Privacy Policy

At Saffron & Marula, your privacy is treated with the same care and discretion that we bring to crafting your journeys. This policy explains how we collect, use, and protect the personal information you share with us when enquiring about or planning your bespoke travel experience.

We handle personal data in accordance with applicable data protection laws, including the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act of India, the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa and the Data Protection Bill of Namibia.

The Information We Collect

We may collect and process the following categories of personal information:

Information You Provide to Us

• Contact details — your full name, email address, telephone number, and postal address
• Enquiry and consultation information — details you share with us when submitting a travel enquiry, including your travel preferences, desired destinations, travel dates, group composition (e.g. adults, children, ages), and any special requirements or interests
• Correspondence — the content of any emails, messages, or communications you send to us, including follow-up conversations, feedback, and requests
• Health and dietary information — only where you voluntarily disclose this in connection with specific travel arrangements (for example, mobility requirements, dietary needs, or medical conditions relevant to your trip). This constitutes special category data and is handled with heightened care (see below)
• Passport and travel document information — where required to assist with bookings made on your behalf with third-party travel providers
• Third-party traveller information — names, dates of birth, passport details, and contact information for other members of your travel party that you provide to us

Information We Collect Automatically

When you visit our website, we may automatically collect certain technical information, including:

• Your IP address
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on our website
• Referring website or source
• Device type

This information is collected through cookies and similar tracking technologies (see the Cookies section below).

How We Use Your Information

We use the personal information we collect for the following purposes:

To Deliver Our Travel Planning Services

We use your contact details, travel preferences, and relevant personal information to design, plan, and communicate bespoke travel itineraries and recommendations tailored to your requirements.

To Communicate With You

We use your contact information to respond to your enquiries, send you itinerary proposals, follow up on your travel plans, and provide support before, during, and after your trip.

To Manage and Coordinate Third-Party Bookings

Where you instruct us to liaise with hotels, airlines, tour operators, or other travel providers on your behalf, we will share relevant personal data with those providers as necessary to fulfil your travel arrangements.

To Process Special Category Data

Where you provide us with health-related or other sensitive information (such as dietary requirements or mobility needs) to assist with your travel arrangements, we process this data solely for the purpose of delivering your requested services.

To Send Marketing and Inspirational Content

With your consent, we may contact you with news, travel inspiration, curated destination guides, and updates about the services that we think may interest you.

To Improve Our Website and Services

We use anonymised and aggregated data from website analytics to understand how our site is used and to make improvements to the user experience.

To Comply With Legal Obligations

We may process your data where required to comply with applicable laws, regulations, or legal proceedings.

Cookies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to enhance your browsing experience and collect analytical data.

What Are Cookies?

Cookies are small text files placed on your device when you visit a website. They allow the website to recognise your device and remember certain information about your visit.

Types of Cookies We Use

• Strictly necessary cookies — essential for the website to function correctly. These cannot be disabled.
• Analytics cookies — help us understand how visitors interact with our website (e.g. Google Analytics). These are only activated with your consent.
• Preference cookies — remember your settings and choices to improve your experience.

Your Cookie Choices

When you first visit our website, you will be presented with a cookie consent banner allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. You can also manage or withdraw your cookie preferences at any time through your browser settings.

For more information about managing cookies, visit www.allaboutcookies.org.

Sharing Your Information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data to any third party for marketing purposes.

We may share your personal data with the following categories of third parties, strictly as necessary:

• Travel service providers — hotels, airlines, ground operators, tour companies, and other suppliers involved in delivering your itinerary. These parties act as independent data controllers in respect of the data they receive and are subject to their own privacy policies.
• Technology and service providers — companies that provide us with tools and services to operate our business, such as email platforms, customer relationship management (CRM) software, and website hosting. These parties act as data processors on our behalf and are contractually bound to process your data only on our instructions.
• Professional advisers — lawyers, accountants, and insurers, where necessary for the operation of our business.
• Regulatory and law enforcement authorities — where we are required to disclose your data by law, court order, or government authority.

All third parties with whom we share personal data are required to implement appropriate technical and organisational security measures and to treat your information in accordance with the law.

International Data Transfers

In connection with arranging travel to international destinations, it may be necessary to transfer your personal data to countries outside your country of residence.

Where we transfer data internationally, we take steps to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place. If you would like further information about how we protect your data during international transfers, please contact us.

Data Retention

We retain your personal data only for as long as is necessary for the purposes set out in this policy, or as required by applicable law.

As a general guide:

• Client and enquiry records — retained for up to 7 years following the end of our business relationship, in line with standard accounting and legal requirements.
• Marketing contact data — retained until you withdraw your consent or opt out of communications.
• Website analytics data — typically retained for up to 26 months in anonymised or aggregated form.

When your data is no longer required, we securely delete or anonymise it.

Your Rights

You have the following rights in relation to your personal data:

• The right to access — you may request a copy of the personal data we hold about you (a “Subject Access Request”).
• The right to rectification — you may ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal data we hold.
• The right to erasure — in certain circumstances, you may request that we delete your personal data (“the right to be forgotten”).
• The right to restrict processing — you may ask us to limit how we use your data in certain circumstances.
• The right to data portability — where processing is based on your consent or a contract, you may request that we provide your data in a structured, commonly used, and machine-readable format.
• The right to object — you have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes.
• Rights related to automated decision-making — you have the right not to be subject to a decision made solely by automated means that produces significant effects on you. We do not currently engage in automated decision-making.
• The right to withdraw consent — where processing is based on your consent, you may withdraw it at any time without affecting the lawfulness of processing carried out before withdrawal.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us. We will respond to your request within one calendar month. We may need to verify your identity before processing your request.

How We Protect Your Data

We take the security of your personal data seriously and have implemented appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect it against unauthorised access, loss, alteration, or disclosure. These include:

• Secure, encrypted email communications where appropriate
• Restricted access to personal data within our team on a need-to-know basis
• Regular review of our data handling practices and security procedures
• Use of reputable, security-compliant third-party software and platforms

Whilst we take every reasonable precaution, please note that no method of electronic transmission or storage is entirely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Children’s Privacy

Our services are intended for adults. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children under the age of 18 without verified parental or guardian consent.

Where a travel party includes children, and you provide us with their details as part of planning a family trip, we will treat that information with the same care and discretion as all other personal data, and will use it solely for the purpose of arranging your travel.

If you believe we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child without appropriate consent, please contact us immediately so that we can delete it.

Third-Party Links

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including travel suppliers, destination guides, and partners. This Privacy Policy applies solely to our website and services. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party sites, and we encourage you to review their privacy policies before providing them with any personal information.

Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal data and are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your country’s data protection supervisory authority:

We would, however, appreciate the opportunity to address your concerns directly before you approach these authorities, so please do contact us in the first instance.

Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, services, or applicable legislation. When we make material changes, we will update the “Last updated” date at the top of this page.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we are protecting your information.

Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to this Privacy Policy or the way we handle your personal data, please get in touch:

Saffron & Marula Email: claudine@saffron-marula.com

We aim to respond to all privacy-related enquiries within 5 working days.