong. The terms “you”, “I”, “affiliate”, “independent contractor”, “trip planner” and “trip advisor” refer to specifically you and your business relationship with us.
To establish and maintain an affiliate business relationship with CharlieTheTraveler, you must read, understand and agree to the Agreement, including these Terms and Conditions. We will need a copy of your passport to confirm you are indeed the individual signing this contract.
Our Commitment to You: CharlieTheTraveler fully funds the creation and maintenance of a trip planning/trip advisor service landing page Internet viewers find through an organic search (e.g., trip planners in Greece or travel advisors in Brazil). CharlieTheTraveler primarily relies on Google My Business accounts, backend metatags and proper search engine optimization for this landing page to have good visibility. If you read, understand and agree to the Agreement, then your name, face, email address (we provide you with one) and phone number would appear on this page. We would fully train you on how to become a travel planner/trip advisor for your country. CharlieTheTraveler would be committed to essentially send you “leads.”
Your Commitment as an Affiliate to Us: Firstly, your name, physical address and local phone number would be needed for the creation of a Google My Business listing. Once listed and once Google My Business hopefully gives exposure to the landing page, you are required to respond quickly to all leads, via both email and phone (preferably via WhatsApp). You are to patiently answer all travel-related questions to the best of your ability. Thereafter, you are to request a kind review on Google My Business and on Trust Pilot and otherwise recommend/refer CharlieTheTraveler as the go-to company for all travel-related needs regarding tour guides, land transportation and luxury hotels. CharlieTheTraveler would provide you with an excel sheet you are required to update each time a new lead comes in. You are also required to make name cards for each lead as well as put each lead into a database program called Mailchimp. Not least, unless CharlieTheTraveler tells you otherwise in writing, you are to follow up with all leads 48 hours after your most recent communication with them.
Our Financial Compensation to You: CharlieTheTraveler does not pay in any currency other than USD. When you send us a lead (which is confirmed by updating the aforementioned excel sheet), if that person books with CharlieTheTraveler, you are to receive $150 USD the day the lead starts the tour. If there is more than 1 person in the party that books with CharlieTheTraveler, then you are entitled to $150 USD for each person.
Leads’ Financial Compensation to You: You hereby agree not to charge leads for anything other than for a 1-hour long phone call to discuss their travel desires. You are allowed to receive that payment directly. Most trip advisors receive this money via bank transfer or credit card. CharlieTheTraveler is not requesting any ‘referral fee’ for any money you may directly make from leads. You hereby agree to offer this 15-minute free consultation. You also hereby agree that your 1-hour paid consultation is not to exceed $59 USD, inclusive of the credit card fee. Payment must be paid directly to you pre-service. If you forget to collect pre-service and the lead refuses to pay you post-service, then this is your loss. CharlieTheTraveler is in no way responsible for such a loss. Note that most leads choose the free 15-minute consultation over the paid, 1-hour option. The bigger picture is to speak with as many leads as possible and get them to connect with CharlieTheTraveler so you can get a commission for each lead who books a tour.
Financial Responsibility & Ownership: You have zero financial responsibility. Equally, you do not own the landing page, its domain, the Google My Business Page, the leads excel sheet and anything and everything else connected with this affiliate arrangement we have offered you. CharlieTheTraveler has full, unchallenged ownership of everything mentioned in this Agreement.
Licensing: It is your responsibility to check with your government to see whether any licensing is required for you to serve as an affiliate of ours. As a general rule worldwide, as a trip planner who is not selling anything other than your time (specifically if the lead chooses to pay you for a 1-hour phone call instead of a 15-minute free consultation), trip advisors do not need to have a business license and business insurance. Such licensing is usually meant for travel agents, tour operators and tour guides. You are none of the above. Should you become one or more of the above, then you hereby agree to notify CharlieTheTraveler immediately, in writing.
Independent Contractor Versus Company Employee: You are not an employee of CharlieTheTraveler. You are never to be paid by CharlieTheTraveler for “your time.” You do not have set hours. You are not delegated day-to-day tasks from CharlieTheTraveler. You are an independent contract/affiliate who can start and end working when you please.
Subcontracting: You hereby agree not to subcontract any of the work associated with leads to anyone without CharlieTheTraveler’s written consent.
Recommending & Working with Other Travel Companies: You hereby agree not to recommend these leads to any company other than CharlieTheTraveler. Specifically, in regards to these leads, you also hereby agree not to work with any other travel companies. Should it be proven you have violated this clause, you hereby agree to compensate CharlieTheTraveler $10,000 USD or the most permitted by law.
Termination of the Agreement: Either party can end this affiliate arrangement, without reason or notice. However, CharlieTheTraveler does believe the professional approach would be to give the other side a 72-hour advance notice, in writing.
CHOICE OF LAW: This agreement is governed by the laws of Hong Kong. You hereby agree that the sole jurisdiction for any claims and/or disputes you may have with CharlieTheTraveler is in Hong Kong.
SEVERABILITY: If any of these terms are determined to be illegal, invalid or otherwise unenforceable by reason of the laws of any state or country in which these terms are intended to be effective, then to the extent and within the jurisdiction in which that term is illegal, invalid or unenforceable, it shall be severed and deleted from these terms and the remaining terms shall survive, remain in full force and effect and continue to be binding and enforceable.
