Privacy Notice

Who we are

Cool Weather Compass is operated by Kevin Oliver, an individual sole proprietor ("we", "us"). We are the data controller for personal data collected through this site. Contact: hello@coolweathercompass.com.

What we collect

• Tip records. Tips are collected through an external tip platform (Ko-fi), which collects your email address, billing information, and payment method under its own privacy policy. We see only the summary record it shows us — the amount, currency, date, and the name or email you chose to share — so we can keep an accurate log of support received. This site never receives or stores your card details.
• Server logs. Our hosting provider records standard technical information for every request: IP address, user agent, referring URL, and timestamp. These logs are used for security, debugging, and abuse prevention.
• Analytics. We may use privacy-respecting analytics to count page views and understand which guides are useful. Analytics data is aggregated and not used to identify individual readers.
• Affiliate click data. When you click an affiliate link to Booking.com, Amazon, Get Your Guide, an eSIM provider, a cruise partner, or Stay22, those partners may set their own cookies to track that the click came from us. We only receive summary commission reports — no individual purchase details.
• Correspondence. If you email us, we keep the message to reply and, when helpful, to improve our guides.

Why we use it, and the legal basis

• Providing the site and processing tips (performance of a contract, or, for readers who never buy anything, our legitimate interest in operating the site).
• Security, fraud prevention, and abuse handling (legitimate interest).
• Understanding how the site is used (legitimate interest in improving content).
• Legal and tax compliance (compliance with a legal obligation).
• Answering your emails (legitimate interest, or performance of a contract if you're a tipper).

Who we share data with

• Our tip platform (Ko-fi) — if you choose to leave a tip, they process the payment, issue the receipt, and handle refunds under their own privacy policy.
• Hosting and infrastructure providers — our site, database, and edge functions run on managed infrastructure that stores and processes the data described above on our behalf.
• Affiliate networks (Booking.com, Amazon Associates, Get Your Guide, eSIM providers, cruise partners, Stay22) — for click attribution and commission reporting.
• Professional advisers (accounting, legal) — only if strictly necessary and only what's needed.
• Authorities — where we are legally required to disclose information.

We do not sell your personal data.

International transfers

Some of the providers above are based outside your country. Where personal data is transferred internationally, we rely on appropriate safeguards such as Standard Contractual Clauses or the recipient's presence in a jurisdiction recognised as offering adequate protection.

How long we keep it

Tip records are retained for as long as required for tax and accounting purposes (typically 7 years, per US requirements) and are then deleted or anonymised. Server logs are retained for up to 90 days. Correspondence is kept only as long as needed to answer the conversation and any follow-up.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have rights to access, correct, delete, or port your personal data, to restrict or object to certain processing, and to withdraw consent where processing is based on consent. You may also have the right to complain to your local data-protection authority.

To exercise any of these rights, email hello@coolweathercompass.com. We aim to respond within 30 days.

Cookies

We use a small number of essential cookies required for the site to function. Third parties (our tip platform, affiliate networks, Stay22 for booking helpers, and any analytics provider we use) may set their own cookies when you interact with their features. You can manage cookies through your browser settings; blocking third-party cookies may affect affiliate tracking or the behaviour of the tip checkout.

Security

We use appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal data, including transport encryption (HTTPS), access controls, and secrets storage for backend credentials. No system is perfectly secure; if you believe you have found a vulnerability, please email us.

Children

Cool Weather Compass is not directed to children under 16 and we do not knowingly collect their personal data.

Changes

We may update this Privacy Notice. Material changes will be reflected in the "Last updated" date above. Please check back periodically.

See also our Terms and Refund Policy.