Booking Terms

TrovaTrip Groups is a demand-aggregation platform. We do not directly sell or operate Trips. We facilitate the introduction between you, your group of friends, and a TrovaTrip Operator. After Lock-In, your booking and trip experience are governed by the TrovaTrip Booking Terms and the Operator’s policies.

You must be at least eighteen (18) years old and have the legal authority to enter into binding contracts in your jurisdiction. You must use a valid credit or debit card you are authorized to use.

Organizers must create an account using our identity provider (Clerk). Travelers may commit as guests by providing first name, last name, and email. You are responsible for the accuracy of information you provide and for maintaining the confidentiality of any credentials.

An Organizer selects a TrovaTrip itinerary template, names the Trip, optionally writes a personal message, selects one or more proposed departure dates from the template’s available dates, and authorizes their own Deposit Hold. Once the Organizer’s Deposit Hold is active, the Trip becomes shareable via a private link and the Organizer is counted as the first committed Traveler.

Anyone with the link can commit by providing required information and authorizing a Deposit Hold. If the Trip offers multiple proposed dates, each Traveler may indicate which dates work for them.

A Trip “locks in” when the number of Travelers with active Deposit Holds reaches the template’s Minimum Travelers threshold within the Commitment Window. At Lock-In:

• Deposit Holds remain in place; no funds are captured automatically.
• The TrovaTrip ops team is notified to confirm dates and inventory with the Operator and prepare the booking under TrovaTrip’s primary platform.
• Once confirmed, Travelers receive instructions to complete their bookings under TrovaTrip’s standard process. At that point, the Deposit Hold may be captured as the down payment for the Trip.

If a Trip does not reach Lock-In within the Commitment Window, it is marked EXPIRED, all Deposit Holds are released automatically, and no funds are captured. Hold release timing is controlled by the issuing bank and may take several business days to be reflected on a Traveler’s available credit.

A Trip “sells out” when the number of committed Travelers reaches the Maximum Travelers cap on the template. Additional commitments are not accepted after sell-out. We do not currently maintain a waitlist.

By committing to a Trip you authorize TrovaTrip’s payment processor (currently Stripe, Inc.) to place a hold on your card in the amount of the Deposit. A hold reserves funds against your available credit but does not transfer money. You are not charged at the time you commit.

The Deposit is twenty-five percent (25%) of the Lock-In Price (the per-person price at the Minimum Travelers tier). The Deposit amount does not change as the group grows; reductions in the per-person price flow to the final balance, not the hold.

Deposit Holds are only captured if the Trip locks in and the Trip is confirmed under TrovaTrip’s primary platform. Capture, when it occurs, converts the held funds into the Trip down payment under the TrovaTrip Booking Terms. The remaining trip balance becomes due per those terms (typically 90 days before departure).

We release Deposit Holds when (a) a Trip expires, (b) a Trip is cancelled, or (c) you cancel your commitment before Lock-In. Card networks process hold releases on their own schedule; we have no control over how quickly the funds reappear on your account.

Deposit Holds typically expire on the issuing bank’s schedule (usually 7 days). If a Trip has not locked in or been cancelled by the time a hold lapses and you are still committed, you may be asked to re-authorize.

The per-person price decreases as more Travelers commit, in tiers set by the Operator. Every confirmed Traveler is billed at the same final per-person price corresponding to the size of the group at Lock-In or, if higher, at the time of confirmation.

All amounts are in U.S. dollars (USD) unless otherwise specified.

You may cancel your commitment at any time before a Trip locks in by contacting hi@trovatrip.com. Your Deposit Hold will be released; no funds are captured.

Once a Trip has locked in and been confirmed under the TrovaTrip primary platform, cancellation, refunds, trip credits, and rescheduling are governed entirely by the TrovaTrip Booking Terms then in effect, not by these Terms. Generally, the Deposit becomes non-refundable upon confirmation, subject to the carve-outs in those terms.

An Organizer may cancel an unconfirmed Trip at any time. If cancelled before Lock-In, all Deposit Holds are released and no charges are made. We may also cancel a Trip in the cases set forth in Section 5.4.

We may cancel a Trip at any time before Lock-In, in our reasonable discretion, including (without limitation) for suspected fraud, violation of these Terms, or unavailability of the underlying inventory. Where we do, all Deposit Holds are released. Post-Lock-In cancellations by TrovaTrip are governed by the parent Booking Terms.

Proposed departure dates selected by the Organizer and voted on by Travelers are preferences, not bookings. Final dates are confirmed by the TrovaTrip ops team with the Operator after Lock-In and may differ slightly based on inventory availability.

The day-by-day itinerary and the activities, accommodations, transfers, and meals described are representative. Operators reserve the right to substitute reasonably equivalent components, and the Operator’s decisions on the ground are final subject to applicable law.

If, after Lock-In, the Operator or TrovaTrip materially changes a Trip (for example, departure date moves more than seven days, length of stay changes, or overnight location changes outside a 100-mile radius), we will notify affected Travelers and offer a reasonable opt-out per the parent TrovaTrip Booking Terms.

You agree to provide truthful, accurate, complete, and current information when you commit. After Lock-In, additional information will be required for booking (full legal name as on passport, date of birth, nationality, passport details, emergency contact, dietary or medical needs, etc.) under the parent TrovaTrip Booking Terms.

You are solely responsible for obtaining and maintaining all required travel documents (passport valid for at least six months beyond your travel dates, visas, health certificates, and any local entry permits). We are not liable for entry denial, missed travel, or related costs caused by document issues.

We strongly recommend you purchase comprehensive travel insurance. Insurance is not included in the Trip price and is not a substitute for our cancellation rules.

You agree to comply with the laws of all destinations visited and the reasonable instructions of trip leaders, Operators, and TrovaTrip. We may cancel your commitment or remove you from a Trip for behavior that endangers the group, the Operator’s staff, or local persons or property, with no refund.

We use Stripe, Inc. for card authorizations and any payment captures. Stripe’s handling of your payment information is governed by Stripe’s privacy policy.

Organizer authentication is handled by Clerk, Inc. Your use of Clerk is governed by Clerk’s terms and privacy policy.

Trips are delivered on the ground by independent local Operators. We do not employ the Operators’ staff and do not control their day-to-day decisions. Your relationship with the Operator after Lock-In is governed by the parent TrovaTrip Booking Terms and the Operator’s applicable policies.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Oregon, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the service shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Multnomah County, Oregon, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

You and TrovaTrip agree to bring any claims only in your individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative action.