frequently asked questions

Q:

help! I didn't receive my account activation email

A:

unfortunately, sometimes the account activation email can end up in your junk/spam email box, so please take a look there first

if you  can't find it there, then please send a note to us at customer.support@mytravelcompanion.com and we will send you a new one

please remember to add customer.support@mytravelcompanion.com to your safe list so that you can receive emails from us in the future!

Q:

help! I'm having problems registering

A:

hmmm, that shouldn't happen

please try again in a couple of minutes just in case you're having problems with your browser or internet provider

if this doesn't help, please contact us via the report a bug function

Q:

who can see my profile?

A:

everyone can see your username in your profile

if you have added a photo, then everyone will always be able to see it

if you have added additional profile information and asked for it to remain private, then it will not be visible to other people

if you have added additional profile information and asked for it to be public, then everyone will be able to see it

Q:

can I use PocketPal for my employees?

A:

we would encourage companies to use mytravelcompanion services for their employees

many jobs today require a significant amount of travel and as an employer, you can provide your employees with the safety features of mytraveldocuments, PocketPal and mytravelitinerary to help them on their journies

PocketPal would make an ideal benefit showing you to be an employer that is concerned for the safety of your employees not just abroad but at home too

if you would like to talk to us about offering PocketPal to your employees, please contact us at contact@mytravelcompanion.com

Q:

I'm not sure how to use mytraveldiary, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mytraveldiary 'how to' section

Q:

why is mytraveldocuments slower than the rest of the site?

A:

we use SSL to encrypt the information that you enter in mytraveldocuments when sending it to the server (you can see the little padlock at the bottom of your browser which shows that this is a secure area of the site)

this additional layer of security can sometimes cause this area of the site to run a bit more slowly than the rest

Q:

I'm not sure how to use mytraveldocuments, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon. If you click on that you can find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mytraveldocuments 'how to' section

Q:

I'm not sure how to use mytravelitinerary, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mytravelitinerary 'how to' section

Q:

I'm not sure how to use mytravelphotos, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mytravelphotos 'how to' section

Q:

I'm not sure how to use PocketPal, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mytraveldocuments 'how to' section to find out more about PocketPal

Q:

why would I need more than 1 PocketPal card?

A:

well, it could be more convenient to have more than one card

because PocketPal is extremely useful at home as well as travelling you may want to have one for home (e.g. one to keep in the car or in your gym bag) and one for travelling with

we give you one free card when you purchase PocketPal - any others you get after that are totally up to you!

Q:

I am a member, what happens if someone enters my email address in their mycontacts list?

A:

if someone adds your email address to their mycontacts list they will be asked whether they want us to send you an email to request your username

if they choose to do this, you will get an email in your mymessages area

you can then choose whether or not to let them know your username

Q:

I'm not sure how to use communities, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the communities 'how to' section

Q:

I'm not sure how to use mycontacts, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mycontacts 'how to' section

Q:

I'm not sure how to use mymessages, where can I go to find out more?

A:

most sections of the site have a 'how to' icon that you can click on to find the information that you need which will explain how to use the site

click here to jump to the mymessages 'how to' section

Q:

what happens if I enter the email address of a person who is already a member of the site?

A:

if you add a contact that has an email address that belongs to a member on the site, then you can choose whether to contact that member to ask for their username

if you choose to ask the person for their username, we will send them a message to request it

Q:

what is counted in my photo limit?

A:

for each photo we count the original image size plus the file sizes of the images optimised for web viewing (a thumbnail and a medium size image which total on average about 60kb)

Q:

what type of files can I upload?

A:

at the moment we only accept JPEG, JPG and GIF files (your photo needs .jpeg, .jpg or .gif at the end)… these are probably most suitable for the web anyway but even so we hope it won’t be too long before we accept other formats too!

Q:

a friend or relative has failed to check-in on time, what should I do?

A:

The traveller’s failure to check-in with mytravelcompanion.com does not necessarily mean that they are in trouble, so above all, don’t panic. Consider taking some or all of the following steps:

1. it’s worth repeating: Don’t panic, it won’t help you or the traveller

2. read the itinerary information so that you are clear on the traveller’s plans

3. check for telephone numbers within the traveller’s itinerary – you may be able to contact a friend, a fellow traveller, or a hostel or hotel at the departure or destination points

4. send an email or text message to the traveller as a reminder that you have received a late check-in message and are trying to make contact

5. contact your local police, who will be able to provide additional guidance and useful information

6. consider contacting the National Missing Persons Helpline 

Tel: 0500 700 700 or +44(0)020 8392 4545 from outside the UK
Web: www.missingpersons.org 

The National Missing Persons Helpline is a UK charity dedicated to helping missing people and supporting their families while they wait for news. They may be able to provide useful information for anyone trying to find a lost friend or relative abroad, as well as tips on how to start looking and a confidential helpline 

Q:

I have received a "just to let you know" notification from mytravelcompanion.com, what do I do now?

A:

if you have received a "just to let you know" email from mytravelcompanion.com, this means that someone has selected you as a check-in contact for their itinerary

by this, we mean that a traveller has let you have access to their itinerary (or part of their itinerary) so that you know where they are planning to be / get up to whilst travelling

if you have just received a "just to let you know" email, then you should:

(a) register on the site using the email address that that the "just to let you know" email was sent to
(b) familiarise yourself with the traveller's itinerary so that you know where they are planning to go and when

if the traveller does not check-in on time, then we will send you another email (from the traveller's email address) to let you know

click here to register on mytravelcompanion.com

once registration is complete, click again on the link in the email to see the traveller's itinerary!

Q:

why do I have to register to see my friend's itinerary?

A:

if your friend has made their itinerary public, then anyone will be able to see it

if they have chosen to keep it private, then only people that they select can see it and those people need to log-in first

so essentially, in order to preserve your friend's privacy you may need to log-in to view their itinerary (this has many additional advantages to you, as you can use the great facilities of mytravelcompanion.com as well!)

Q:

I have just received an email telling me that a traveller has not checked-in. Why is this the first time that I have received anything from you?

A:

when setting up an itinerary leg, a traveller has the option to let their check-in contact know about their plans straight away or to only let them know if they don't check-in

we recommend that travellers let their check-in contacts know straight away so that they can familiarise themselves with the traveller's itinerary

the reason that we allow people to notify contacts only if they don't check in is that they might not want you to know their plans but still want to take advantage of this safety feature to help them... just in case something goes wrong

if you are only receiving an email when the traveller has not checked-in then the traveller has chosen to notify you only if they don't manage to check-in on the site on time

if the traveller checks in late (i.e. after the date that they said they would check-in), you will receive another email to tell you that they have now checked in

Q:

why am I sometimes automatically logged out?

A:

we recognise that many travellers will be using internet cafes to access mytravelcompanion, so we log you out automatically if you haven't been using the site for a while - just in case you have forgotten

Q:

items shared by Dhy

A:

Q:

does mytravelcompanion re-sell customer information?

A:

NO

Q:

how do I know who I am talking to on the site?

A:

one of the great things about mytravelcompanion is being able to make good friends with other travellers - sharing tips as well as experiences. However you need to remember that, as with all networking sites, you cannot be totally sure that the person you are talking to is the person that they say they are. Be sensible and take precautions to make sure that you continue to enjoy your journey!

- be careful about the personal information that you give out - don't expose anything that would open you to identity fraud or could be used maliciously
- look out if someone provides inconsistent information about age, interests, appearance, marital status, profession, employment, etc.
- if you plan to meet up with another traveller make sure that you take sensible precautions: use mytravelitinerary and set-up a check-in point, think about going along with another friend, meet somewhere public...

ok, we're sure you already know all this but essentially we just want to remind you to take care... most people you contact will be fine, just be prepared in case one isn't

Q:

is my stuff secure on this site?

A:

we use industry-standard protection, including Secure Socket Layers (SSLs), to encrypt pages when collecting sensitive information such as your password and mytraveldocuments information. This measure is designed to guard against interception of this information while it is on the Internet. You can tell if you are using a secure page by looking at the bottom of your browser window where you will see a lock. If it’s in a closed state, the page is encrypted. You should also notice that the 'http' in the url changes to 'https'.

the data centre containing our servers is fully secured with access control systems and the servers are also protected by both hardware and software firewalls with 24-hour software monitoring, but as with any information that you transmit over the internet (on our site or any other), you should do everything you reasonably can to help keep that information secure.

Q:

what can I do to help keep my stuff secure?

A:

by putting in place the security measures above, we endeavour to ensure that your information is only accessible by you, when you need it. But the security of the Site requires that you take a few simple steps to help us protect your information:

make your password secure: choose a ‘strong’ password between 6 and 15 characters long and change it regularly. Use a mix of letters and numbers (like c0nstant1n0ple for example), that you can remember without writing it down, and avoid using words that may be easy for others to guess, such as your birthday or the name of a family member or pet.

keep passwords safe: You should not write down or store your password on a computer, or give anyone else access to your password. We will never contact you to ask you for this information – if you get an email or a phone call asking for this information, a fraudster is at work. You should change your password immediately if you think that someone else knows it – you can do this in the myprofile area of the Site.

be careful when logging in: be particularly vigilant when accessing the Site on publicly accessible computers, in places such as Internet cafes and be sure not to leave the computer unattended while you are logged onto the Site. Take care that no-one is watching what you type.

check whether the web page is secure:
When using mytraveldocuments, the transmission of your information will encrypted using SSL encryption. You can check that the mytraveldocuments area is secure by checking that the first few characters of the web address in your address bar has changed from the usual ‘http’ to ‘https’ – the ‘s’ stands for secure. You should also look for a small padlock icon, displayed in the locked position, normally in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen.

log off the Site: you should always click ‘Log off’ and close your browser when you’ve finished using the Site, wherever you are

Q:

what kind of information shouldn't I put on the site?

A:

we advise against recording your full credit or debit card details or other identifying information that could be used for i.d. fraud or other malicious purposes (e.g. national insurance or social security numbers)

under no circumstances should you record your credit or debit card pin number(s) on the site

Q:

what happens with my credit card information when I make a purchase?

A:

all your credit card information is collected securely by PayPal (owned by eBay) who we use to process payment for any purchase made on the site

mytravelcompanion does not see or have access to your credit card information

Q:

who has access to my stuff?

A:

you are able to share much of your information with your friends, family and the general public, however this is controlled by you (see the how to information to find out how to do this)

if you leave your information as private and do not share it, then your friends, family and the public will not have access to it

mytravelcompanion (and it's partner technical team) has access to your information for administrative purposes only

Q:

items shared by Dhy

A:

Q:

help! I didn't receive my account activation email

A:

unfortunately, sometimes the account activation email can end up in your junk/spam email box, so please take a look there first

if you  can't find it there, then please send a note to us at customer.support@mytravelcompanion.com and we will send you a new one

please remember to add customer.support@mytravelcompanion.com to your safe list so that you can receive emails from us in the future!

Q:

the site doesn't seem to be displaying correctly - I can't see the bits at the sides

A:

sometimes some popular home security / firewall suites cause this to happen so you will need to change the settings to stop this software from blocking these parts of our site

what you can do is:

(a) add www.mytravelcompanion.com to your list of exceptions (your safe list) or
(b) turn ad / banner blocking off when using our site

unfortunately we do not support third party software so you will need to check the software help or contact your software provider if you are unsure how to make the required change

just to let you know, we use our banners for 2 main purposes:

(a) to let you know about our products / services including special offers and competitions that we may be offering
(b) to display adverts from selected suppliers that we believe offer useful and good value services

so if you cannot see our banners, you'll be missing out on some good stuff!!

Q:

why am I sometimes automatically logged out?

A:

we recognise that many travellers will be using internet cafes to access mytravelcompanion, so we log you out automatically if you haven't been using the site for a while - just in case you have forgotten

Q:

the site seems to be running a bit slow…

A:

our website is designed for travellers so specifically for members using internet cafes. We have tried to reduce page loading times, file sizes etc. to make it all run that little bit more quickly and in general we find this works great!

if you are connecting via a phone line, ISDN 128k or lower then you may be operating on a low speed so it will be slower to do things on the site - if you can, choose a location with a fast (broadband) internet connection but of course we understand that this may not always be possible - especially in some of the more remote locations!

speed could particularly be a problem when uploading photos which will take longer to send to the site over lower speeds - see our photo tips for ways to reduce the size of your photos and therefore the length of time it takes to upload them

another thing when picking the internet cafe see how many people there are in there... they may have a fast connection but if there are a large number of people using it, this could slow it down as well. So, if you can pick quieter times because then your connection will be zippy (this applies generally, it's not anything specifically to do with mytravelcompanion.com)

Q:

items shared by Dhy

A:

Q:

can I use your products to help promote my business?

A:

we would be very willing to discuss this further - please contact us at marketing@mytravelcompanion.com

Q:

how can I advertise on mytravelcompanion.com?

A:

we look for advertisers who can offer useful and good value products and services to our members

if you think that you fall into this category, then please contact us at marketing@mytravelcompanion.com to discuss this further

Q:

how can I become a Sponsor, Partner or Affiliate of mytravelcompanion.com?

A:

please contact us at marketing@mytravelcompanion.com

Q:

why advertise with mytravelcompanion.com?

A:

the eternal question in advertising is how to get to your potential customers - the ones that actually want your stuff

mytravelcompanion.com members are people who love to travel
we have products and services that link to the locations that members are travelling to (or planning to travel to or have just travelled to):

- mytravelitinerary, the planning tool that lets members map out their trip
- mytraveldocuments, the information storage tool that lets members record their important information before they go away
- mytraveldiary that inspire others to travel to wierd and wonderful destinations

our members are travel freaks - if you are interested in targeting your travel products or services that are useful and good value to our members, then please contact us at marketing@mytravelcompanion.com to discuss this further

Q:

why is there advertising on the site?

A:

we offer loads of free services including communities, tips and the travelsafe package (that provides access to mytraveldocuments, mytravelitinerary, mytraveldiary and mytravelphotos) and that obviously costs money

we use advertising as a means to make money so that we can continue to offer you services for free!

all our advertising is for stuff that we believe is useful for a traveller - we ask ourselves whether it is something that we would use on our journies

we are selective with our advertising - we target advertisers that we believe offer useful services at good prices for our members

so, we hope you find the advertising partners that we have selected useful to you when planning your trip