EARTHTORY
The Ultimate Trip Planner
FAQ
Service FAQ
- What is Earthtory?
Founded on September, 2012 in Seoul, Earthtory is a start-up company creating new values in travel business using location-based information and internet & mobile technology. Earthtory is a new platform to plan your trip and an efficient tool to search the best travel product. Our location-based planning service will help travelers to find desired places like attractions, restaurants and hotels easily.
Are you taking too much time to plan your trip and find it difficult? On Earthtory, just clip-on interesting places into your clipboard(a wish list) like you do shopping online. We will show your trip on the map.
- What is the ′Clip′?
Like you put a clip-on a book for the important page, on Earthtory, you can ′clip′ on places you are interested in. You can find your My Clips on your ′Clipboard′ or ′My Clips′ list. All of desired attractions, restaurants, hotels and flights you booked can be clipped-on. With the My Clips, you can plan your own trip itinerary with ease and we will find you the directions as well. Planning your trip will be more convenient with Earthtory!
- Can I use Earthtory service in different languages?
Yes. Earthtory offers three languages in English, Korean and Japanese for now. To change language setting, click the drop box on the right upper edge on the top menu of the screen.
- Can I check price in different currencies?
Yes. Like the language settings, you can also change currency and distance unit on the top menu of the screen. Choose the familiar currency and unit you would like.
- How can I plan my trip using Earthtory?
First of all, find your destination on Earthtory. Research interesting attractions, restaurants and shopping spots and ′Clip′ on desired places. You can check your My Clips on your Clipboard. Like your own travel map, you can check location of your My Clips on the map. Click ′Create a Plan′ to draw your clips in order and plan your own trip. You can conveniently check the route and directions(automatic search) of your plan. Save your plan as a PDF/Excel file or print it out. Of course, you can check your plan on Earthtory mobile app in real time anywhere.
- What can I find in the search bar in the top menu?
Enter the name of a city or a place you would like to know. You will see the information about the city or place. Please note that if what you typed is not the exact name of a city/place, you may not be able to find it. Check the spell and word spacing. We recommend to type only a word or certain part of full name. For example, if you are looking for ′Sherlock Holmes Museum′, just enter ′Sherlock.′
- What is the Magazine?
Magazine is Earthtory′s official blog posting about travel information and Earthtory news. Mostly on Magazine, you can find interesting destinations and useful information to travel. Subscribe our Magazine and get useful information.
- What is the ′Add Place′ or ′Register′?
If you would like to add a personal place or a place which does not exist on Earthtory, click the ′Add Place′. You can add a new place and clip-on the place into your clipboard. The added places can be found on your ′Clipboard′ or ′Places I Added′. The added places are not shown to other travelers, they are only for you.
If you wish to share a place you added with others, you can register the place on Earthtory data officially. Click the ′Register′ and submit to Earthtory. When your request to ′Register′ is approved by Earthtory, your name(ID) will be shown on the place detail page as founder and you can find the place on the list of the city you registered. You can check your registered places in ′Registered Places′ of ′Places I added′.
If you find a new attraction or a delicious restaurant, please add and register on Earthtory! It will be very helpful to other travelers. Places you added but unregistered will be also found in ′Unregistered Places′ of ′Place I Added′.
- When my request to ′Register′ will be approved?
Requested places to register will be approved and registered after Earthtory examines the places. It could take up to 7 days to review and approve the place by Earthtory editors.
If your request has been rejected, it will be one of cases below:
- Already registered by others.
- Can′t assure of existence of the place. (Include unconfirmed/closed/relocated places)
- Very personal places. (Not interesting places to others. e.g. my home)
- Omission of necessary information. (Name/Address/Tags)
- How do I register my property(place) on Earthtory?
You can register your place such as attractions, tours, restaurant, cafe or etc. on Earthtory through ′Add Place′ and ′Register′. (Please refer to \"What is the ′Add Place′ or ′Register′?\" above) Registered places will be found in the list of Things to do/ Restaurants/ Shopping of the city. However, hotels or any kind of accommodations can′t be registered on Earthtory since we are not a travel agent. Please contact to travel agents or booking sites.
- How do I edit wrong information of a place?
If you find any incorrect information or omission of important information of a place(Things to do/ Restaurant/Shopping), please click the 'Edit & Update' and send us a request to edit the info. Your help will be very appreciated and useful to other travelers. Especially, when the place is permanently closed or relocated, please let us know!
- Can Earthtory contact to the company(Attraction/Restaurant/Hotel/Airline) for me?
Earthtory helps you to search for your flights and hotels but we don′t have access to any details about your booking or activity after you leave our website. We recommend you to contact directly to the one you want to book with. You can find contact information of its website, address and phone numbers of the place on Earthtory.
- I found errors. Whom should I contact to?
Under previous versions of Internet Explorer other than IE 8, some errors can occur on several pages or services of Earthtory. You can use Earthtory services more comfortably if you update your browser to the latest.
If you still have errors or any technical matters with the latest browser, please Contact Us regarding the matters. We will get back to you as soon as possible.
We do love getting feedback so if there\’s something you think we should know about, please let us know. Questions about our service, please check our FAQ and if there is no question and answer you are looking for, please Contact Us.
If you are seeing an error of a redirected site(a third party), or if you are having problems trying to complete a booking on a third party′s website please contact them directly for support as we don\’t have any control over other websites.
- How do I write a review?
You can write a review on detail page of each place or on the ′Review′ tap of your ′My Page′.
- How many reviews and how often can I write?
There is no restriction on writing reviews.
- Can I delete or edit my reviews?
Yes. On the detail page of the place you wrote a review or ′Review′ tap of your ′My Page′, you can edit or delete your review.
- What is the ′Report′ of reviews?
You can report inappropriate reviews to our editors that are false tips from indirect experience and rumors, willful good/bad reviews written by the owner, employees or any people concerned of the place or competitors, reviews with incorrect information, reviews not related to the place and any other problematic reviews clouding others′ judgment. Please click the ′Report′ to report those reviews to Earthtory. Earthtory editors will look into it and take a needed step.
- Can I write a review on a Hotel or Airline?
Unfortunately, you can′t write reviews about hotels or airlines on Earthtory. Please visit the agent site you booked with or hotel/airline site and you will be able to leave a review there. On Earthtory, you can only write a review about places like attractions, restaurants or shopping places.
- What is the ′Create a Plan′?
′Create a Plan′ is a special feature of Earthtory service to plan your own itinerary, you can check the location of your My Clips on the map and plan your itinerary. You will see the ′Direction′ between places of your plan. All you need to do is drawing My Clips in order using drag & drop by checking the location on the map and as you do, you will see the routes and directions. Decide which place to visit first and arrange places in order per day. You will be able to plan your own itinerary with ease.
- Can I plan my itinerary with friends?
Plan your trip together with your friends whom you travel with! You can add friends to your incomplete plan. Click the ′+′ button of ′Create a Plan′ page and add your friends then, your friends also can check and edit the plan. Note that only one person can edit at same time.
- How many friends can I invite to a plan?
You can invite up to 5 friends for a plan.
- Can I edit a completed plan?
You can always edit your plan again. Go to ′Plan′ of your ′My Page′ and click the plan you want to edit. On detailed plan page, you can find ′Edit Plan′ button just below the plan name and memo. Click the ′Edit Plan′ to edit your plan.
- What is the ′Incomplete plan′?
It is a plan that you haven′t completed yet. We know that planning a trip needs some time so you can save an ′Incomplete plan′ while you are planning. Check the unfinished plans and click ′Edit Plan′ to complete the plan.
- What is the ′Copy Plan′?
If you have no idea how to plan your trip yet, see other′s plans. If you find a suitable plan to your taste and just ′Copy Plan′. You can edit the copied plan as you wish and make it the best for your schedule. You can delete unnecessary places, change the order and add new places. With ′Copy Plan′, you can plan your trip instantly.
- Can I create a plan with multiple cities?
Yes. First of all, start with ′Create a Plan′ of a city from your Clipboard. While you are planning your itinerary on the map, you can add new cities or other cities′ clipboards. Plan your trip in several cities according to your itinerary.
- How many days can I add for a plan?
For a plan, you can create itineraries up to 30 days. For a longer plan than a month of 30 days, please create several plans.
- Can I add a place several times in a plan?
Are you planning to visit a place(Things to Do, Restaurants, Shopping, Hotels) several times? You can drag the place to your plan several times as much as you need on ′Create a Plan′ page.
- What is the ′Clipboard′?
Clipboard is somewhat like a Wish-list of online shopping malls so you can put interesting places into your clipboard per city. Clip-on interesting places from the city list of Things to do/Restaurants/Shopping and even hotels or transportation you may book then, you will see your clips on your ′Clipboard′ and ′My Clips′. On Clipboard, you can check information, write a memo and see the location of your My Clips on the map. Complete your travel plan by clicking ′Create a Plan′. On the map, decide visiting orders of places by checking the location and directions. Your trip will become more enjoyable with ease.
- What is the ′My Plan′ of My Page?
′My Plan′ are travel plans you have created through ′Create a Plan′ from your clipboard. Those can be completed or incomplete. You can check and edit each plan.
- What is the ′Review′ of My Page?
On ′Review′ of your My Page, you can check all the reviews you wrote per city. Click the ′Write Reviews′ to leave more reviews on the places you have been before.
- I can′t log in with my Facebook ID. What should I do?
First, please check if your browser has not been logged in with other′s Facebook ID. If so, log out first and try again with your ID. If you still can′t log in, please check your ID and password on Facebook.
- I lost my password. How do I find it?
Click the ′Forgotten your password?′ on log in page and write your email address you registered when you signed up. We will send you a temporary password to your email.
- How do I close my account permanently?
Log in first and go to settings of My Page there will be ′Closing My Account′. Click the ′Closing My Account′ to close your Earthtory account permanently. Please note that your account information, clipboards, plans and all contents you posted will be deleted as you close the account except for officially published posts or the jointly-created posts which will be remained on Earthtory service and the joint creator’s domain. Once your data is deleted, it won′t be recovered. We recommend to consider thoroughly before you close your account.
- How do I edit my account?
On ′Settings′ of your My Page, you can edit your information. You can change your name, password, gender, profile and close your account. If you want to change your email address, please send us an email at help@earthtory.com
- Are my personal information safe?
We will not sell, share, or provide your IP Details, Cookies, Personal Information and Location Data to others other than in accordance with our Privacy Policy or where we are required to do so by law.
- What is the ′My Passport′?
As you get a stamp at the airport on your passport, Earthtory will also give you stamps on your ′My Passport′. Write reviews of the places you have visited. When you write more than five reviews of a country, we will give you a stamp of the country like airport stamps. A stamp of each country will be only given once even though you have been there several times.
- What are ′Badges′?
Earthtory will award a badge to users according to their level of contribution. By the activity points, you will get a badge. Check the points per activity(service use) and badge levels per points below.
▷ Issuing points per activity(service use):
- Complete a plan: 20 points (Except incomplete plans)
- Share a plan: 20 points (Facebook, Twitter and etc.)
- Add a friend to a plan: 10 points
- Write a review: 30 Points (More than 50 letters per review)
- Register a new place (Need to be approved): 50 points
- Request to edit & update information or report a review(Need to be approved): 50 points
- Create a clipboard: 5 points
▷ Badges and required points per badge:
- Starter: From 0 point
- Tourist: From 50 points
- Senior: From 800 points
- Expert: From 2000 points
- Master: From 5000 points
- I found an error on Earthtory app. Where should I contact?
If you find any kind of errors, please Contact Us. It will be very helpful to us and other travelers. Earthtory will do our best to lessen errors and offer better service to plan your trip more conveniently.
- Can I book a hotel/flight on mobile?
Yes. You can search and book a hotel or flight on mobile as well. You will be redirected to a booking site from our search result and you can proceed your booking.
- What are the features of mobile application?
Earthtory mobile application features practical uses at your destination based on your ′Current Location′. You can not only check your plan but also can find nearby places of things to do/restaurants/shopping/hotels from your current location and find how to get there. On mobile, you can check detailed directions using various transportation at real time from your current location.
While you are preparing your trip, you also can search and collect travel information on your destination using our mobile app. Prepare and plan your trip on our web and check your plan and find directions at your destination on our app.
- Can I create a new plan on mobile app?
Sorry but currently, you can′t create a new plan or edit a plan on our mobile app. Please visit our PC web to create and edit a plan.
- Who should I contact regarding business issues?
Regarding advertising, affiliation or any business issues, please contact us at ′Advertising and Affiliation′.
Hotel FAQ
- Can I book a hotel for tonight?
Sure. On Earthtory, you can search and book hotels for today. Choose the date of today on the search controls.
- Can I search a hotel with my preference or specific facilities like spa and free parking?
Yes. Earthtory offers various search filters for your preference. Choose a star rate, type of accommodation or desired facilities on the search controls of the search result page. We will show you the result of your choice of preference.
Also, you can find out the best located hotel that close to your My Clips on the map.
- What is the Room Type?
Room size, type of beds, amenities and facilities determine the room type. Depends on the room type, room price can vary even in a same hotel.
Generally, according to bed types;
Single Room: a single bed room for one person
Twin Room: two single beds room for two people
Double Room: a double bed for two people
Triple Room: three single or a double with a single bed for three people
Dormitory: several bunk beds for many
- Breakfast is included in my room fare?
Depends on your fare condition, it varies. Room fares with ′Room Only′ are only for the room and with ′Breakfast Included′ are for the room with breakfast. When you book, please check the fare details.
※ Tips for meal plans in hotels!
Full Pension/Full Board/American Plan : Room fares include all three meals a day
Half Pension/Half Board/Modified American plan : Room fares include two meals a day
Breakfast Included/Continental plan : Room fares only include breakfast
- How do I book a hotel?
Earthtory is a price comparison meta search engine offering you the best price. You can search and find the most suitable hotel all around the world on Earthtory.
To make a booking, type the name of city you will visit and select dates and number of needed rooms on the search control first.
Once you have found your hotel on Earthtory, you will be taken to the hotel site or travel agent site to complete your booking.
All the services Earthtory offers are free of charge but redirected sites may charge you for your booking.
- I′ve booked a room but I can′t remember the booking site. How can I find?
When you make a booking with an hotel or travel agent, they will send you a confirmation email with your details. On the email, you will find the name of company or site you have booked with. If you haven′t received this confirmation email, we recommend checking your spam, trash or ′all emails′ folder, as sometimes emails can get redirected by your email client.
If you can′t find any email, you can check your credit card statement for a company name. If you don′t have any confirmation email and no charge has been added to your card, your booking is likely not to have gone through.
- I can′t find my confirmation email. What should I do?
When you make a booking with an hotel or travel agent, they send you a confirmation email with your details. If you can′t fine the email, we recommend checking your spam, trash or ′all emails′ folder, as sometimes your spam filter triggers the provider\’s emails as spam. If you still can′t find the booking confirmation, please contact the hotel or travel agent you booked with to confirm whether they have processed your booking - Earthtory doesn′t have access to your booking or your activity after you leave our site.
If you can′t remember who you booked with, check your credit card statement for a company name.
- What does ′Free Cancellation′ and ′Non-Refundable′ exactly mean?
′Non-Refundable′ fares are discounted fares with the condition of no refunds. With the ′Non-Refundable′ fares, if you make any change or cancel of your booking, your payment won′t be refunded at all. Therefore, make sure of your travel plan. However, you can get full refunds for your cancellation until the notified date with ′Free Cancellation′ fares. You may be charged for cancellation after the notified date. Detailed cancellation and refund policy will be varied by hotels or agents so please check their policy beforehand of booking.
- How do I change or cancel my hotel booking?
As a meta search engine, Earthtory is a tool to help you plan your trip but we don\’t take bookings or payments of any kind. Once you have found what you are looking for, we simply transfer you to the hotel, travel agent or travel provider to complete your booking. This means your booking is with them, not with Earthtory, and we don\’t hold any of your details connected with any bookings you may have made.
For this reason, we recommend you get in touch with the service provider directly with questions about changing or cancelling a booking. Depending on which company you have booked through, there will be different options for cancellation and refunds and these can usually be found on the company\’s website.
- Can I cancel or change a ′Non-refundable′ booking?
You can but your payment may not be refunded. Please refer to the cancellation policy of the site you have booked with. Earthtory is a tool to help you plan your trip but we don\’t take bookings or payments of any kind. We would recommend speaking to your travel provider directly with regards to booking.
- Who should I contact regarding my booking?
Earthtory is a tool to help you plan your trip but we don\’t take bookings or payments of any kind. We would recommend speaking to your travel provider directly with regards to booking.
- Where can I check my booking?
Earthtory doesn′t have access to your booking or your activity after you leave our site. Please check the site you have made your booking directly.
- Can I book for a group?
You can search and book up to 10 people and 5 rooms. However, in some cases, there could be no search result according to the big quantity. For a group beyond 10 people, we recommend to contact the hotel or travel agents directly.
- Are fares shown on the search result per night?
No. Fares you see on search result are total price for all nights you requested including tax and service fee. Fares per night can be checked on detailed ′Fare′ tab for each booking agent.
- Are tax and fee included in fares?
Yes. Fares are the total price you need to pay including tax and service fee(Not Earthtory, but booking agent sites may request their service fee). Please note that the exact price is subject to change.
- What do I need to check-in?
You will need your ID(passport) and hotel voucher(booking confirmation). Please print out your hotel voucher sent to your email.
- How can I find how to get to my hotel?
You may find ′Getting Here′ from your booking details or can check from your hotel site. If you can′t, just add the hotel into your plan on Earthtory. We will show you ′How To Get′ to your hotel automatically using Google Map.