Privacy Policy

This policy explains what personal information TravelWithUche, operated by Zingza LLC (“we”, “the site”), collects when you use travelwithuche.com, why we collect it, who it is shared with, and the choices you have. Questions? Email uche@travelwithuche.com.

Information we collect

• Newsletter email address. If you subscribe to the newsletter, we store the email address you enter and the date you subscribed.
• Account information. If you create an account, we store your name, email address, and a hashed password. If you sign in with Google, we receive basic profile information from your Google account (name, email address, and profile picture URL) instead of a password.
• Community content. Posts, questions, replies, votes, and any other content you submit to the community, along with the account that created it and the time it was created.
• Trip planner & saved places. If you use these features, the trips, itinerary notes, saved destinations, and map markers you create.
• Order information. If you buy something from the shop, the items ordered and order status. Card payments are handled by our payment processor — we do not receive or store full card numbers.
• Analytics data. We use privacy-friendly, cookieless analytics (Umami) that we run on our own server — the data is not shared with a third-party analytics company. It records aggregate usage only: pages viewed, referring site, country, browser, device type, and which key actions (for example newsletter sign-ups) happen. It does not use cookies and does not build a profile of you or track you across other sites.
• Server logs. Our hosting provider records standard technical logs (IP address, request time, user agent) for security and reliability.

Why we use it

• To send the newsletter you asked for, and let you unsubscribe.
• To operate your account, sign you in, and show your content and orders.
• To publish and moderate community content and notify you about its status.
• To fulfil and support shop orders.
• To understand, in aggregate, how the site is used so we can improve it and measure whether promotion is working.
• To keep the site secure and to comply with legal obligations.

Who we share it with

We do not sell your personal information. We share it only with the service providers we rely on to run the site:

• Email provider (Resend) — to deliver newsletter and moderation emails.
• Analytics — our usage analytics (Umami) run on our own server, so aggregate analytics data is not sent to a third-party analytics company.
• Google — if you choose “Continue with Google”, sign-in is processed by Google under its own privacy policy.
• Payment processor (Stripe) — if you make a purchase, to process the payment.
• Venmo — the “Support on Venmo” links take you to Venmo, which handles any tip under its own privacy policy. We only see that a link was clicked, not who paid.
• Hosting provider — the server and database that run the site and store its data.

We may also disclose information if required by law, or to protect the rights, safety, or property of the site and its users.

Cookies

We use a small number of strictly necessary cookies to keep you signed in and to remember your language preference. Our analytics do not use cookies. We do not run advertising or third-party tracking cookies, so there is no cookie consent banner.

How long we keep it

• Newsletter email: until you unsubscribe or ask us to delete it.
• Account and community content: for as long as your account is active. If you delete your account, we remove or anonymise your personal information; community posts may be retained in anonymised form to keep discussions intact.
• Order records: retained as needed for accounting and legal requirements.
• Analytics: retained only in aggregate, with no identifying information.
• Server logs: kept for a short period, then rotated out.

Your choices and rights

• Unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time using the link in any email.
• Update your profile, change your newsletter preference, or delete your account from your account settings.
• Request a copy of your data, a correction, or deletion by emailing uche@travelwithuche.com. We will respond within a reasonable time.

Children

The site is not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age in your country), and we do not knowingly collect their personal information.

Changes to this policy

If we make material changes we will update the effective date above and, where appropriate, notify subscribers by email.

Contact

For any privacy question or request, email uche@travelwithuche.com.