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Privacy Policy

Datenschutzerklärung pursuant to the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), German Federal Data Protection Act (BDSG), and Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act (TDDDG)

1. Data Protection at a Glance

General Information

The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to personally identify you. For detailed information on the subject of data protection, please refer to the sections below.

Data Collection on This Website

Who is responsible for data collection on this website?

Data processing on this website is carried out by the website operator. You can find the operator’s contact details in the section “Controller” in this privacy policy.

How do we collect your data?

Some data is collected when you provide it to us directly. Other data is collected automatically or with your consent by our IT systems when you visit the website. This primarily includes technical data (e.g. internet browser, operating system, or time of page access). This data is collected automatically as soon as you enter the website.

What do we use your data for?

Some of the data is collected to ensure the error-free operation of the website. Other data may be used to analyse your browsing behaviour or to display advertisements.

What rights do you have regarding your data?

You have the right at any time to obtain free information about the origin, recipient, and purpose of your stored personal data. You also have the right to request the rectification or deletion of this data. If you have given your consent to data processing, you may revoke that consent at any time for the future. You also have the right, under certain circumstances, to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. Furthermore, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

You may contact us at any time regarding this and any other questions on the subject of data protection.

Analytics Tools and Third-Party Services

When you visit this website, your browsing behaviour may be statistically analysed. This is primarily done using cookies and analytics programmes. Detailed information about these programmes can be found in the sections below.

2. Hosting

We host the contents of our website with the following provider:

External Hosting

This website is hosted externally. The personal data collected on this website is stored on the servers of the hosting provider. This may include, but is not limited to, IP addresses, contact requests, meta and communication data, website access data, and other data generated through the use of a website.

External hosting is carried out for the purpose of fulfilling our contractual obligations towards our potential and existing users (Article 6(1)(b) GDPR) and in the interest of providing our online services securely, quickly, and efficiently through a professional provider (Article 6(1)(f) GDPR). Where consent has been obtained, processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG (German Telecommunications Digital Services Data Protection Act), insofar as the consent covers the storage of cookies or access to information on the user’s device (e.g. device fingerprinting) within the meaning of the TDDDG. Consent may be revoked at any time.

Our hosting provider will only process your data to the extent necessary to fulfil its service obligations and will follow our instructions with regard to this data.

We use the following hosting provider:

HOSTINGER operations, UAB
Švitrigailos str. 34, Vilnius
03230 Lithuania

3. General Notes and Mandatory Information

Data Privacy

The operators of this website take the protection of your personal data very seriously. We treat your personal data confidentially and in accordance with statutory data protection regulations and this privacy policy.

When you use this website, various personal data is collected. This privacy policy explains what data we collect and what we use it for. It also explains how and for what purpose this is done.

We would like to point out that data transmission over the internet (e.g. when communicating by email) may have security vulnerabilities. Complete protection of data against access by third parties is not possible.

Controller

The controller responsible for data processing on this website is:

Timo Boettner
Springerplatz 15
44793, Bochum
Germany
Email: tbottner@travel-mate.net

The controller is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others determines the purposes and means of the processing of personal data (e.g. names, email addresses, etc.).

Storage Duration

Unless a more specific storage period has been stated within this privacy policy, your personal data will remain with us until the purpose for the data processing no longer applies. If you assert a legitimate request for deletion or revoke your consent to data processing, your data will be deleted unless we have other legally permissible reasons for storing your personal data (e.g. retention periods under tax or commercial law); in the latter case, the data will be deleted once these reasons no longer apply.

Legal Bases for Data Processing

Where you have given your consent to data processing, we process your personal data on the basis of Article 6(1)(a) GDPR or Article 9(2)(a) GDPR, if special categories of data pursuant to Article 9(1) GDPR are processed. In the event of express consent to the transfer of personal data to third countries, data processing is also carried out on the basis of Article 49(1)(a) GDPR. If you have consented to the storage of cookies or to access to information on your device (e.g. via device fingerprinting), the data processing is additionally based on § 25(1) TDDDG. Consent may be revoked at any time.

If your data is required for the performance of a contract or for the implementation of pre-contractual measures, we process your data on the basis of Article 6(1)(b) GDPR. Furthermore, we process your data if it is required for the fulfilment of a legal obligation on the basis of Article 6(1)(c) GDPR. Data processing may also be carried out on the basis of our legitimate interest pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) GDPR. The relevant legal basis in each individual case is explained in the following sections of this privacy policy.

Recipients of Personal Data

In the course of our business activities, we work with various external parties. In some cases, this requires the transfer of personal data to these external parties. We only pass on personal data to external parties if this is necessary for the fulfilment of a contract, if we are legally obliged to do so (e.g. disclosure of data to tax authorities), if we have a legitimate interest pursuant to Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, or if another legal basis permits the data transfer. When using data processors, we only pass on personal data of our users on the basis of a valid data processing agreement.

Revocation of Consent

Many data processing operations are only possible with your express consent. You may revoke any consent you have already given at any time. The legality of the data processing carried out prior to the revocation remains unaffected by the revocation.

Right to Object to Data Collection in Special Cases and to Direct Advertising (Art. 21 GDPR)

IF DATA PROCESSING IS BASED ON ARTICLE 6(1)(E) OR (F) GDPR, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT AT ANY TIME TO OBJECT TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR REASONS ARISING FROM YOUR PARTICULAR SITUATION; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING BASED ON THESE PROVISIONS. THE RESPECTIVE LEGAL BASIS ON WHICH PROCESSING IS BASED CAN BE FOUND IN THIS PRIVACY POLICY. IF YOU OBJECT, WE WILL NO LONGER PROCESS YOUR AFFECTED PERSONAL DATA UNLESS WE CAN DEMONSTRATE COMPELLING LEGITIMATE GROUNDS FOR THE PROCESSING WHICH OVERRIDE YOUR INTERESTS, RIGHTS AND FREEDOMS, OR THE PROCESSING SERVES THE ESTABLISHMENT, EXERCISE OR DEFENCE OF LEGAL CLAIMS (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 21(1) GDPR).

IF YOUR PERSONAL DATA IS PROCESSED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT ADVERTISING, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OBJECT AT ANY TIME TO THE PROCESSING OF YOUR PERSONAL DATA FOR THE PURPOSE OF SUCH ADVERTISING; THIS ALSO APPLIES TO PROFILING INSOFAR AS IT IS RELATED TO SUCH DIRECT ADVERTISING. IF YOU OBJECT, YOUR PERSONAL DATA WILL SUBSEQUENTLY NO LONGER BE USED FOR THE PURPOSE OF DIRECT ADVERTISING (OBJECTION PURSUANT TO ARTICLE 21(2) GDPR).

Right to Lodge a Complaint with a Supervisory Authority

In the event of violations of the GDPR, data subjects have the right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority, in particular in the member state of their habitual residence, their place of work, or the place of the alleged infringement. The right to lodge a complaint exists without prejudice to any other administrative or judicial remedies.

The competent supervisory authority in Germany can be found at: www.bfdi.bund.de

Right to Data Portability

You have the right to have data that we process automatically on the basis of your consent or in fulfilment of a contract handed over to you or to a third party in a commonly used, machine-readable format. If you request the direct transfer of the data to another controller, this will only be done insofar as it is technically feasible.

Right of Access, Rectification, and Erasure

Within the framework of the applicable legal provisions, you have the right at any time to obtain free information about your stored personal data, its origin and recipients, and the purpose of the data processing, and, where applicable, a right to rectification or erasure of this data. You may contact us at any time regarding this and any other questions on the subject of personal data.

Right to Restriction of Processing

You have the right to request the restriction of the processing of your personal data. You may contact us at any time to exercise this right. The right to restriction of processing exists in the following cases:

If you have restricted the processing of your personal data, this data may – apart from being stored – only be processed with your consent, or for the assertion, exercise, or defence of legal claims, or for the protection of the rights of another natural or legal person, or for reasons of an important public interest of the European Union or a member state.

4. Data Collection on This Website

Consent Management

When you first visit this website, a cookie consent banner is displayed. You may choose to accept or reject non-essential cookies (advertising and analytics). Your choice is stored in an essential cookie so we can remember your preference on future visits.

You may withdraw or change your consent at any time by clearing your cookies or using the cookie settings link in the website footer.

Cookies

Our website uses so-called “cookies.” Cookies are small data packets that do not cause any harm to your device. They are stored on your device either temporarily for the duration of a session (session cookies) or permanently (persistent cookies). Session cookies are automatically deleted at the end of your visit. Persistent cookies remain stored on your device until you delete them yourself or until they are automatically deleted by your web browser.

Cookies may originate from us (first-party cookies) or from third-party companies (so-called third-party cookies). Third-party cookies enable the integration of certain services from third-party companies within websites (e.g. cookies for processing advertising services).

Cookies serve various functions. Many cookies are technically necessary, as certain website functions would not work without them. Other cookies may be used to analyse user behaviour or for advertising purposes.

Cookies that are required for the electronic communication process, for the provision of certain functions you have requested, or for the optimisation of the website (e.g. cookies for measuring web audiences) are stored on the basis of Article 6(1)(f) GDPR, unless another legal basis is specified. The website operator has a legitimate interest in the storage of necessary cookies for the technically error-free and optimised provision of its services. Where consent has been obtained for the storage of cookies and comparable recognition technologies, the processing is carried out exclusively on the basis of that consent (Article 6(1)(a) GDPR and § 25(1) TDDDG); consent may be revoked at any time.

You can set your browser to inform you about the setting of cookies and to allow cookies only on a case-by-case basis, to accept cookies for certain cases or to exclude them in general, and to activate the automatic deletion of cookies when closing the browser. If cookies are deactivated, the functionality of this website may be limited.

Categories of Cookies Used

We use the following categories of cookies on this website:

Managing and Deleting Cookies

You can manage or delete cookies at any time through your browser settings. Please note that disabling essential cookies may affect the functionality of this website. For instructions on managing cookies in your browser, visit:

Local Storage

This website uses your browser’s sessionStorage to remember your reading position within guides. This data:

Legal basis: Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest. This feature improves the user experience by allowing you to resume reading where you left off.

5. Advertising

This website displays advertisements provided by third-party advertising networks. These networks may use cookies and similar technologies to serve ads based on your previous visits to this and other websites.

Google AdSense

We use Google AdSense, a service by Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland (“Google”). Google AdSense uses cookies to serve ads based on your prior visits to this or other websites. Google may collect and process data including:

If you have not consented to personalised advertising, Google will only show non-personalised ads that are not based on your browsing history but may still be based on general factors such as page content or your approximate geographic location.

For more information, please see:

Legal basis: Article 6(1)(a) GDPR – consent (for personalised ads); Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest (for non-personalised ads, after consent to advertising cookies).

Data transfers: Google may transfer data to servers in the United States. Google participates in the EU–US Data Privacy Framework, providing adequate safeguards pursuant to Article 45 GDPR.

6. Hosting and Server Log Files

When you visit this website, the hosting provider automatically collects and stores information in so-called server log files, which your browser automatically transmits. This includes:

Legal basis: Article 6(1)(f) GDPR – legitimate interest. The processing is necessary for the stable and secure provision of the website.

Storage duration: Log files are typically stored for 7–30 days and then automatically deleted. We do not merge this data with other data sources.

7. SSL/TLS Encryption

This site uses SSL/TLS encryption for security reasons and to protect the transmission of confidential content. You can recognise an encrypted connection by the “https://” prefix in your browser’s address bar and the lock icon.

8. External Content and Links

This website contains links to external websites. We have no influence on the content of those external sites and cannot accept any liability for them. The respective provider or operator of the linked pages is always responsible for their content and privacy practices.

Images on this website are served locally from our own server. No external image hosting services or CDNs are used that could track visitors.

9. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We reserve the right to update this privacy policy to reflect changes in legal requirements or changes in our services. The current version is always available on this page.

Last updated: May 2026