This Privacy Policy explains how Solo Travel Story collects and processes personal data when you visit and use my website, including in connection with cookies, analytics, advertising and affiliate links.
Please read this Privacy Policy carefully so that you understand how your personal data is handled.
Controller
My name is Carolin and I write a private and personal travel blog at https://solotravelstory.com
If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal data is processed, you can contact me at:
contact [at] solotravelstory dot com
What Personal Data Do I Process?
WordPress Comments
If you leave a comment on Solo Travel Story, WordPress may collect the information you provide in the comment form, such as your name, email address, website URL and the content of your comment. Your IP address and browser information may also be processed to help detect spam and protect the website from abuse.
Your name and comment may be publicly displayed on the website. Your email address is not publicly displayed.
Comments are stored for as long as they remain published on the website, unless they are deleted by you or by me, or need to be removed for legal, security or moderation reasons.
If WordPress or another service processes comment data on my behalf, this processing is carried out for the operation, security and moderation of the website.
Newsletter via KIT
If you subscribe to the Solo Travel Story newsletter, I collect your email address and any other information you voluntarily provide when subscribing.
The newsletter is managed and distributed using Kit. Your data is processed by Kit on my behalf for the purpose of sending and managing the newsletter.
I only send newsletters to people who have actively subscribed. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in every newsletter. Once you unsubscribe, your email address will no longer be used to send you newsletters.
Your subscription data is retained for as long as you remain subscribed or as necessary to document your previous consent and comply with legal obligations.
Kit may process data outside the European Economic Area. Appropriate safeguards for international data transfers are used where required by applicable data protection law.
I do not sell or rent newsletter subscriber data to third parties.
Google Analytics 4
Solo Travel Story uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4), a web analytics service provided by Google. I use Google Analytics to understand how visitors use my website, including information such as traffic levels, popular content and general visitor behaviour. This helps me understand how the blog is performing and improve my content.
Google Analytics may process information such as device and browser information, approximate location, pages visited, interactions with the website and other information relating to your use of the website.
Google Analytics is only used where the required consent has been given through my cookie consent system. You can withdraw or change your consent at any time through the cookie settings on Solo Travel Story.
I do not use Google Analytics to intentionally identify individual visitors. I also do not publish individual analytics data on my website.
Google may process data outside the European Economic Area. Where applicable, Google uses appropriate safeguards for international data transfers in accordance with applicable data protection law.
For more information about how Google processes data in connection with its services, please refer to Google’s privacy information.
Advertising: Journey by Mediavine
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.
For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.
Affiliate Links: Stay 22
Solo Travel Story uses Stay22 for hotel affiliate links.
Some links on Solo Travel Story are affiliate links. If you click on one of these links and subsequently make a qualifying booking, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
Stay22 uses affiliate tracking to attribute clicks and bookings to my website and affiliate account. This may involve the use of tracking technologies such as cookies or similar identifiers when you click an affiliate link. Stay22’s system uses an affiliate ID to attribute bookings and commissions to the relevant publisher.
The affiliate links I use are primarily for hotels and accommodation. I only link to accommodation and services that I would consider relevant to my readers, and whether I use an affiliate link or not does not influence my editorial opinions or recommendations.
Affiliate links are clearly disclosed on the relevant content for transparency. Affiliate links are clearly marked with an asterisk (*) and an appropriate disclosure notice so that you can identify them before clicking.
I use any income generated through affiliate links to support the running and development of Solo Travel Story, including website costs, content research and other expenses associated with producing the blog.
I do not sell or otherwise provide my readers’ personal information to Stay22 for unrelated marketing purposes.
Buy Me a Coffee
Readers can voluntarily support Solo Travel Story through Buy Me a Coffee. If you choose to make a contribution, Buy Me a Coffee processes information necessary to complete the transaction and provides me with certain information relating to the support.
Payments are processed by Stripe. Buy Me a Coffee states that it receives a payment token and certain payment information from Stripe, such as the card type and last four digits of the card, and may also receive your name and email address if you provide them. I do not receive or have access to your full payment or card details.
Buy Me a Coffee may also process information such as your IP address, browser information and information about your interaction with its platform.
You can choose to make a one-time payment privately on Buy Me a Coffee.
For further information about how Buy Me a Coffee and Stripe process personal data, please refer to their respective privacy policies.
Cookies & Consent
Solo Travel Story uses cookies and similar technologies to operate the website, remember preferences, analyse website traffic, support advertising and enable affiliate tracking.
Cookies are small files or pieces of information stored on your device when you visit a website. Some cookies are technically necessary for the website to function, while others are used for analytics, advertising, affiliate tracking or other purposes.
I use CookieYes as my cookie consent management platform. Where consent is required, non-essential cookies and similar technologies are only activated after you have given your consent through the cookie consent banner.
You can refuse non-essential cookies when you visit Solo Travel Story and you can change or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie settings available on the website.
The website currently uses cookies and similar technologies associated with services including Google Analytics, Journey by Mediavine, Stay22, Kit and CookieYes. Some third-party services may also use cookies or similar technologies for security, advertising, load balancing or other technical purposes.
The specific cookies used on the website may change as services, plugins and website functionality are updated. You can view and manage your current cookie preferences through the CookieYes consent settings.
You can also control or delete cookies through your web browser. However, disabling certain cookies may affect how some features of the website function.
Youtube Embedded Content
Solo Travel Story may occasionally embed videos from YouTube, a service provided by Google.
When you visit a page containing an embedded YouTube video, YouTube and Google may process information about your visit and your interaction with the video. This may include your IP address, device and browser information, and information about how you interact with the embedded content. Cookies or similar technologies may also be used.
If you interact with an embedded YouTube video, additional data may be processed by YouTube in accordance with Google’s privacy practices.
I do not control the data processing carried out by YouTube or Google. For further information about how YouTube processes personal data, please refer to Google’s privacy policy.
The use of embedded YouTube content does not mean that I receive or control all information collected by YouTube.
Hosting & Server Logs
Solo Travel Story is hosted by LyricalHost. When you visit the website, technical information may be automatically collected and stored in server logs. This may include your IP address, date and time of access, browser type, operating system, the page requested and other technical information necessary to operate and secure the website.
Server log data is processed for the technical operation, security and stability of the website, including the detection and prevention of abuse, attacks and other security incidents.
LyricalHost may process this data on my behalf as part of providing the hosting service. Server logs are retained only for as long as necessary for these purposes or as required by law.
Data Subject Rights
Depending on the circumstances and the applicable legal requirements, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
- Right of access: You can request information about whether I process your personal data and, where applicable, request a copy of that data.
- Right to rectification: You can request that inaccurate or incomplete personal data be corrected.
- Right to erasure: You can request the deletion of your personal data where the legal requirements for erasure are met.
- Right to restriction: You can request that the processing of your personal data be restricted where the legal requirements are met.
- Right to data portability: Where applicable, you can request to receive personal data you have provided to me in a structured, commonly used and machine-readable format.
- Right to object: You can object to certain processing of your personal data where the legal requirements are met, including processing based on legitimate interests and certain forms of direct marketing.
- Right to withdraw consent: Where I process your personal data based on your consent, you can withdraw that consent at any time. Withdrawal does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before you withdrew your consent.
To exercise any of these rights, please contact me at:
contact [at] solotravelstory dot com
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority if you believe that your personal data is being processed unlawfully.
Data Retention
I retain personal data only for as long as necessary for the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or for as long as I am legally required to retain it.
Retention periods vary depending on the type of data and the purpose for which it is processed. For example, newsletter subscription data is retained while you remain subscribed, while comments remain on the website unless they are deleted or need to be removed.
Some data may be retained for longer where this is necessary to comply with legal obligations, resolve disputes, enforce agreements or protect the security of the website.
When personal data is no longer required, it is deleted or anonymised where reasonably possible.
International Transfers
Some of the third-party services used by Solo Travel Story may process personal data outside the European Economic Area (EEA), including in countries that may not provide the same level of data protection as the European Union.
Where personal data is transferred outside the EEA, I rely on an appropriate legal mechanism under applicable data protection law, such as an adequacy decision or Standard Contractual Clauses, where required.
The relevant third-party providers may include Google, Kit, Journey by Mediavine, Stay22, LyricalHost and Buy Me a Coffee.
I do not independently control where these third-party providers process data. Their respective privacy policies provide further information about international data transfers and the safeguards they use.
Changes to this Privacy Policy
I may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the website, the services I use or applicable legal requirements.
The latest version will always be published on this page, together with the date it was last updated.
I encourage you to check this page periodically to stay informed about how your personal data is processed.
Data Security
I take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect personal data processed through Solo Travel Story against loss, misuse, unauthorised access, disclosure, alteration or destruction.
Solo Travel Story uses HTTPS encryption to protect data transmitted between your browser and the website.
However, no method of transmission or electronic storage is completely secure. I therefore cannot guarantee absolute security of your personal data.
Where I use third-party services to process personal data on my behalf, I take reasonable steps to use providers that provide appropriate data protection and security measures.
This Privacy Policy for Solo Travel Story will be reviewed regularly and updated when appropriate. It was last updated in September 2026.