Privacy policy and transparency in publishing

1. Transparency in our blogs

  • We aim to be transparent in our blogging (reviews and other travel related website articles), on our social networks (e.g., Facebook), video and photo sharing websites (Instagram and Pinterest). Facts will be presented as facts (including source references where appropriate) and opinions as opinions of Travelbuddieslifestyle
  • Travelbuddieslifestyle reserves the right to determine when to disclosure information. We consider our clients’ best interest and Travelbuddieslifestyle’s integrity in all situations.
  • Our audience should be able to distinguish, through our writing style, when content is editorial, advertorial or advertising.
  • We distinguish between paid posts and stories on Instagram, paid website collaborations and personal content. 
  • Our marketing strategies (i.e, blogs, Pinterest descriptions, Instagram posts or stories), disclose the necessary collaboration information.
  • Hotel reviews: Our reviews specify when we have been fully paying guests or hosted guests. No disclosure will be made in terms of the financial  compensation received.
  • Marketing promotions: We do receive monetary and non-monetary compensation for conducting promotions on sample items and gifts. This may be disclosed upon discretion of Travelbuddieslifestyle. However, while considering the maximum benefit for our collaborators, we need to ensure our integrity as social influencers.
  • Payment: We do accept monetary and non-monetary compensation to conduct hotel reviews or to promote products or services. In addition, we always strive to maintain the highest form of integrity, truthfulness, honesty and respect to our collaborators, clients and members of society.
  • Business: We aim to be transparent in our dealings by referring to the type of collaboration (i.e., agency, vendor, partnership, etc.) we are engaging in, where appropriate.
  • Affiliate: Some affiliate links on our blogs may be subject to sales commissions, payment in exchange for referrals, and/or kickback.

2. Our blog disclaimer

  • The blog content, photos, text, videos, imagery (unless otherwise credited) is the property of Petra Top, Bernie van der Linde, and Travelbuddieslifestyle International Pty Ltd.
  • All copyright belongs to Petra Top, Bernie van der Linde, and Travelbuddieslifestyle International Pty Ltd.
  • All views and opinions expressed in this Travelbuddieslifestyle blog, are our own, with the exception of comments from our audience.
  • Although we screen and evaluate our facts as far as possible we assume no responsibility for the comments, opinions or thoughts shared by our audience. 
  • We have no intention to harm and will not knowingly publish any content that is derogatory, racist, sexist, malicious or intentionally insensitive towards others.
  • We aim to write reviews (hosted or as fully paying guests) that are not influenced by other persons’ beliefs, values, opinions or views..
  • We aim to uphold ethical blogging practices. 
  • We aim to be fair, consistent, and accurate  in our writings. However, we do accept that some inaccuracies and errors may arise due to changes in information and typos. 

3. Our ethical Code of Conduct

We aim to: 

  • Never plagiarise information.
  • Give credit to our relevant sources. This includes providing links where information was collected explicitly.
  • Distinguishing between advocacy, commentary, and factual information in all our writing. This includes not misrepresenting facts even when doing advocacy writing and commentary.
  • Disclose malicious and harmful conflict of interest, affiliations, collaborations and activities. (Helm, J., 2013)

4. Privacy Policy

We will not use your information without your explicit permission or share you information with anyone except as described in this policy.

We only use your information to provide and improve on our services.

When you make use of our service s(reading our content and subscribing to our blogs) you agree to the ethical collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

4.1 Collection and use of information

In order to provide you with our services and to improve on it, we may request limited personal identifiable information from you such as your name, e-mail address and any other relevant and necessary information.  

4.2 Log data

This website collects information that your browser sends to our system whenever you login to our site. This log data may include information such as your computer’s Internet Protocol (IP) address, browser type, browser version, the pages you most often visit, the time spend on each page and other relevant statistics. 

4.2 Cookies

Our site may use ‘cookies’ to gather information. Cookies are files with small amounts of data with an anonymous unique identifiers.

4.3 Security

Our goal is to secure your personal information. However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. We will, as far as possible, use financially viable and commercially acceptable means to protect your Personal Information. Although, we cannot guarantee that our site will be absolutely secure.  

4.4 Links to other sites

Our reviews and other content contain links to other sites that are operated by third-party providers. If you decide to click on such a link, we cannot accept responsibility for using their site. We therefore advise you to review the third-party’s Privacy Policy. 

4.5 Children's privacy

Our services do not address any person under the age of 18 years. Moreover, we do not knowingly collect information from children. Please advise us if your child is supplying us with personal information so that we can immediately remove it.

4.6 Legislation

Our services, including terms and conditions of use, fall under the jurisdiction of South African laws.

4.7 Amendments

Travelbuddieslifestyle reserve the right to modify or replace any of the above stipulations. However, if a revision is necessary, we will try to give sufficient notice prior to any new stipulations taking effect. 

5. References

Helm, J. (2013) Ethical and legal issues related to blogging and social media. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113 (5), 668-690.Â