Privacy Policy

Effective date: 15 December 2023

Roaming with the Kolbes is owned and managed by Anton and Nadia Kolbe. We understand the importance of your personal information, thus we have created this Privacy Policy to clarify our commitment to the privacy of our users. This policy sets out the type of information we collect when you visit our website, https://roamingwiththekolbes.com (hereinafter referred to as our “site”) and how we use this information.

Your Personal Information may undergo processing by us through various means, such as:

• Your access, browsing, or utilization of our site and/or the Services;
• Your engagement or utilization of the Content;
• Your engagement in commenting on our site;
• Your communication via email or contact form;
• Your registration for our newsletters (“Newsletters”) and participation in any competitions or promotions (“Competitions”) we organise;
• You downloading downloadable content from our site;
• Your submission of personal Information to us for any other purpose or authorisation of third parties to do so.

When you leave comments on our Site, we collect the information shown in the comment form, including:

• Your name and surname
• Your email address
• Your IP address
• Your browser’s user agent string to aid in spam detection.

If you use the Gravatar service, an anonymized string created from your email address may be sent to Gravatar. You can learn more about Gravatar’s privacy policy here. Upon approval, your Gravatar profile picture will be visible to the public alongside your comment.

3. Cookies

While browsing our SIte is open to all without registration, certain features may require users to sign in with their name and email address. These features include:

• When you engage in commenting on our site, we provide you with the option to conveniently save your name, email, and website information in cookies. These cookies have a duration of one year, ensuring that your commenting experience is seamless and efficient.

• Engaging in social sharing of any content on our site will trigger the collection of cookies through the implementation of Google Analytics. For further details, please refer to Clause 4 below.

Many web browsers give you the option to decline or remove cookies. The procedures for this can differ among browsers and their versions. It’s important to understand that if you choose to block cookies, it could affect how various websites function, our site included. This might result in some features on our Site becoming inaccessible to you.

4. Social Sharing

We use Google Analytics to track social shares from our site. Google automatically collect and store certain information in their server logs which includes device event information such as:

• Crashes
• System activity
• Hardware settings
• Browser type
• Browser language
• The date and time of your request and referral URL
• Cookies that may uniquely identify your browser or your Google Account.

These Cookies are collected in accordance with Google’s data privacy policy. Please read their full data privacy policy here.

5. Google Analytics

We utilize Google Analytics, a web analytics service provided by Google, to collect and analyze data about the usage of our site. Google Analytics may collect the following information:

• Device Information: This may include the type of device you use to access our site, such as a computer, smartphone, or tablet.
• IP Address: Your IP address is automatically collected by Google Analytics, which may provide general location information.
• Cookies: Google Analytics uses cookies to track and analyze user behavior on our site. These cookies may include information about your session duration, pages visited, and interactions with our site.
• Geographic Location: Google Analytics may approximate your geographic location based on your IP address.
• Traffic Sources: Information about how you arrived at our site, including referral sources, search engine queries, and direct traffic.
• User Behavior: Data about your interactions with our site, such as the pages you view, the time you spend on each page, and the actions you take (e.g., clicking on links).
• Demographics and Interests: Google Analytics may provide demographic and interest-based data, such as age, gender, and user interests.

By using our site, you consent to the collection and processing of data by Google Analytics as described in this clause. You can also opt out of Google Analytics tracking by using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on provided by Google itself.

Please see the official Google Analytics privacy policy in Clause 4 above.

6. Embedded Content

Our blog posts may contain embedded content (e.g., videos, images, or other articles and links) from other websites. Engaging with this content is akin to visiting the source website, which might collect data, use cookies, or embed third-party tracking, potentially monitoring your interaction if you’re logged into their site. It is your responsibility to familiarise yourself with the Privacy Policy, as well as the Terms and Conditions of any linked content.

7. Data Sharing

The only instance where your data might be shared is if you consent to us featuring your content on our site.

For purposes of this policy, “data” includes any content provided by you to Roaming with the Kolbes via email or our contact form. This might include but not limited to: personal travel tips, advices, personal information about you or your business (related to the nature of our blog), pictures. Etc. Any information shared with us that will be posted to the site for public view.

8. Data Retention

Comments and their associated metadata are preserved indefinitely, ensuring that the system can automatically recognise and approve follow-up comments for a seamless user experience. As per Clause 6 below, we will delete any personal information requested, at any time, by the owner of that information.

Your name, surname and email address will be retained in the following instances:

• Upon commenting
• Upon downloading any content available for download on our site
• Upon subscribing to any type of newsletter or service offered on our site

When you share your email address with us, we commit to using it solely for its intended purpose. Rest assured, we won’t contact you for reasons unrelated to that purpose. If you ever wish to stop receiving our emails, simply click the “unsubscribe” option in any email. If you wish for us to delete your information after providing it for the purpose of commenting, you are free to do so per Clause 9 below.

We commit to keeping your email address confidential and will never be passed on to third parties.

9. Your Data Rights

Any person who has commented on this site and was requested to provide their name and email address, can request an exported file of their personal data held by us. You can also request the deletion of your personal data. However, data necessary for administrative, legal, or security purposes is exempt.

10. Data Transfers

Visitor comments may undergo an automated spam detection service check to maintain the integrity of our platform and provide a spam-free environment for our visitors and users.

11. Compliance with South African and other Data Protection Laws

In alignment with the South African Protection of Personal Information regulations and global data protection standards like GDPR, our unwavering commitment lies in safeguarding the privacy of sensitive information under our processing.

While nothing on the internet is ever truly safe, our site rigorously adheres to implementing the necessary measures to ensure the security of users on our Site.

All information shared with us will be utilised strictly as outlined in this policy, or as mutually agreed upon with the individual providing the information.

12. Changes to Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Policy may undergo occasional updates. It is always best to refer to our site for the latest version, marked with an “Effective Date” at the beginning.

Updates might occur due to evolving practices, technological shifts, or service modifications. Significant alterations in how we manage your personal data, or intentions to use it differently than initially stated, will be communicated, allowing you time to provide your consent. If you decline, your data will be managed based on the policy effective during its collection.

Engaging with our site or services post the mentioned Effective Date signifies your agreement with our current privacy terms. Our promise is to respect the terms of the Privacy Policy valid at the time of receiving your information.

13. Contact Us

If you require any further clarity regarding the information contained in this privacy policy, please feel free to contact us via email to hello@roamingwiththekolbes.com

Your communication can be addressed to either Anton Kolbe or Nadia Kolbe, and we will endeavour to respond as soon as reasonably possible.