This privacy policy explains how Explortaion ("we", "us") handles information on explortaion.com. It covers what is collected, what is not, which third parties are involved, and how to withdraw a choice you have already made.
The short version
You can read every guide on this site without an account, without a newsletter signup, and without telling us anything about yourself. We ask for no personal information anywhere except when you choose to email us. The only data collection that can happen is the anonymous measurement and, if you accept it, advertising — and both are under your control through the cookie banner.
What we collect
We do not require visitors to create accounts or submit personal information to read our guides. If you accept cookies in the banner, we and our partners may collect:
- Aggregate usage data — pages viewed, referring page, approximate country, device type, browser, and screen size. This is statistical, not personal, and is used to work out which guides people actually read.
- Advertising data — if advertising is enabled and you consent, our ad partner may use cookies and similar identifiers to measure ad performance and to select advertising. See Cookies and advertising below.
Server logs may record IP addresses and user-agent strings for security and abuse prevention. These are retained for a short period and are not used to build profiles of individuals.
What we do not collect
We do not collect or store passport numbers, travel dates, payment information, booking details, or any other sensitive personal data. We do not run a membership system, we do not sell bookings, and we do not sell, rent or trade personal information to anyone for any purpose.
Our contact and submission forms are handled by your own email client. Submissions are not stored on our servers, because there is no server-side database on this site to store them in.
Cookies and advertising
A cookie is a small text file a site asks your browser to store. This site uses them in two categories.
Essential cookies
Strictly necessary for the site to function. This site stores one item in your browser's localStorage: your cookie choice itself (explortaion.consent). It contains no identifiers and never leaves your device. Without it we could not remember that you had already answered the banner.
Advertising and measurement cookies
Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on a user's previous visits to this website or other websites. If advertising is enabled and you select Accept all in the banner, these third-party advertising networks — currently Google AdSense — may place cookies or similar technologies on your device. They help deliver advertising that is relevant to you and measure campaign performance. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads based on your visits to this and other sites.
What Google does with the data collected through those cookies is set out in How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services. We do not receive your name, email address, or any other directly identifying information from Google as part of that process.
- You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings.
- You can opt out of third-party vendor cookies used for personalised advertising at aboutads.info or youronlinechoices.com in the EU.
- You can also block or delete cookies in your browser settings. Blocking all cookies does not prevent you reading anything on this site.
If you select Essential only, no advertising or measurement cookies are loaded. That choice is stored locally and can be changed at any time using the Cookie settings link in the footer of every page.
Legal bases (UK / EU GDPR)
Where the GDPR applies, we rely on the following legal bases:
- Consent (Article 6(1)(a)) for advertising and measurement cookies. You give it in the banner and can withdraw it at any time via the footer link — withdrawal does not affect anything already done.
- Legitimate interests (Article 6(1)(f)) for security, abuse prevention, and aggregate statistics that are necessary to keep the site working and to understand which guides need updating.
- Contract or legal obligation (Article 6(1)(b)/(c)) only where necessary to respond to a message you send us or to comply with the law.
Personal data may be processed outside your country, including in the United States, by the advertising and analytics providers named above. Those transfers rely on the providers' own safeguards, such as the EU–US Data Privacy Framework and standard contractual clauses.
Your rights
Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to the processing of your personal data, to data portability, and to withdraw consent. California residents additionally have the right to know what categories of personal information are collected and to opt out of the "sale" or "sharing" of personal information — we do not sell personal information, so there is nothing to opt out of beyond declining advertising cookies.
To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. Because we hold almost no personal data, the most common outcome is that there is nothing to delete — but we will confirm that in writing.
How long data is kept
- Cookie choice — stored in your browser until you clear site data or change the setting. We never see it.
- Aggregate analytics — retained in aggregate form, typically up to 26 months, and not linked to individuals.
- Advertising cookies — retained according to the ad provider's own schedule; see their policies.
- Emails you send us — kept only as long as needed to answer you and to apply any correction to a guide, then deleted.
- Server logs — short-lived, retained for security purposes only.
Third-party services and outbound links
Our site links to external websites such as official tourism boards, national park services, immigration authorities and booking platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of those sites; check their own policies before submitting anything to them.
Some outbound gear links are affiliate links. Following an affiliate link may set a cookie on the retailer's site so that a purchase can be attributed to this site. This has no effect on the price you pay and no effect on what our guides recommend. The disclosure appears on every page that carries such links.
Children
This site is written for adults planning their own travel. It is not directed at children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you believe a child has sent us personal data, contact us and we will delete it.
Do Not Track and Global Privacy Control
We honour the browser-level signals available to us. If your browser sends a Global Privacy Control (GPC) signal, we treat it as a request not to load advertising or measurement cookies, regardless of the banner.
Changes to this policy
We may update this privacy policy from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated date, and material changes will be reflected in the date at the top.
Contact
For any privacy-related question, or to exercise a right described above, email [email protected]. For general corrections and content questions, the contact page covers the rest — including who writes these guides and how they are researched.
