Schwanderlust ("we," "us," "our") is a family travel journal written by Jennifer and Brian Schwan. It is a personal project: we publish trip stories, photos, and a map of where we have been. We do not sell anything on this site, and you do not need an account to read it. This policy explains what information is collected through schwanderlust.com, why, and how you can control it.
Information We Collect
We collect what you choose to send us, plus a small amount of automatic usage data.
- Contact form. The Contact link at the bottom of each page opens a short form. When you send it, we receive your name, email address, and message, along with the page you sent it from.
- Trip interest forms. A few pages describe trips that Jennifer plans professionally through Schwan Travels. The forms on those pages collect your name, email address, an optional phone number, and your message, and they go to Schwan Travels rather than to this journal. See "Schwan Travels" below.
- Usage data. Standard analytics data such as pages viewed, approximate location (city or region level), device type, referring site, and which links are clicked, collected automatically through Google Analytics.
The search box on our Stories page runs entirely in your browser. What you type there is not sent to us.
How We Use Your Information
- To read and reply to the message you sent.
- To understand which stories people read so we can improve the site.
We do not sell your personal information, we do not share it with third parties for their marketing, and we do not add you to a mailing list. This site has no newsletter.
Schwan Travels
Jennifer also works as a travel advisor at Schwan Travels, which is a separate business with its own website. If you fill out a trip interest form on this site, or follow a link to schwantravel.com, your information is handled by Schwan Travels for the purpose of responding to your inquiry and planning travel, under its own privacy policy. Messages sent through the footer Contact form stay with this journal and are not passed to Schwan Travels.
Cookies and Analytics
This site uses Google Analytics 4, which sets cookies to measure aggregate traffic and usage patterns. We do not use advertising cookies. You can block cookies in your browser settings and still read everything on the site.
Third-Party Services We Use
Parts of this site rely on outside services, each of which receives standard request data such as your IP address when your browser loads content from it: Cloudflare (hosting and delivery of contact form messages), Google (Analytics and web fonts), Cloudinary (image delivery), and OpenStreetMap, CARTO, and Leaflet (interactive maps). Some stories include YouTube videos, which load from YouTube only when you press play.
Some stories link to Viator for bookable tours and activities. These are affiliate links, which means we may earn a commission if you book through them, at no extra cost to you. They take you to Viator's own site, which is governed by Viator's privacy policy. Our social links (YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn) likewise take you to those platforms, each with its own privacy practices.
Data Retention
Contact form messages arrive in our email inbox and are kept only as long as needed to reply and keep a reasonable record of the conversation. You can ask us to delete a message at any time.
Your Choices
- You can ask us to access, correct, or delete the personal information we hold about you at any time.
- You can email us directly instead of using the contact form.
- You can block analytics cookies in your browser without losing access to any part of the site.
To make a request, email us at brian@schwanderlust.com.
Children's Privacy
We write about traveling with our own kids, but this site is written for adults and is not directed at children. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 13.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this policy occasionally as the site changes. The effective date at the top of this page will always reflect the most recent version.
Contact Us
Questions about this policy or your information? Reach us at brian@schwanderlust.com.