Privacy Policy

Who We Are

I know reading a privacy policy is about as exciting as a delayed flight, but this is all the necessary information about how things work at Laura’s Suitcase.

My name is Laura and I run this blog, Laura’s Suitcase (https://www.laurassuitcase.com). I am based in London, United Kingdom.

When you visit, this website may collect a bit of information to help the site run smoothly. I’ve been in software engineering for over a decade, so I understand how important data privacy and storage is and I will always treat yours with respect. If you have any questions, you can always reach me at hello@laurassuitcase.com.

What Data We Collect & Why

1. Information you give me

When you sign up for my newsletter or fill out a form for a free itinerary, packing list, or other downloadable asset, I collect:

  • Contact Data: Your email address
  • Source: What specific form you filled in

Why I collect it: To send you the newsletter or assets you’ve asked for.

Legal Basis: Consent. You give this information to me by filling out the form and confirming your subscription via the “Double Opt-In” email. This is the confirmation email you receive once you sign up, with a button you must click to confirm. You can withdraw your consent at any time by clicking “unsubscribe” in any automated email I send you.

2. Information collected automatically

When you browse Laura’s Suitcase, certain information is collected by Google Analytics:

  • Usage Data: Which pages you visit, how you came to my site, how long you stay, and what links you click
  • Technical Data: Your IP address (anonymised), browser type, device type (mobile/desktop), and approximate location (country/city).

Why I collect it: To understand which pages and posts are actually helpful, and to improve the site’s performance.

Legal Basis: Legitimate Interest. It helps me run and grow the blog, and the data is anonymised so I can’t identify you personally.

3. Newsletter Tracking

I use MailerLite to send my emails. This service tells me:

  • The date you subscribed
  • The country you subscribed from
  • If you opened the email
  • If you clicked any links inside it

Why I collect it: To make sure I’m not sending you content you’re not interested in.

Legal Basis: Consent. This is part of the newsletter service you sign up for.

Affiliates, Third Parties, and Who Else Sees Your Data

1. Affiliates

I use affiliate links on this blog. This means that if you click a link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

When you click on one of these links, a cookie is placed on your browser. This is a small file that tells the partner site (like Skyscanner, Amazon, or TravelPayouts) that you came from Laura’s Suitcase. These cookies have an expiration date (for example, Amazon’s usually only last 24 hours).

I only partner with brands I’ve actually used or genuinely believe will be helpful to you. These commissions help me keep the blog going without having to fill the site with intrusive ads.

On any post that contains affiliate links, you will see a disclaimer in the sidebar (on desktop) or towards the end of the post (on mobile). In this disclaimer, you will find a link to my personal policy on sponsorship.

2. Service Providers

I don’t sell your data to anyone, and never will. I do, however, use a few trusted services to keep the site running:

  1. DreamHost: To host the website and email service.
  2. Google Analytics: To see how the site is being used.
  3. MailerLite: To manage my newsletter and send you those itineraries.

3. International Transfers

Since my hosting and email providers are based in the US, your data may be transferred outside of the UK. These service providers are well known, reputable brands, who have the proper legal safeguards in place to keep your information safe.

Cookies

Cookies are small text files that are placed on your computer or mobile device when you visit a website. They are widely used to make websites work more efficiently and to provide information to the owner of the site.

I use cookies for the following purposes:

  • Essential Cookies: These are necessary for the website to function properly, such as those used by WordPress for site security.
  • Analytics Cookies: These are set by Google Analytics. They help me understand how visitors interact with the blog by collecting and reporting information anonymously.
  • Affiliate Cookies: These are set when you click on a partner link. They allow the partner to recognise that you visited them via my site so that I can be credited for the referral.

How to control cookies:

You can choose to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline them if you prefer. However, this may prevent you from taking full advantage of the website. For more information on how to manage cookies, you can visit AboutCookies.org.

Your Rights

Under the UK GDPR, you have several rights regarding your personal data. I want to make sure you know exactly what you can ask for:

  • The right to access: You can ask me for a copy of the personal data I hold about you.
  • The right to rectification: If you think the information I have is wrong or incomplete, you can ask me to fix it.
  • The right to be forgotten: You can ask me to delete your personal data (for example, by unsubscribing from my newsletter).
  • The right to object: You can object to me using your data for things like analytics or marketing.
  • The right to complain: If you aren’t happy with how I’ve handled your data, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s data protection authority.

Data Retention

I only keep your data for as long as is necessary to provide you with the services you’ve requested (like the newsletter) or to understand site performance. If you unsubscribe from the newsletter, your email address is deleted from my active list immediately.

Contact Me

If you have any questions about this policy, or you’d like to exercise any of your rights listed above, send me an email. I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

Email: hello@laurassuitcase.com