FAQ

Q: What do I need to be a partner?
We are looking to partner with tour agencies with the ability to operate English-speaking tours in countries primarily in South-East Asia.

Q: Why isn't my country available?
We are in the process of expanding and opening the service to new countries. Right now we are focusing on a few. If the country you operate in isn't listed and you want to partner with us, please contact us at [email protected].

Q: What if I operate tours in multiple countries?
You will need to sign up for a separate account for each country that you wish to receive traveller requests for. You will need to sign up with a separate email address and specify the country in the company name, for example "Travel Company (Thailand)" and "Travel Company (Malaysia)".

Q: What if I don’t have a website?
A website is an important marketing tool and helps to establish the credibility of a business. We manually review partners on a number of criteria including its web and social media presence. If in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to apply.

Q: What is accreditation and is it required?
Government accreditation or licensing, if applicable in your country, is another way to validate the status of your company. Being accredited or being a licensed tour guide is highly preferable, but if in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to apply.

Q: Why does my account say it is pending approval and what is the approval process?
After you’ve submitted the Partner Sign Up form, we will review your application. We look at a number of things including your website, your presence on social media, whether or not you have past guest reviews, your ability to conduct English-speaking tours, accreditation, etc. and determine if we think you’ll be a good match for us. Of course things vary from country to country so we do review every application on a case-by-case basis. If in doubt, it doesn’t hurt to apply.

Q: How do I know if I’ve been approved?
If your application is approved, you’ll receive an email notification and your account will be activated. If your application isn't approved within a few days, contact us and we’ll let you know if there are other steps you need to take to have your application assessed again.

Q: I’m an approved 43km partner. Why haven’t I received any tour requests?
At this time, we are busy onboarding tour operators first. In order for our travellers to be able to receive timely and relevant offers, we need a critical mass of partners in various countries and regions before we open it up to the public. Hang tight, once we open up the service to the public, the requests will come. We’ll keep you in the loop with updates as to launch. In the meantime, why not complete your profile and create some itineraries so that you’ll be ready to attach them to offers you receive?

Q: How does the matching work?
Our matching algorithm matches travellers to tour operators based on a number of criteria to ensure the best fit.

Q: How do I change my company name, country, or accreditation license?
Unfortunately, you can’t at the moment. Please contact us at [email protected] if you need to make any changes.

Q: Can I turn off email notifications?
We promise not to spam you or send you unnecessary emails. We only notify you of important information such as when a traveller is looking for a tour or you’ve received a message or payment from a traveller. There is no way to turn this off as it is essential to the service. If you feel you are receiving irrelevant notifications, please contact us and send your feedback to [email protected].

Q: I have a colleague that also needs access. Can I add another account?
At this time, we do not support subaccounts under the same company, but this is something that we hope to support in the near future.

Q: I’ve received a deposit for one of my tour offers! Now what?
Congratulations! First you need to confirm the booking by clicking the “Confirm booking” button under My Offers. You can continue the conversation with your guests and discuss the details of the trip.

Q: I’ve received a deposit for one of my tour offers! How do I get paid?
Whenever you receive a deposit, the amount is added to your balance. You can access your balance in your profile dropdown menu. When your balance reaches $100, you can request a payout. Please note, a deposit for a tour can only be paid out 30 days after the tour ends. Payment is done through Paypal and you will be able to enter the email address for us to send the payment. It generally takes about 24-48 hours for us to process the payment. For more information, see our page regarding payment.

Q: Are there fees to use the service?
There are never any upfront fees or recurring fees to use the platform. There is only a nominal finder fee deducted from the deposit when you make a sale. The rest of the cost of the trip you collect is yours. For more information, see our page regarding payment.

Q: How does cancellation work?
For any reason, if a traveller decides to cancel the trip, they may do so within the cancellation window that you specified. They will receive a full refund of the deposit and the booking will automatically be cancelled. You will be notified of the cancellation through email.

Q: If it is past the cancellation period or I selected no cancellation, can there still be a refund?
We understand that there are certain circumstances that either the traveller or tour operator will need to cancel a trip. Generally if it doesn’t conform to the cancellation policy, there are no refunds, but contact [email protected] and we can review on a case-by-case basis.

Q: What are reviews and how does it work?
Once your tour has started, your guests can write you a review and give you a rating. Reviews are an important benefit of the 43km Partner Program since we all know that a good rating will help other travellers decide to choose you over other tour operators in your country/region. Of course we understand that sometimes feedback is one-sided so we also give you the opportunity to respond to a review. Whether to thank your travellers or address any concerns, it’s entirely up to you, but either way, travellers will be able to see that you care and that you take feedback seriously.

Q: How do I close my account?
We’re sorry to see you go. Your feedback will help us to improve. Drop us a note at [email protected] and we’ll be happy to assist you.

Q: What does the name 43km mean?
The name 43km was inspired by the difference in diameter between the equator and the poles, also known as an equatorial bulge. On Earth, that is roughly 43km. At 43km, we are travel lovers and our hope is that everyone can fulfill their dreams to see the world from equator to poles.

Q: What is 43km and what services do you provide?
All of us at 43km are seasoned world travellers and passionate about all things travel.

That is why we created 43km as a resource for the travelling community and to connect travellers alike.

We provide three main services:

Free itineraries that are inspired by our own travels and the research that we have done. We handpicked and curated all of the itineraries ourselves and you won’t find these anywhere else.

Buddies – We connect likeminded members with similar travel plans travelling to the same destination

Tour Offers – We match travellers looking for a local tour experience with expert tour operators in their destination

Q: Is 43km a travel agency? Do you operate tours?
43km is a community of travellers. We provide a means to connect travellers to each other and with tour operators. We are not a travel agency and we do not operate tours. We do not share traveller contact information and it is up to travellers and tour operators to exchange information once a booking is confirmed. For full details, see our privacy policy.

Last Updated 14-Mar-2018