Welcome to the Traveltomtom Privacy Policy & Disclaimer. This is by far the most boring blog post I have ever written and unfortunately it hasn’t even anything to do with traveling. Unfortunately there are so many rules in this world, because of all those bad guys out there. One of those rules requires me to have a Privacy Policy & Disclaimer, because through this website I am making money.
My name is Tom Grond and I am the only one who is running Traveltomtom with some technical support from one of my best friends who also advised me to write a Privacy Policy. In case you feel like something is going wrong, please contact me as I feel like I have done as much as I can to protect your privacy, but if Im failing let me know.
Affiliate marketing
I have financial relationships with many of the companies and brands mentioned on this site. The majority of my blog posts contain affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission if you click through and buy from them. For you nothing changes and will cost you nothing extra. Those big multi million dollar companies will have to pay me a small fee for the lead.
Sponsored trips
Yes traveling is my full time job and I spend a lot of my own money earned through this travel blog to explore the world, but just as often I go on sponsored trips. This doesn’t make a difference either because I will always be honest and authentic even if it is sponsored. But just to explain you a little about media trips: they mostly make sure everything is arrange perfectly.
Happy to explain everything about and when you have questions don’t hesitate to contact me through email.
Amazon Associate Disclosure
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Privacy Policy
Traveltomtom found at https://traveltomtom.net/ is governed by the following privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”).
Traveltomtom respects your privacy and therefore I will explain what personally identifiable information we may collect and how it may be used.
In the following my website traveltomtom.net is referred to as the Website.
Information You Voluntarily Submit to Traveltomtom.net: We may collect personal information from you such as your name or email address. For example, you may voluntarily submit information to Traveltomtom.net by leaving a comment, subscribing to a newsletter, or submitting a contact form. In addition, you are able to create a user profile, which allows you to create a username and password. We will store the username, but your password will not be visible in our records.
Information We Collect from Others: We may receive information about you from other sources. You may link your Facebook, Instagram, and/or Google accounts to your user profile. If you choose to link your Facebook, Instagram, and/or Google accounts to your user profile, we will receive your name, email address and profile picture associated with that account. Traveltomtom.net may utilizes the Facebook commenting system, so if you choose to comment on a Website post, your profile picture will appear.
Automatically-Collected Information: We automatically collect certain information about you and the device with which you access Traveltomtom.net. For example, when you use the Website, we will log your IP address, operating system type, browser type, referring website, pages you viewed, and the dates/times when you accessed the Website. We may also collect information about actions you take when using the Website, such as links clicked.
Cookies: We may log information using cookies, which are small data files stored on your browser by the Website (and not the delicious baked treats I’ve been shovelling in my mouth while writing this privacy policy). We may use both session cookies, which expire when you close your browser, and persistent cookies, which stay on your browser until deleted, to provide you with a more personalized experience on the Website.
How your information maybe be used
We may use the information collected in the following ways:
- To operate and maintain the Website;
- To create your account, identify you as a user of the Website, and customize the Website for your account;
- To send you promotional information, such as newsletters. Each email promotion will provide information on how to opt-out of future mailings;
- To send you administrative communications, such as administrative emails, confirmation emails, technical notices, updates on policies, or security alerts;
- To respond to your comments or inquiries;
- To provide you with user support;
- To track and measure advertising on the Website;
- To protect, investigate, and deter against unauthorized or illegal activity.
Third-Party Use of Personal Information
We may share your information with third parties when you explicitly authorize us to share your information.
Additionally, the Website may use third-party service providers to service various aspects of the Website. Each third-party service provider’s use of your personal information is dictated by their respective privacy policies.
The Website currently uses the following third-party service providers:
Google Analytics – this service tracks Website usage and provides information such as referring websites and user actions on the Website. Google Analytics may capture your IP address, but no other personal information is captured by Google Analytics.
Anonymous Data
From time to time, we may use anonymous data, which does not identify you alone, or when combined with data from other parties. This type of anonymous data may be provided to other parties for marketing, advertising, or other uses. Examples of this anonymous data may include analytics or information collected from cookies.
Publicly Visible Information
If you create a user profile on the Website or leave a comment, certain information may be publicly visible. To create a user profile, you must choose a username and password and input your email address for profile confirmation. Your email address will never be available publicly. At your option, you may also add an avatar, a profile description, and a link to your website.
If you choose to leave a comment, people will see your, avatar, name and any website information you leave.
Cookies
The Website uses cookies to store visitors’ preferences, record user-specific information on what pages users access or visit, ensure that visitors are not repeatedly sent the same banner ads, customize Website content based on visitors’ browser type or other information that the visitor sends. Cookies may also be used by third-party services, such as Google Analytics, as described herein.
Users may, at any time, prevent the setting of cookies, by the Website, by using a corresponding setting of your internet browser and may thus permanently deny the setting of cookies. Furthermore, already set cookies may be deleted at any time via an Internet browser or other software programs. This is possible in all popular Internet browsers. However, if users deactivate the setting of cookies in your Internet browser, not all functions of our Website may be entirely usable.
Advertising
Mediavine Programmatic Advertising (Ver 1.1)
The Website works with Mediavine to manage third-party interest-based advertising appearing on the Website. Mediavine serves content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use first and third-party cookies. A cookie is a small text file which is sent to your computer or mobile device (referred to in this policy as a “device”) by the web server so that a website can remember some information about your browsing activity on the Website.
First party cookies are created by the website that you are visiting. A third-party cookie is frequently used in behavioral advertising and analytics and is created by a domain other than the website you are visiting. Third-party cookies, tags, pixels, beacons and other similar technologies (collectively, “Tags”) may be placed on the Website to monitor interaction with advertising content and to target and optimize advertising. Each internet browser has functionality so that you can block both first and third-party cookies and clear your browser’s cache. The "help" feature of the menu bar on most browsers will tell you how to stop accepting new cookies, how to receive notification of new cookies, how to disable existing cookies and how to clear your browser’s cache. For more information about cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information at All About Cookies.
Without cookies you may not be able to take full advantage of the Website content and features. Please note that rejecting cookies does not mean that you will no longer see ads when you visit our Site. In the event you opt-out, you will still see non-personalized advertisements on the Website.
The Website collects the following data using a cookie when serving personalized ads:
- IP Address
- Operating System type
- Operating System version
- Device Type
- Language of the website
- Web browser type
- Email (in hashed form)
Mediavine Partners (companies listed below with whom Mediavine shares data) may also use this data to link to other end user information the partner has independently collected to deliver targeted advertisements. Mediavine Partners may also separately collect data about end users from other sources, such as advertising IDs or pixels, and link that data to data collected from Mediavine publishers in order to provide interest-based advertising across your online experience, including devices, browsers and apps. This data includes usage data, cookie information, device information, information about interactions between users and advertisements and websites, geolocation data, traffic data, and information about a visitor’s referral source to a particular website. Mediavine Partners may also create unique IDs to create audience segments, which are used to provide targeted advertising.
If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit National Advertising Initiative opt out page. You may also visit Digital Advertising Alliance website and Network Advertising Initiative website to learn more information about interest-based advertising. You may download the AppChoices app at Digital Advertising Alliance’s AppChoices app to opt out in connection with mobile apps, or use the platform controls on your mobile device to opt out.
Mediavine partners with the following data processors:
- Pubmatic. You may find Pubmatic’s privacy policy through this link. The data collected on the Website may be transferred to Pubmatic and its demand partners for interest-based advertising. Statistical information and other non-cookie technologies (such as eTags and web or browser cache) may be used by third parties on this Website. Browser settings that block cookies may have no effect on these technologies, but you may clear your cache to delete such trackers. Data collected from a particular browser or device may be used with another computer or device that is linked to the browser or device on which such data was collected.
- Criteo. You may find Criteo’s privacy policy through this link. The data collected on the Website may be transferred to Criteo and its demand partners for interest-based advertising. Criteo may collect, access, and use non-identifying data to improve the Criteo Technology and other Criteo products, programs, and/or services. This non-identifying data may include on-site user behavior and user/page content data, URLs, statistics, or internal search queries. The non-identifying data are collected through the ad call and stored with a Criteo cookie for a maximum period of 13 months.
- Pulsepoint. You may find Pulsepoint’s privacy policy through this link.
- LiveRamp. You may find LiveRamp’s privacy policy through this link. When you use the Website, we share information that we may collect from you, such as your email (in hashed, de-identified form), IP address or information about your browser or operating system, with LiveRamp Inc, and its group companies (‘LiveRamp’). LiveRamp may use a cookie on your browser and match your shared information to their on- and offline marketing databases and those of its advertising partners to create a link between your browser and information in those other databases. This link may be shared by our partners globally for the purpose of enabling interest-based content or advertising throughout your online experience (e.g. cross device, web, email, in-app, etc.) by third parties unaffiliated with our website. These third parties may in turn link further demographic or interest-based information to your browser. To opt out of LiveRamp’s targeted advertising, please go here: https://liveramp.com/opt_out/
- RhythmOne. You may view RhythmOne’s privacy policy through this link. RhythmOne uses cookies and similar tracking technologies (such as mobile device identifiers and digital fingerprinting) to provide its services. RhythmOne may use aggregated information (not including your name, address, email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Websites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices about not having this information used by these companies, please visit the following webpage: http://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp.
- District M. You may find District M’s privacy policy through this link.
- YieldMo. You may find YieldMo’s privacy policy through this link. If you want to opt out of receiving interest based ads from Yieldmo or exercise your right under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) to opt-out of the sale of your personal information, you may do so through this link.
- The Rubicon Project. You may find Rubicon’s privacy policy through this link. If you want to opt out of receiving interest based ads from Rubicon or exercise your right under the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”) to opt-out of the sale of your personal information, you may do so through this link. You may also utilize the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page, or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page.
- Amazon Publisher Services. You may find Amazon Publisher Services’ privacy policy through this link.
- AppNexus. You may find the AppNexus privacy policy through this link.
- OpenX. You may find OpenX’s privacy policy through this link.
- Verizon Media formerly known as Oath. You may find Verizon Media’s privacy policy through this link. You may also utilize the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page, or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page to opt-out of the use of cookies for interest-based advertising.
- TripleLift. You may find TripleLift’s privacy policy through this link. To opt out of receiving interest-based advertising (including retargeting) from TripleLift’s services through the use of cookies in your current browser and for more information on what it means to opt-out, please go to www.triplelift.com/consumer-opt-out.
- Index Exchange. You may find Index Exchange’s privacy policy through this link. You may also utilize the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page, or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page to opt-out of the use of cookies for interest-based advertising.
- Sovrn. You may find Sovrn’s privacy policy through this link.
- GumGum. You may find GumGum’s privacy policy through this link. GumGum may (i) use place and use cookies on end users’ browsers or use web beacons to collect information about end users who visit such Publisher Websites and (ii) link such collected end user information to other end user information provided by third parties in order to deliver targeted Advertisements to such end users.
- Digital Remedy. You may find Digital Remedy’s privacy policy through this link.
- MediaGrid. You may find MediaGrid’s privacy policy through this link. MediaGrid may collect and store information about end-user interactions with this website through cookies, advertising IDS, pixels and server-to-server connections. MediaGrid was receive the following information: the page an End-User has requested and the referring/exit pages; Timestamp information (i.e., the date and time the End-User has visited the page); IP address; mobile device identifier; device model; device operating system; browser type; carrier; gender; age; geolocation (including GPS coordinates); clickstream data; cookie information; first-party identifiers'; and hashed email addresses; demographic and inferred interest information; and post-conversion data (from both online and offline behaviour). Some of this data is gathered from this website and others is gathered from advertisers. MediaGrid uses this data to provide its services. You may also utilize the Network Advertising Initiative’s opt-out page, the Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page, or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance’s opt-out page to opt-out of the use of cookies for interest-based advertising or review their privacy policy for more information.
- RevContent - You may find RevContent’s privacy policy through this link. RevContent may collect information about your browser or device, including browser type, IP Address, device type, user agent string, and operating system. RevContent also collects information about the websites you visit through their services, such as date and time of access and specific pages accessed and the content and ads you click on. You may opt-out of any personalization track by opting-out of RevContent’s data collection.
- Centro, Inc. - You may find Centro’s privacy policy through this link. You may find opt-out information for Centro’s services through the privacy policy link.
- 33Across, Inc. - You may find 33Across’s privacy policy through this link. To opt-out of personalized advertising, please visit https://optout.networkadvertising.org/?c=1.
- Conversant. LLC - You may find Conversant’s privacy policy through this link. Conversant uses information that does not directly identify you, such as information about your browser type, time and date of visit, your browsing or transaction activity, the subject of advertisements clicked or scrolled over, and a unique identifier (such as a cookie string, or a unique advertising identifier provided by your mobile device) during your visits to this and other websites and apps in order to provide advertisements about goods and services likely to be of greater interest to you. Conversant may use technologies such as cookies and other tracking technologies to collect this information. To learn more about interest-based advertising, or to opt-out, you can visit www.youronlinechoices.eu or https://www.networkadvertising.org/.
Display Ads
Traveltomtom may use third-party advertising companies to serve content and advertisements when you visit the Website, which may use cookies, as noted above. If you would like more information about this practice and to know your choices to opt-in or opt-out of this data collection, please visit https://www.networkadvertising.org/managing/opt_out.asp.
Retargeting Ads
From time to time, the Website may engage in remarketing efforts with third-party companies, such as Google, Facebook, or Instagram, in order to market the Website. These companies use cookies to serve ads based on someone’s past visits to the Website.
Facebook: Opt-out of Facebook remarketing here
Google: Opt-out of Google remarketing here
Affiliate Program Participation
As mentioned above, Traveltomtom uses affiliate marketing to finance his travels, which is done by embedding tracking links all over the Website. If you click on a link for an affiliate partnership, a cookie will be placed on your browser to track any sales for purposes of commissions (but this comes at no extra cost to you).
I am part of the following affiliate programs, who may be using cookies to track any sales/commissions coming via my recommendations on this Website.
Affiliate Window: I use Affiliate Window for a few different affiliate programs, including Etsy. You can read more about Affiliate Window’s GDPR Compliance here.
Agoda: I use Agoda for recommending hotels. Click here for their privacy policy.
Amazon: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This program utilizes cookies to track visits for the purposes of assigning commission on these sales.
Booking.com: I use Booking.com affiliate links throughout this site when I recommend hotels or places to stay. You can read more about how Booking handles privacy/data here.
CJ: CJ is another affiliate network I use for several programs, including GoEuro. You can check out their privacy here (via Conversant LLC).
GetYourGuide: I recommend GetYourGuide for various tours and attractions. You can read their Privacy Policy here.
Performance Horizon: I use Performance Horizon for their Hostelworld affiliate program.
Simoption: I use SimOption links on The Website when recommending sim cards for travelers.
ShareASale: I use ShareASale for a few different affiliate programs including Tailwind. Here is their terms of use.
WorldNomads: I often recommend WorldNomads for travel insurance. See their Privacy Policy here.
Newsletters
On Traveltomtom, you may subscribe to my newsletter, which may be used for advertising purposes. All newsletters sent may contain tracking pixels. The pixel is embedded in emails and allows an analysis of the success of online marketing campaigns. Because of these tracking pixels, we may see if and when you open an email and which links within the email you click. Also, this allows the Website to adapt the content of future newsletters to the interests of the user. This behaviour will not be passed on to third parties.
Rights Related to Your Personal Information
Opt-out – You may opt-out of future email communications by following the unsubscribe links in our emails. You may also notify us at info@traveltomtom.netto be removed from our mailing list.
Access – You may access the personal information we have about you by submitting a request to info@traveltomtom.net.
Amend – You may contact me at info@traveltomtom.net to amend or update your personal information.
Forget – In certain situations, you may request that we erase or forget your personal data. To do so, please submit a request to info@traveltomtom.net.
Please note that we may need to retain certain information for record keeping purposes or to complete transactions, or when required by law.
Sensitive Personal Information
At no time should you submit sensitive personal information to the Website. This includes your social security number, information regarding race or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious beliefs, health information, criminal background, or trade union memberships. If you elect to submit such information to us, it will be subject to this Privacy Policy.
Children’s Information
The Website does not knowingly collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of 16. If a parent or guardian believes that the Website has personally identifiable information of a child under the age of 16 in its database, please contact us immediately at info@traveltomtom.net and we will use our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.
Contact Information
Please contact me through email: info@traveltomtom.net.
Last updated: June 2019