Estes Direct Privicy Policy
Hey, so this is our official privicy page. We know this stuff is usually super boring and full of legal words nobody understands. We’re gonna try to make this as simple and straight-up as possible. Our goal at Estes Direct is to be the best guide for gettin’ you from Denver to Estes Park, not to be sneaky with your data.
This page explains what little info we might collect from you when you use our website, why we collect it, and what we do with it. Your trust is super important to us, so we want to be totally clear.
The Kinds of Informatoin We Collect
There’s basically two types of info we might end up with. The stuff you give us on purpose, and the stuff our website collects automatically just to work properly.
1. Stuff You Give Us Directly
This is pretty simple. If you decide to reach out to us, you’ll be giving us some info.
- Contact Forms: If you fill out a contact form to ask a question or give us a suggestion, we’ll get whatever you put in there. Prolly your name, your email address, and your message. We only use this to get back to you and answer your question. We dont sell it or give it to anyone else.
- Newsletter Signup: Maybe in the future we’ll have a newsletter with cool tips about Estes Park, travel deals, or updates on road conditions. If you sign up for that, we’ll have your email address. That’s it. And you can always unsubscribe with one click, no hard feelings.
2. Stuff That’s Collected Automatically
This is the techy stuff that pretty much every website on the internet collects. It’s usually anonymous and helps us see what’s working on our site and what’s not.
- Log Files: Like almost all websites, our server keeps a log. This log has stuff like your IP address (which is kinda like a digital address for your computer), what browser you’re using (like Chrome, or Safari), the time you visited, and what pages you looked at. We use this to see how many people are visiting our site, where they’re coming from, and to fix any technical problems. It’s not linked to any of your personel info.
- Cookies 🍪: Yeah, we use cookies. Not the yummy chocolate chip kind. These are tiny little text files that your browser stores on your computer. They help us make the website better. For example, a cookie might remember that you visited before, so the site loads faster for you next time. They help us understand how people use the site, like which articles are the most popular.
What cookies do: They help us see things like:
- How many people visit our site.
- Which of our guides are the most helpful.
- If people are finding us on Google or somewhere else.
- If the site is working correctly or if there are errors.
You can definately turn cookies off in your browser settings if you want. The site will still work, but some things might be a little clunky.
How We Use All This Info
So what do we actually do with this data? Good question. Here’s the breakdown.
| What we use it for | Why we do it |
|---|---|
| Running the Website | To make sure our guides, maps, and tips show up for you correctly. Basic stuff. |
| Making the Site Better | We look at the analytics (the anonymous data) to see what pages people like and what pages they leave right away. This helps us write more useful guides for you. If a ton of people are reading about the best time to avoid traffic on I-70, we’ll write more stuff like that. |
| Answering Your Questions | If you email us, we’ll use your email to write back. Makes sense, right? |
| Security | We use some of the technical data to protect the site from hackers and other bad actors. Gotta keep the lights on. |
The big takeaway is this: We do not and will not ever sell your personal information. We’re a travel guide, not a data broker. It’s just not our business model.
Third-Parties and Links
Our site is all about giving you the best info for your trip. Sometimes, that means we’ll link to other websites.
- External Links: We might link to the official Rocky Mountain National Park website, or a car rental company, or a hotel we recommend. If you click on one of those links, you’re leaving Estes Direct. Those sites have their own privacy policies, and we have no control over what they do. So just be aware of that when you click a link.
- Analytics Partners: We use services like Google Analytics to help us understand our website traffic. Google has its own super long privacy policy, but the key thing is they collect anonymous data on our behalf so we can see those visitor stats we talked about. They are a big company and have their own rules they have to follow to protect data.
Keeping Your Info Safe 🛡️
We take reasonable steps to protect any info we have. Our website uses standard security measures to prevent unauthorized access. But lets be real, no website on the internet is 100% secure. We do our best, but we can’t guarantee that nothing will ever happen.
Your Rights and Choices
You have control over your information.
- Cookies: You can block or delete cookies whenever you want through your browser settings. Google “how to block cookies on [your browser name]” and you’ll find easy instructions.
- Newsletter: If you sign up for our newsletter, there will always be an “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of every single email.
- Your Data: If you’ve contacted us and you want us to delete your email or any info we have, just shoot us an email and we’ll take care of it.
For our visitors from California or Europe, you have specific rights under laws like the CCPA and GDPR. This policy is our attempt to be transparent and comply with those, but the main thing to know is you have the right to ask us what data we have about you and the right to ask us to delete it.
A Note About Kids
Our website is for adults and families planning a trip. It’s not intended for children under the age of 13. We don’t knowingly collect any information from kids under 13. If you’re a parent and you think your child has given us information, please contact us right away and we’ll delete it.
Changes to This Privicy Policy
The internet and the rules around it change. So, we might have to update this page from time to time. If we make any major changes, we’ll try to post a notice on the homepage, but the date at the bottom of the page will always be the most current version. It’s a good idea to check back here every so often.
Questions? Contact Us! 📧
If you read all this and still have questions, first of all, wow, we’re impressed. Second, please reach out. We’re happy to clear anything up. You can get in touch with us through our contact page.
Thanks for trusting Estes Direct. Now go plan that awesome trip!