SideQuests Travel Community Guidelines
We all belong out here
When you travel with SideQuests, you're joining a community built on connection and real care for the people you're exploring with. The world gets a little smaller and a lot kinder when we see it together, and these guidelines are how we keep it that way.
They're here so that every traveler, host, guide, and local partner can feel safe, respected, and free to be themselves wherever a SideQuest takes us.
Our commitment to you
Safety, respect, and inclusion come first for us, always. Every one of us, from travelers to hosts to guides to the SideQuests team, has a hand in making this a place that feels welcoming and secure.
We don't tolerate bullying, harassment, discrimination, intimidation, or anything meant to cause harm. We love what makes people different, and we never discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, body size, or disability.
You deserve to see the world with confidence and comfort, and we take that seriously.
Here's what you can count on from us:
We'll communicate openly, move quickly when concerns come up, and protect your privacy along the way.
We'll seek the full picture before we act. Every situation has its context, so we listen first and respond fairly.
We'll lead with compassion and a real belief that people can grow, while being honest that serious or repeated violations can mean leaving a trip or sitting out future SideQuests.
The goal is always the same: clarity, protection, and peace of mind for the whole group.
What we ask of each other
Joining a SideQuest means joining something bigger than any one of us, a shared trip that only works when we look out for one another. In practice, that looks like:
Treating everyone with kindness and respect, in our group spaces and in person
Honoring boundaries, whether they're physical, emotional, or cultural
Acting responsibly, especially around safety, alcohol, and the spaces we share
Remembering that while you're with us, your actions land on the whole group
When these get ignored, it can mean stepping away from the trip or the community. That's never about punishment. It's about keeping everyone safe and looked after.
On the trip: space, boundaries, and shared living
Travel pulls people close, sometimes very close, and a few reminders keep every trip comfortable for everyone:
Respect personal space and consent. Ask before any physical contact, hugs included, and stay tuned in to what people are telling you, out loud or otherwise.
Give people room. Not everyone wants to be "on" every minute. Quiet, solitude, and solo afternoons are all completely fair.
Share spaces thoughtfully. Be mindful of noise, cleanliness, schedules, and sleeping arrangements.
Keep it fun and keep it kind. Drinking is part of the fun for a lot of us, but anything aggressive, intrusive, or sexual is never welcome.
Leave illegal drugs and weapons at home. They're not allowed, full stop.
Travel as a guest. We're visitors everywhere we go, so meet each place with humility and genuine curiosity about local customs and communities.
Follow your host and guide. They're there to keep you safe and keep the trip running smoothly.
If someone's behavior puts safety or the group's experience at risk, we and our partners may ask them to leave the trip. Safety comes before everything.
What we hope you'll bring
Kindness, and a habit of leading with empathy
Respect for people, places, and cultures, in our spaces and in person
Awareness that your choices ripple out to everyone around you
Ownership of your words, your actions, and the energy you bring
An open door for everyone, because this only works if it works for all of us
Curiosity, and a willingness to keep learning as you go
Privacy and consent
Protect each other's privacy, always.
Never share someone's personal information without their okay.
What's shared on a trip stays with the group unless the person clearly says otherwise.
Ask before you post photos or videos of anyone. Consent is required, never assumed.
Where these guidelines apply
SideQuests is a community, and these guidelines cover the places we come together as one: our trips, our group chats and planning threads, our events, and any official SideQuests channel. They also cover how we treat our hosts, guides, local partners, and each other while we're part of a SideQuest together.
What they don't reach into is the rest of your life. Relationships, disagreements, and personal conversations that happen on your own time, away from a SideQuest are yours to navigate. If something happens on a trip or in one of our community spaces, we're here for it and we'll take it seriously. If it lives outside of that, it's not the responsibility of SideQuests to resolve.
What crosses the line
Kindness and respect aren't the nice-to-haves here, they're the foundation. So a few things simply don't have a place on our trips or in our spaces.
Harassment, bullying, or hate. No harassment of any kind, whether it's spoken, physical, or written. No hate speech, threats, intimidation, or going after someone's identity, body, background, or health.
Harmful or dishonest content. No false, misleading, or deliberately damaging content or reviews. If it doesn't inform or lift people up, it doesn't belong here.
Explicit, violent, or dangerous behavior. No sexual misconduct, no violence, no weapons, no threats. Celebrate all you want, just never at someone else's expense.
Illegal or unsafe activity. Illegal drugs, weapons, and anything that puts others at risk are off the table.
Unapproved selling. Our spaces are for connection, not for promoting or selling outside services without an okay from us first.
The short version
Be kind to the people around you, respect the places we visit and the folks we meet, and own the energy you bring. If something you're about to do might leave another person feeling unsafe or unwelcome, take that as your sign to skip it.
If this isn't your thing
That's genuinely okay. It might just mean SideQuests isn't the right fit, and we wish you safe and wonderful travels wherever you're headed next.
Help us keep this community safe
If something feels off, say something. We count on each other to protect what makes this special.
On a trip: tell your host or guide right away.
In an emergency: contact local emergency services first.
After a trip, or about something from one of our spaces: reach out to us directly at hello@sidequeststravel.com.
Share as much as you're comfortable sharing, and we may follow up if we need a little more context.
However far we roam, we're all in this together, and we keep travel safe and meaningful for everyone.