Privacy Policy

Overview

VacationRentalsGuide.com (“we”, “us”, “the site”) is an independent travel resource offering destination guides, vacation rental guides, articles, community reviews, and links to vacation rentals listed on third-party websites.

This Privacy Policy explains what information we collect when you use the site, how we use it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over your data.

Information we collect

• Account information — when you register, we store your email address, display name, and authentication credentials (passwords are handled by our authentication provider and are never stored in plain text).
• Google sign-in — if you choose “Sign in with Google”, we receive your name, email address, and profile picture from Google to create and populate your account.
• Profile information — optional details you add to your public profile, such as a bio, location, website, social links, and avatar image.
• Community content — reviews, ratings, comments, saved guides, and guest article submissions you choose to post.
• Contributor applications — information you submit when applying to become a contributor.
• Contact form messages — your name, email address, subject, and message when you write to us.
• Usage data — pages visited, search queries entered into the destination search, and approximate device/browser information used for analytics and to improve the site.

How we use your information

• To operate your account and keep you signed in securely.
• To display the reviews, comments, and articles you choose to publish, under your public profile name.
• To send transactional email notifications you have enabled (for example, when a submission is approved or a comment receives a reply).
• To moderate community content and keep the site safe and free of spam.
• To understand how the site is used so we can improve our guides and search.
• To respond to messages you send through the contact form.

Cookies and local storage

We use a small number of essential cookies and browser storage entries to keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and understand site usage. Our Cookie Policy explains each category and how to manage them.

Email notifications

Account-related emails (such as a welcome message or moderation updates) are sent through our email service provider from our notification address. You can control which notification emails you receive from your account settings at any time, and every non-essential email includes an unsubscribe path.

Third-party services

We rely on a small number of service providers to operate the site:

• Supabase — hosts our database and authentication system, where account and content data is stored.
• Google — provides optional “Sign in with Google” authentication.
• Lovable — provides hosting, content delivery, and transactional email delivery.
• External rental websites — rental listings link to third-party sites (such as A1VacationHomes). When you follow those links, their own privacy policies apply and we do not receive your booking details.

Data retention

We keep your account data for as long as your account is active. Community content remains published until you delete it or close your account. Contact form messages are retained only as long as needed to respond and for a reasonable record-keeping period. You may request deletion of your account and associated personal data at any time.

Your rights

Depending on where you live, you may have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you.
• Correct inaccurate information (most profile fields can be edited directly in your account).
• Request deletion of your account and personal data.
• Export your published reviews, comments, and articles.
• Object to or restrict certain processing, such as optional email notifications.

Security

We use industry-standard measures to protect your data, including encrypted connections (HTTPS), hashed password storage, row-level security rules in our database, and role-based access for administrative functions. No method of transmission or storage is perfectly secure, so please keep your password confidential and sign out on shared devices.

Children's privacy

The site is intended for a general audience and is not directed at children under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us personal information, contact us and we will remove it.

Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. The “last updated” date at the top of the page shows the current version, and significant changes will be noted on this page.

Contact us

Questions about this policy or your data? Reach us any time through the contact form on our Contact Us page.