Privacy Policy

The Trails of Ceylon ("we", "us", "our") is committed to protecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you visit thetrailsofceylon.com, how we use it, and the choices you have regarding your personal data. Please read this policy carefully.

1. Information We Collect

Information you provide directly

When you use our contact form, we collect your name, email address, and the message you submit. This information is processed via Netlify Forms and used solely to respond to your enquiry. We do not store contact form submissions beyond what is needed to reply to you.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, certain information is collected automatically, including your IP address (anonymised), browser type and version, operating system, pages visited, time spent on pages, and referring URLs. This information is collected via Google Analytics (see Section 3) and is used in aggregate form to understand how visitors use our site. We do not use this data to personally identify you.

2. Cookie Policy

Cookies are small text files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use the following types of cookies:

• Analytics cookies: Google Analytics sets cookies (_ga, _gid, _gat) to track aggregate visitor behaviour. These help us understand which content is most useful. Analytics cookies are only set if you accept our cookie consent banner.
• Preference cookies: We store your cookie consent choice (accepted or declined) in your browser's localStorage so we do not ask you repeatedly.
• Third-party cookies: Embedded content from partners (Expedia widgets, GetYourGuide) may set their own cookies. We do not control third-party cookie behaviour.

You can opt out of analytics cookies at any time by clicking "Decline" on our cookie banner or by clearing your browser cookies. You can also install the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on.

3. Google Analytics

This website uses Google Analytics 4, a web analytics service provided by Google LLC. Google Analytics uses cookies to help us analyse how users interact with our site. The information generated by the cookie (including your anonymised IP address) is transmitted to and stored by Google on servers in the United States.

We have enabled IP anonymisation, which means Google truncates your IP address before storing it. We do not use Google Analytics data to personally identify individual visitors. For more information on how Google processes data, visit policies.google.com/privacy.

4. Affiliate Disclosure

The Trails of Ceylon participates in affiliate marketing programmes. This means that some links on our website are affiliate links — when you click one and make a booking or purchase, we may earn a commission. This commission comes at no extra cost to you and does not affect the price you pay.

Affiliate programmes we participate in include, but are not limited to: Booking.com, GetYourGuide, Expedia, and Amazon Associates. We only recommend products, services, and accommodation that we genuinely believe are useful to our readers. Our editorial opinions are never influenced by commercial relationships.

Posts or pages containing affiliate links are part of our normal editorial content and are not paid advertorials unless explicitly labelled as such.

5. Advertising

We may display advertisements served by Google AdSense or similar advertising networks. These services may use cookies to display ads relevant to your interests based on your browsing history across websites. You can opt out of interest-based advertising via Google's Ads Settings or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out tool.

6. Third-Party Links

Our website contains links to third-party websites including tour operators, accommodation providers, and travel booking platforms. We are not responsible for the privacy practices or content of those sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

7. Data Retention & Security

We do not store personal data on our own servers. Contact form submissions are retained by Netlify in accordance with their data retention policies. Google Analytics data is retained for 14 months. We take reasonable precautions to protect data transmitted to and from our site, including HTTPS encryption.

8. Your Rights

Depending on your location, you may have rights under GDPR, UK GDPR, CCPA, or other applicable laws, including the right to access, correct, or delete personal data we hold about you. To exercise these rights, please contact us at the address below. We will respond within 30 days.

9. Children's Privacy

This website is not directed at children under 16 years of age. We do not knowingly collect personal data from children. If you believe a child has submitted personal information to us, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

10. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects when the policy was last revised. Continued use of our website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy.

11. Contact Us

For any privacy-related questions, to request data deletion, or to report a concern, please contact us via our Contact page or by email at hello@thetrailsofceylon.com.