Privacy Policy

This policy explains what information Trail Roamer collects when you use trailroamer.com, why we collect it, who else is involved and what choices you have. We've tried to keep it short and accurate to how the site actually works.

What we collect

• Your consent choice and theme. In the U.S. and most other places, when you pick Accept all or Reject non-essential in our cookie banner, we save that choice in your browser's local storage (as tr-cmp) so we don't ask on every page. If you switch between light and dark mode, that preference is saved the same way (as tr-theme). Both stay on your device and aren't sent to us.
• Analytics, only if you accept. If you choose Accept all in our banner, we load Google Analytics 4. It records things like the pages you view, how far you scroll, newsletter sign-ups and clicks on related stories and affiliate links, along with general device, browser and approximate location data. We use it to understand what readers find useful. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, Google Analytics loads only after you choose Consent in Google's consent message.
• Advertising, only if you accept. If you choose Accept all in our banner, we load Google AdSense, which can show ads and use cookies to measure and personalize them. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, Google's own consent message asks you instead, and AdSense starts with ad storage and personalization turned off until you agree there.
• Newsletter sign-ups. If you join the newsletter, the form sends your email address, the page you signed up from and a short list label to Formspree, the form service we use to collect sign-ups. We use that address only to send the Trail Roamer newsletter.
• Email you send us. If you write to us, we keep your message and address so we can reply.
• Hosting logs. The site is hosted on Vercel. Like any web host, Vercel processes technical request data such as IP addresses and browser details to deliver pages and keep the service secure.

We don't sell your personal information, and we don't ask for accounts, payment details or passwords.

Third parties

• Google (Analytics 4 and AdSense) - in the U.S. and most other places, only after you choose Accept all in our banner. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, the AdSense script loads so Google's consent message can appear, while ad cookies, personalized ads and Google Analytics stay off until you choose Consent there. See How Google uses information from sites or apps that use its services.
• Formspree - receives newsletter sign-ups.
• Vercel - hosts the site.
• Affiliate partners - when you click a retailer link, such as Amazon or MotoSport (through the Impact network), you leave our site. Those companies may set their own cookies to track the referral and are covered by their own privacy policies. We receive commission reports, not your personal details.

Advertising and Google's cookies

When you accept advertising, Trail Roamer shows ads served by Google AdSense. Third-party vendors, including Google, use cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this website or other websites. Google's use of advertising cookies enables it and its partners to serve ads to you based on your visits to this site and/or other sites on the Internet. These vendors may also use web beacons and collect your IP address and browser information to deliver and measure ads.

You can opt out of personalized advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings. You can also opt out of some other third-party vendors' use of cookies for personalized advertising by visiting www.aboutads.info. To learn more, read how Google uses data when you use our partners' sites or apps.

How long we keep information

Newsletter addresses are kept until you ask us to remove them. Emails you send us are kept as long as we need them to reply and follow up. Analytics and advertising data held by Google is kept under Google's own retention rules. Your consent and theme choices stay in your browser until you clear them.

Cookies and your choices

In the U.S. and most other places, nothing non-essential runs until you choose in our banner, and Reject non-essential keeps Google Analytics and AdSense off entirely. In the European Economic Area, the UK and Switzerland, the AdSense script loads so Google's consent message can appear, and ad cookies, personalized ads and Google Analytics stay off unless you choose Consent. You can change your mind at any time on our cookie policy page, which lists what each category does. You can also block or clear cookies in your browser settings, and Google offers an Analytics opt-out add-on and ad settings.

To leave the newsletter, email us and we'll remove your address. To ask what we hold about you or to have it deleted, email us and we'll take care of it.

Children

Trail Roamer is written for adult riders and isn't directed at children under 13. We don't knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has sent us information, email us and we'll delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we change how the site handles data, we'll update this page and the date at the top.

Contact

Privacy questions go to trailroamers@gmail.com, or see our contact page.