Privacy Policy

This privacy policy (the “Agreement’”) sets forth the privacy practices for www.switchbacktravel.com (the “Website”). By accessing, browsing, using and/or downloading the pages on this Website, you agree to accept and comply with this Agreement for each use and visit to this Website. If you do not agree to accept and comply with this Agreement, you should not access, browse, or otherwise use this Website.

Switchback Travel reserves the right, at any time, to modify, alter, or update this Agreement, and you agree to be bound by such modifications, alterations, or updates. You agree to regularly review this Agreement and to be aware of such revisions. Your use of this Website following any such change constitutes your agreement to follow and be bound by this Agreement as changed.
 

Collection of Information

Cookies
In connection with your use of the Website, we may automatically collect information from you using “cookies.” Cookies are small data files stored on your hard drive by a website. A cookie by itself does not personally identify the user; it merely identifies the computer or device with which the user accesses the Website. Cookies help us track user behavior such as which pages you visit and how long spend in each area of the site, and this data helps us improve our user experience.

You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but if you prefer, you can usually modify your browser settings to decline cookies. If you delete your cookies or set your web browser to decline cookies, some features of the Website may not work as designed. For more information on cookies and how to disable them, you can consult the information provided by the Interactive Advertising Bureau at www.allaboutcookies.org.

Web Beacons
We also may use web beacons (also known as "pixel tags") to access cookies and to count users who visit our Website or open our email messages. Web beacons are tiny graphic images with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, that are used to track online movements of our users. We may use web beacons to collect information about your interactions with our e-mail messages, such as the links you click on and whether you open or forward a message, the date and time of these interactions, and the device you use to read our emails.
 

Third-Party Analytics
We use third parties to provide analytics services. These entities may use cookies, web beacons, and other devices or technologies to collect information about your use of the Website including your IP address, location, web browser, search terms, pages viewed, and time spent on pages. This information may be used to, among other things, analyze visitation data, determine the popularity of certain content, and better understand the usage of our Website. 
 

Affiliate Links
Switchback Travel is a member of several affiliate marketing programs, including Amazon Associates and the AvantLink network. This means that when you click on the affiliate links in our articles or shop through the links on our support us page, we may receive a small commission on your purchase. The price is the same to you and this allows us to continue testing and reviewing as much gear as possible. We take great pride in the independence of our work and never receive any financial compensation from manufacturers for reviews. By using the Website and clicking on our links, you consent to the use of third-party cookies for affiliate marketing purposes.

Email
We have an electronic newsletter sign-up in the footer of our Website operated by a third-party platform. We will only use your email address are for our newsletter and other internal marketing purposes. We will not sell or distribute your email address to any third party. If you no longer wish to receive emails from us, you can unsubscribe at any time by following the instructions in those emails, or by sending a request to [email protected].
 

Use of Information

We may use information about you for various purposes, including the following:

• Monitor and analyze trends, usage, and activities in connection with our Website;
• Operate and improve our Website;
• Provide you with advertising and analyze the results, including from third-party websites and applications;
• Respond to your comments and questions;
• Send you newsletters and emails;
• Detect, investigate, and prevent activities that may violate our policies or be illegal;
• Carry out any other purpose for which the information was collected.
   

Sharing of Information

We may share information about you for various purposes, including the following:

• We may share information with third parties who perform services on our behalf. For example, we share information with developers, vendors, or other companies that help us operate our Website or advertisements.  
• We may share information in order to comply with the law or to protect ourselves.
• We may share information with any successor to all or part of our business.  
• We may share information for other reasons as may be described to you.
   

Social Plugins
The Website may offer social plugins (such as the ShareThis Plugin currently on the right side of the screen) or other tools or features. The use of such features enables the sharing of certain information with your friends or the public, depending on the settings you establish with the third party that provides the feature. For more information about the purpose and scope of data collection in connection with social sharing, please visit the privacy policies of the third parties that provide these features.

Comments
The Website has a third-party comment platform at the bottom of our articles. If you choose to engage in commenting and other public activities, you should be aware that any personal information you submit can be read, collected, and used by other users. We are not responsible for the personal information you choose to submit in the course of your public activities and we have no responsibility to publish, take down, remove, or edit any of your public activities or submissions. When you comment on a third-party platform, that action and any information you share will be covered by their privacy policy.

How We Protect Your Information
We use industry standard security measures to protect this Website and your information. However, we cannot guarantee that your use of the Website will be completely secure and encourage you to take steps to protect yourself online.

California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA)
We do not sell any client or consumer data to any third parties as defined under the CCPA.

Children’s Privacy
The Website is not directed to children and we do not knowingly collect or store personal information from children under the age of thirteen. If we become aware that we have inadvertently received personal information from a visitor under the age of thirteen, we will delete the information from our records.
 

Links
Our platforms contain links to third-party websites. If you click on those links, you will be taken to sites that we do not control. This Agreement does not apply to the information and privacy practices of those sites. You should read the privacy policy of other sites you visit carefully, and we are not responsible for such third-party websites.
 

Non-U.S. Users
This Website is based in the United States and the information we collect is governed by U.S. law. By accessing or using the Website or otherwise providing information to us, you consent to the processing, transfer, and storage of information to the U.S., where you may not have the same rights and protections as you do under local law.
 

Data Subject Requests
If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have the right to access personal data we hold about you, if any, and to ask that your personal data be corrected, erased, or transferred. You may also have the right to object to, or request that we restrict, certain processing. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, you may contact us at [email protected]. If you have a concern that we are not able to resolve, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the data privacy authority where you reside. For contact details of your local Data Protection Authority, please see: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/data-protection/article-29/structure/data-protection-authorities/index_en.htm.