Who we are
howtoineurope.com is a travel guide website about European travel. The site has no user accounts, no comments, no newsletter, and sells nothing directly - so we collect very little data, and this policy is short by design.
The site is operated from Ontario, Canada by Yurii Mandrovnyi, who is the data controller for the processing described here.
What we collect and why
Analytics.We use PostHog in cookieless mode to understand how the site is used. No cookies are set for analytics, no cross-site tracking takes place, and no persistent identifiers are stored in your browser. The data collected consists of anonymized usage events: which pages were viewed, the approximate region derived from your IP address, and the type of device you used. This data is processed on PostHog’s US Cloud. For visitors in the European Economic Area, our legal basis is legitimate interest under GDPR Art. 6(1)(f) - our interest in knowing which guides people actually read so we can make them better.
Hosting. The site is hosted on Vercel. Like nearly every web host, Vercel processes standard server logs - IP address, user agent, and timestamps - to deliver the site reliably and protect it from abuse. Vercel acts as a data processor on our behalf, and this data may be processed in the United States.
Email. If you write to info@howtoineurope.com, we process your email address and the contents of your message solely to respond to you. We do not add you to any list, because there is no list.
That is the complete picture. We do not collect names, payment details, or precise location. We do not build visitor profiles, run advertising trackers, or sell data to anyone.
Cookies
This site does not set analytics or advertising cookies. That is also why you do not see a cookie banner here - there is nothing to ask your consent for.
Affiliate and other third-party links
Some links on this site are affiliate links to third-party services such as Booking.com, GetYourGuide, and others. If you click one and later make a booking or purchase, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.
Clicking an affiliate link takes you to a third-party website with its own privacy policy and its own cookies, which we do not control. We recommend reviewing their policies if you have concerns. We receive no personal data about you from these partners - only aggregate commission reporting, such as the number of bookings in a given month, with nothing in it that identifies an individual visitor.
Data retention
Analytics data exists only as anonymized usage events and aggregate statistics - there are no individual visitor profiles to retain or delete. Server logs are kept by Vercel for limited periods for security and troubleshooting. Emails are kept only as long as needed to handle your inquiry and are deleted afterwards.
Your rights
We operate from Canada and our analytics are cookieless, so in most cases we simply do not hold data that identifies you - but you have rights regardless of where you are, and we will honour them.
If you are in Canada, under PIPEDA you have the right to ask what personal information we hold about you, to have inaccurate information corrected, and to know how it is used.
If you are in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, you have the right to access the personal data we hold about you, to have it corrected (rectification) or deleted (erasure), to restrict or object to its processing, and to receive it in a portable format. Given how little we collect, in most cases the honest answer to an access request will be that we hold nothing that identifies you.
To exercise any of these rights, write to us using the contact details below and we will respond.
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. In Canada, that is the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada (priv.gc.ca). If you are in the EEA or UK, you may complain to the data protection authority in your own country.
Note for California residents
We do not sell or share personal information as those terms are defined by the CCPA/CPRA. The limited technical data described above is used only to operate and improve this site.
Children
This site is not directed at children under 16, and we knowingly collect no personal data from them. If you believe a child has sent us personal data - for example by email - contact us and we will delete it.
International data transfers
We operate from Canada. Analytics data processed by PostHog and server log data processed by Vercel may be transferred to and processed in the United States. For visitors in the European Economic Area or the United Kingdom, where data leaves those regions it is covered by appropriate safeguards such as the standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission (or the UK equivalent). By using this site, visitors outside the United States understand that the limited technical data described above may be processed there.
Changes to this policy
If our data practices change - for example, if we ever add a newsletter or display advertising - we will update this policy and the date at the top of this page. We will not quietly start doing things this policy says we do not do.
Contact
For anything related to this policy or your personal data, email info@howtoineurope.com.