Privacy Policy

Last updated: November 9, 2026

Traveling Tummy (“we,” “us”) runs travelingtummy.net (the “Site”). This policy explains what information we collect when you visit, join, chat with our AI travel helper, or sign up for updates, how we use it, who we share it with, and the choices you have. We’re a small, personal travel blog, and we try to collect only what helps us run the Site and stay in touch with readers who want to hear from us.

The short version:

We don’t sell your personal information.
We never share your phone number or text-message consent with anyone for their marketing.
Visitors can read everything without an account.
Joining is free and asks for a few details. Only your username, email and first name are required.
Our chatbot’s answers come from an AI service (OpenAI). We keep chat conversations for 90 days.
We use cookies for analytics and ads, and you can choose which ones to allow in our cookie banner.
You can ask us at any time to see, correct or delete your information.

Information we collect

Information you give us

When you join:
Username, email address, and first name or nickname.
Optionally: city, state or province, country, and mobile phone number.
Your agreements: when you agree to our Terms and Conditions and confirm you have read this Privacy Policy, we record:
the date and time;
the internet (IP) address you used;
which version of each document you saw.

If you opt in to text messages, we record the same details and the exact wording you agreed to. We keep these records to show what you agreed to and when.

Signing in with Google: if you choose “Continue with Google,” Google shares your name, email address and profile picture with us, along with an account identifier. We never receive your Google password.
Newsletter sign-up: if you sign up for a newsletter (open to anyone, member or not), your email address and, if you give it, your name, plus when you signed up and when you unsubscribe.
AI travel helper: the questions you type and the answers you receive. Please don’t enter sensitive information, such as passwords, payment details or passport numbers.
Chat copies by email: if you’re a member and ask the AI travel helper to email you a copy of a conversation, we send it to the email address on your account, and only that address.
Comments and messages: the name, email and content you submit, and the IP address and browser information used to filter spam.

Information collected automatically

Device and usage information: your IP address, browser and device type, the pages you visit, the site that referred you, and the date and time of your visit.
Cookies and similar tools: see “Cookies, analytics and ads” below.
Security logs: our security service (Wordfence) records IP addresses and sign-in attempts, so it can block attacks and lock out repeated failed logins.

How we use information

We use information to:

Run the Site and your account. This includes signing you in, applying daily chatbot limits, and sending account emails such as your password link.
Answer your chatbot questions and improve the helper’s answers.
Send updates you asked for, by email or text (only if you opted in).
Understand which articles readers enjoy and where they’re from (in general terms), so we can write better ones.
Show ads that help cover the costs of the Site.
Keep the Site safe, prevent spam and abuse, and fix problems.
Keep records of consents and agreements, and comply with the law.

Who we share information with

We do not sell personal information, and we do not share it for other companies’ own marketing. We share it only with service providers who help us run the Site, and only as needed for their service:

Web hosting: our hosting provider stores the Site and its database in the United States.
OpenAI: processes chatbot questions to generate answers. Under OpenAI’s business terms, information sent through its API isn’t used to train its models by default.
Google:
Google sign-in, if you choose it.
Google Analytics, which measures visits.
Google AdSense, which shows ads and may use cookies to personalize them.
Google Site Kit, which shows us these numbers inside WordPress.
Meta (Facebook): the Facebook Pixel measures visits from Facebook and helps with ads on Facebook.
Automattic (Akismet): filters comment spam.
Defiant (Wordfence): provides security and attack blocking.
Email and text-message delivery services, when we send messages you asked for. Our email is sent through our web host’s mail service.

We may also disclose information when the law requires it, to protect the safety of anyone, or to protect our rights. We may also transfer it if the Site changes ownership, in which case this policy continues to apply to it.

Text messaging: we never share or sell mobile numbers or text-message consent with third parties or affiliates for marketing purposes.

Cookies, analytics and ads

Cookies are small files your browser stores. We use:

Necessary cookies: they keep you signed in, remember your cookie choices and protect the Site. They can’t be switched off.
Analytics cookies (Google Analytics): they show us how many people visit and which pages they read.
Advertising cookies (Google AdSense, Facebook Pixel): they show and measure ads, which may be based on your interests.

When you first visit, our cookie banner lets you accept, reject, or choose which kinds of cookies to allow. You can change your choice at any time through the banner’s Preferences option. You can also:

Opt out of Google Analytics: tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout
Manage Google ad personalization: adssettings.google.com
Opt out of interest-based ads from many companies: optout.aboutads.info
Control Facebook ad preferences in your Facebook settings

Do Not Track: browsers offer a “Do Not Track” signal, but there is no common standard for it, so the Site does not respond to it. Your cookie banner choices, and browser settings that block cookies, do work.

Text messages

We don’t send text messages yet. If you check the text-message box, we keep your number and your consent record so we can text you once the service starts. When it does, we use your mobile number only to send the updates you agreed to. Message frequency varies, and message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out or HELP for help. Opting in is never required to join.

Email

Account emails are part of having an account. They include your password link, security notices, and copies of chatbot conversations you ask us to email you; chat copies go only to the email address on your account. Marketing emails, such as a newsletter, always include an unsubscribe link and our mailing address, and we honor unsubscribes within 10 business days, usually much sooner. You can also unsubscribe by emailing unsubscribe@travelingtummy.net.

How long we keep information

Account information: kept until you close your account or ask us to delete it. We may delete accounts that have been inactive for a long time.
Chatbot conversations: kept on our server for 90 days, then deleted automatically. A copy may also stay in your own browser so you can continue a conversation.
Consent and agreement records: kept for at least 4 years after you opt out or close your account, so we can show what you agreed to if a question ever comes up. The federal texting law (TCPA) allows claims for 4 years.
Comments: kept until removed.
Security and server logs: kept for a limited time, typically under 90 days.

How we protect information

The Site uses an encrypted (HTTPS) connection, security monitoring, and login protection, and we limit who can access member information. No system is perfectly secure, so we can’t guarantee absolute security. If a breach ever affected your personal information, we would notify you as Florida law (Fla. Stat. § 501.171) and other applicable laws require, generally within 30 days.

Your choices and rights

Wherever you live, you can ask us to:

See the personal information we have about you.
Correct it.
Delete it, along with your account.
Stop sending you texts or marketing emails.

We’ll respond within 30 days. We may need to confirm your identity first, and we may keep consent records or information the law requires us to keep. We will not treat you differently for making a request.

You can update most account details yourself while logged in, or contact us. If you live in a state with its own privacy law, you may have additional rights, and we will honor them as that law requires.

Children

The Site is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them, as the federal Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) requires. If you believe a child under 13 has given us information, contact us and we will delete it.

Visitors from outside the United States

The Site is operated from Florida, and information is stored and processed in the United States. Privacy laws here may differ from those where you live. By using the Site, you understand that your information will be handled in the United States as described in this policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the Site changes. We’ll update the “Last updated” date above, and for important changes we’ll post a notice on the Site or email members. We record which version you read, and when, each time you confirm it, and we email you a confirmation with a copy of that version.

Contact us

To ask a question or make a privacy request, contact:

James Roysdon, Traveling Tummy
P.O. Box 270081
Tampa, FL 33688
Email: jim@travelingtummy.net
Phone: 813-421-5141