Terms of Service

1. Acceptance

By accessing or using The Vibe Index (“the Service”) at thevibeindex.org, you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. What the Service is

The Vibe Index is a crowdsourced platform where registered users can share travel experiences and rate cities across categories such as nightlife, food, safety, cost, outdoors, culture, and remote work. City ratings and vibe scores are derived from community submissions and are provided for informational purposes only.

3. User accounts

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. Authentication is handled by Clerk (Google OAuth or email/password). You are responsible for keeping your account secure. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

4. Content you submit

• Ownership — you retain ownership of travel stories and ratings you submit. By submitting content, you grant us a worldwide, royalty-free, non-exclusive licence to store, display, process, and use your content to operate and improve the Service.
• Accuracy — you represent that your submitted experiences are genuine first-hand accounts. Do not fabricate experiences or submit misleading ratings.
• Prohibited content — do not submit content that is defamatory, discriminatory, harassing, illegal, or otherwise harmful. We may remove any content at our discretion and without notice.
• Moderation — all submissions go through human moderation before being published. We reserve the right to reject, edit, or remove any content without giving a reason.

5. Accuracy of city data

City scores and vibe ratings are based on community submissions and editorial seed data. They are opinions, not objective facts. We make no warranties about the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any city information on the Service. Do not rely solely on The Vibe Index when making travel decisions.

6. Intellectual property

The Vibe Index name, logo, design, and software are our proprietary property. You may not copy, reproduce, or redistribute them without written permission. City photos displayed on the platform are credited to their respective authors under their applicable licences.

7. Disclaimer of warranties

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available”, without warranty of any kind. We do not guarantee uptime, data integrity, or the accuracy of any content. Your use of the Service is at your own risk.

8. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we are not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the Service, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

9. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the platform grows. Continued use of the Service after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

10. Contact

Questions? Email hello@thevibeindex.org.