Welcome to JourneyCities. These Terms of Use ("Terms") govern your use of the JourneyCities website (the "Site"), its account features and the content users post, such as vlogs, reviews, ratings and comments ("Content").
By using the Site, creating an account, posting Content or interacting with Content, you accept these Terms. How we collect, use and protect personal data is explained separately in our Privacy and cookie policy.
1. What JourneyCities is
JourneyCities is a travel site with guides to cities, countries and experiences, where members can also share their own travel vlogs, reviews, ratings and comments. We do not guarantee that experiences shared by users are accurate or up to date.
2. Who can create an account
To create an account and post Content:
- you must be at least 18, or legally an adult where you live;
- the information you give us must be accurate and your own;
- you must not create an account in someone else's name.
3. Your account
You are responsible for keeping your account secure and for what is done through it. Do not share your password or let anyone else use your account. If you think someone has accessed it without permission, tell us as soon as possible at [email protected].
We may temporarily restrict or close an account when needed for security, to stop misuse, because these Terms were broken, or for technical reasons.
4. You own your Content
The copyright and other intellectual property rights in the vlogs, videos, text, reviews, comments and other Content you post stay with you. Posting on JourneyCities does not transfer them to us.
5. The licence you give us
When you post Content, you give JourneyCities a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free and transferable licence to use it for running and promoting the Site. In particular, this lets us:
- host and store it;
- display it on the Site and make it available to visitors;
- copy it where this is technically necessary;
- change its format where the Site needs this to work;
- use it to promote the Site, including on our social media accounts and other promotional channels.
The licence lasts as long as your Content is published on JourneyCities. It generally ends when you delete the Content or your account. Technical backups, caches, promotional material already published and copies made in the normal running of the Site may not disappear immediately.
6. What you promise when you post
By posting Content, you confirm that:
- you own it or have the rights needed to share it;
- the people who appear in it have given any permission required;
- you have the rights to any music, footage, photos, logos or other material it includes;
- it does not infringe anyone's copyright, trademark, privacy, personality or other legal rights;
- it does not knowingly contain false or misleading information;
- it does not encourage illegal activity;
- it complies with the laws that apply to it.
If you believe Content infringes your rights or someone else's, you can report it (see section 10).
7. What is not allowed
You may not post Content that:
- is illegal;
- is hateful or discriminatory;
- encourages violence, terrorism or crime;
- is sexually explicit;
- sexually exploits children or puts them at risk;
- harasses, bullies or threatens anyone;
- infringes someone else's copyright or other intellectual property;
- shares someone else's private information without permission;
- is a scam or misleading commercial activity;
- is spam, or hidden or misleading advertising;
- pretends to be another person, company, brand or destination in a misleading way;
- encourages dangerous or illegal behaviour while travelling;
- gives travel information you know to be false;
- contains malware or harmful code, or threatens the security of the Site.
8. Vlogs and third-party video platforms
Vlogs on JourneyCities are shared as links to videos hosted on YouTube or Vimeo. We do not store the videos themselves. When a video is played, the platform's own terms of use and privacy policy also apply.
JourneyCities is not responsible for the content, availability or privacy practices of those platforms. If a video is removed or made private on the platform, it will also stop playing on our Site.
9. Review and moderation
We review vlogs before they are published. Reviews and comments appear straight away and may be checked afterwards. For any Content, we reserve the right to:
- approve or reject it;
- edit or reformat it where needed for display;
- hide it temporarily;
- remove it.
We may also remove Content we approved earlier if it later turns out to break these Terms. We are not obliged to publish everything that is submitted.
10. Reporting Content
Anyone can report Content they believe breaks these Terms, using the report button on the Site or by email to [email protected]. We review reports within a reasonable time and, where we think it is needed, we may:
- remove or hide the Content;
- warn the user;
- restrict account features;
- suspend or close the account.
Deliberately false or abusive reports, made repeatedly, can also lead to restrictions.
11. Accuracy of travel information
Vlogs, reviews, ratings and other user Content reflect the experiences and opinions of the people who posted them. They are not JourneyCities' official views or guarantees.
Travel information changes over time, including prices, opening hours, transport options, visa and entry rules, admission fees, safety conditions, booking rules and local laws. Before you travel, check important information with official sources. Travel decisions you make based on information on the Site are your own responsibility.
12. Reviews and ratings
Star ratings, reviews and comments are the personal opinions of the users who post them. A user's rating or review does not represent JourneyCities' opinion of the business, city or destination concerned. Do not post reviews of places or services you have not experienced, and do not post reviews you know to be misleading.
13. Advertising and commercial content
Hidden advertising, fake user experiences and commercial content that could mislead users are not allowed. If Content is posted for a commercial purpose, for example because you were paid or given something for free, this must be stated clearly. We may publish separate rules on advertising and commercial content in the future.
14. Our intellectual property
The Site's design, logo, name, original texts and guides, graphics, software and other material belonging to the platform are owned by JourneyCities or the relevant rights holders, such as the photographers credited for our photos. They may not be copied, distributed or republished for commercial purposes without our prior written permission. Content posted by users is not covered by this section; it remains the user's, as described in section 4.
15. Third-party services and links
The Site uses and links to third-party websites and services, such as YouTube, Vimeo and Mapbox. JourneyCities is not responsible for their content, security, availability or privacy practices. When you use them, their own terms and privacy policies apply.
16. Availability of the Site
We do not guarantee that the Site will always work without interruption or errors. All or part of it may be temporarily unavailable because of maintenance, updates, technical faults, cyberattacks, outages at the services we rely on, or other reasons.
17. Suspending and closing accounts
We may restrict, suspend or close your account, or your ability to post, if:
- you break these Terms;
- you take part in illegal activity;
- you infringe other people's rights;
- you repeatedly post inappropriate Content;
- you send spam or misuse the Site;
- you threaten the security of the Site;
- we close a feature or community section of the Site.
Where possible, we explain the reason. We may act without notice where security, a legal obligation or preventing misuse requires it.
18. Closing your own account
To close your account, email [email protected] from the address you signed up with. Closing an account does not mean that records we must keep by law, or technical backups, are deleted immediately. Our Privacy and cookie policy explains how long data is kept and how it is deleted.
19. Limitation of liability
To the extent permitted by applicable law, JourneyCities is not responsible for:
- the accuracy of Content posted by users;
- whether Content is up to date;
- third-party websites and services;
- the travel decisions users make;
- losses users suffer by relying on information on the Site.
The Site and user Content are provided "as is" and "as available". Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.
20. Claims caused by your Content
If JourneyCities suffers loss because of a claim by a third party arising from Content you posted or from your use of the Site, you may be responsible for that loss, to the extent permitted by applicable law. This does not remove JourneyCities' own liability for its unlawful conduct.
21. Changes to these terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The date of the current version is shown at the top of this page. When we make important changes, we may also announce them on the Site where appropriate. If you keep using the Site or its posting features after updated Terms are published, you accept them.
22. Governing law and courts
These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of Türkiye. Subject to any mandatory consumer protection or other protective rules that apply to you, the competent courts and enforcement offices of Türkiye have jurisdiction over disputes arising from these Terms.
23. Personal data and contact
The processing of personal data is governed separately by our Privacy and cookie policy. For questions about these Terms, to report Content or for requests about your personal data, write to [email protected].
