Policy updated on 18th March 2024
Hi There, I’m Sophie Pearce, welcome to your full disclosure policy!
As you’re here, I’m sure you’re curious to know a few things about my website;
- How I make money and what financial relationships I have with third parties
- How I store your data by visiting my website
All valid questions which you have a right to know about and I will aim to answer below.
I believe that honesty is the best policy, always.
So, keep reading to find out how this site makes an income, stores your data and how this does (or does not) affect you.
As the owner, publisher, photographer, admin and jack of all trades of this website, I’m also the Data Protection Officer.
So, if you have any questions you feel I haven’t answered, feel free to contact me here; hello [at ] thirdeyetraveller [dot] com.
Disclosure Policy
This part will explain my financial relationships with third parties and how you will be kept informed.
ASA, CAP & CMA Disclosure
The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA), Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) and the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) would like me to inform you about any financial relationships I have with companies, tourism boards or brands. i.e. when these guys pay me!
They would also like me to inform you when I am gifted a product in exchange for a review and when I am sponsored by a tourism board/hotel for travel. This is because you, as a consumer of my blog, have a right to know. Fairs, Fair right?!
Below are a variety of ways that my blog makes money;
Affiliate Marketing
You should be aware that most of my articles contain affiliate links.
What this means is, if you click on an affiliate link on my website, it will come with a tracking code.
If you purchase a product after clicking on my affiliate link, I will earn a small commission at no further cost to you.
Above every blog post on my site I put a disclaimer that my post may contain affiliate links (with a link to this very disclosure policy).
Although I have affiliate links and advertise products on my website you are under no obligation to purchase or use any of these products.
What companies do I have affiliates with (i.e. who pays me)?
Amazon Affiliates: I am part of the Amazon affiliate programme. Sometimes, I create packing lists and advertise travel products I think my followers will love. If you buy any product through this link. I will earn a small commission from Amazon. Cue, corporate paragraph…
Third Eye Traveller is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.
Keepgo: I am part of an affiliate programme with Keepgo, a WiFi hotspot company that keeps me online. If you purchase a Keepgo product I earn a small commission at no further cost to you. This used to be gifted as extra data and now it’s commission sales based on my referral link.
Booking. com: I recommend hotels/hostels that I believe are a great option for accommodation for your travels. If you book a hotel after clicking on my affiliate links, I earn a small commission.
Reward Style: I sometimes create packing lists or articles about what to wear in certain countries. If you buy any of the clothes I’ve linked into the Reward Style widget, I gain a small commission.
World Nomads: Travel Insurance is a necessity when you travel, I am a proud ambassador of World Nomad’s and when you open a policy with them from my links or widgets, I gain a commission.
As an affiliate, we receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. We do not represent World Nomads. This is information only and not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.
Bluehost: I sometimes put together articles for aspiring bloggers, Bluehost offers great entry level hosting. When you sign up with them, I gain a small commission.
CJ Affiliates: Skyscanner, Tripadvisor and some other companies all have affiliate links under the umbrella company CJ. Clicking on any of those links and purchasing a flight/hotel will result in a small commission.
Get Your Guide: I often recommend guided tours on my blog for certain destinations i.e Outlander tours in Scotland. You’ll see a ‘Get Your Guide Widget’ or link when this is the case. If you book a tour by clicking on this widget, I will gain a small commission.
ShareASale: I use the Tailwind App for Pinterest and sometimes I recommend them on my site. Signing up to Tailwind and purchasing their subscriptions through my affiliate link will result in a commission.
Liability
Once you have purchased a product from my affiliate links, I, Sophie Pearce or the website Third Eye Traveller, is not liable or responsible for the product quality or satisfaction. The support, review or return of that product must be progressed with the company in question.
How will I know when you’ve been sponsored or gifted a product?
As a travel blogger, it’s my job to travel a lot.
Sometimes my trip will be fully sponsored (paid for) by a tourism board or brand and I will receive no extra payment. But, in some cases, I will also be paid for this trip too.
This is usually in exchange for deliverables like blog post reviews, photos, social media posts etc.
From time to time, I may only be sponsored for part of a trip;
Hotels: I may be gifted a stay in a hotel in exchange for a review/social media photos
Restaurants: I may be invited to eat at a restaurant in exchange for a review and social media shout outs
Entrance fees: Sometimes the entrance fee to an attraction may be gifted in exchange for deliverables
Trips: I often go on food tours, day trips, sightseeing, or walking tours which may be sponsored (paid for) by the company in exchange for a review.
Gifted Products
Many brands/companies get in touch with me to collaborate. This usually includes gifting me a product (i.e. a travel pillow/backpacks) or allowing me to trial their product to advertise to my readers.
My promise to you
So you are fully aware, I will always disclose when I am sponsored in the following ways;
Social media: I will disclose ‘Ad’, ‘Invite’, ‘Sponsored’, or ‘Gifted’ on my content and tag the company I am working with.
On my blog: I will always disclose at the bottom of my post what company I have worked with and whether they have sponsored the trip, just part of it, or gifted me a product.
Mediavine Programmatic 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.
For specific information about Mediavine Partners, the data each collects and their data collection and privacy policies, please visit Mediavine Partners.
Privacy Policy
This section aims to let you know how we collect and protect your information and what rights you have. If you feel something hasn’t been explained, please contact thirdeyetraveller@gmail.com.
Remember: at any time, you have the right to disable cookies on your browser and Unsubscribe to my mailing list by selecting ‘Unsubscribe’ in the emails from me.
How this website stores and collects your information
Cookies (unfortunately, not the yummy kind!)
This site uses cookies – small text files that are placed on your machine to help the site provide a better user experience.
In general, cookies are used to retain user preferences, store information for things like shopping carts, and provide anonymised tracking data to third party applications like Google Analytics.
As a rule, cookies will make your browsing experience better. However, you may prefer to disable cookies on this site and on others.
The most effective way to do this is to disable cookies in your browser. We suggest consulting the Help section of your browser or taking a look at the About Cookies website which offers guidance for all modern browsers
You willingly provide the information in sign up forms (Flodesk)
On this website there are various sign up forms that are connected with Flodesk.
Flodesk is an email collector service that allows me to store an email list. I collect these emails in one place so that I can send newsletters at the touch of a button and make sure no one is left out, including you!
These forms allow you to subscribe to my newsletter or access certain areas of my site. This information only includes your name and email address.
As part of this sign up process you are required to acknowledge how my site collects your information and that you are protected by GDPR.
This also means I am not allowed to share your information with any third parties. Even if there wasn’t a policy, I would never do this!
You will provide your name and email address in the sign up form and this information is stored in the Flodesk system.
You have a right to opt-out at any point. Please use the ‘Unsubscribe’ link in the email sent to you.
I use an app called Revive Old Posts that shares content from my website to my social page on Facebook. This app does not store your information but is a means to provide a way for me to share my content with you!
But, Facebook wants me to also let you know this just in case;
Facebook permissions asked by this Application
This Application may ask for some Facebook permissions allowing it to perform actions with the User’s Facebook account and to retrieve information, including Personal Data, from it. This service allows this Application to connect with the User’s account on the Facebook social network, provided by Facebook Inc.
For more information about the following permissions, refer to the Facebook permissions documentation and to the Facebook privacy policy.
The permissions asked are the following:
Basic information
By default, this includes certain User’s Data such as id, name, picture, gender, and their locale. Certain connections of the User, such as the Friends, are also available. If the User has made more of their Data public, more information will be available.
See the full Facebook App Policy here.
Google Analytics
Google Analytics tracks how you use my website. It provides information such as referring websites (where you found my page) and user actions you take on my Website (if you leave or click on another page).
Google Analytics may capture your IP address with location, but no other personal information is captured by Google Analytics.
Sensitive Personal Information
At no time should you submit sensitive personal information to the Website.
This includes political opinions, information regarding race or ethnic origin, religious beliefs, your health, 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 staging6.thirdeyetraveller.co and we will use our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.
Need any more information?
Congrats if you made it this far! I hope that all made sense and you feel a little more informed about how I get paid on this blog and how it stores your information.
Remember, you always have control of your data and whether you choose to purchase a product via my links!
If you feel that something hasn’t been covered or you’re not quite sure about something, feel free to drop me a note at hello [at] thirdeyetraveller [dot] com.