PRIVACY
POLICY

01 — Who We Are

vanlife ("we," "us," or "our") is a website dedicated to van and school bus conversion guides, community builds, and vanlife resources. vanlife is operated as an independent website. Our website is located at vanlife.com.

This Privacy Policy applies to all pages, content, forms, and services operated under the vanlife.com domain. By using vanlife, you agree to the collection and use of information in accordance with this policy.

02 — Information We Collect

Information You Provide Directly

When you use our contact form or subscribe to our newsletter, we collect:

• Name (first name required; last name optional)
• Email address (required for newsletter signup and contact form submissions)
• Message content from the contact form
• Your rig details if voluntarily provided in the contact form
• Build submission content (photos, cost breakdowns, descriptions) if you submit a build for publication

Information Collected Automatically

When you visit vanlife, certain information is automatically collected by our servers and third-party services:

• IP address (typically anonymized or aggregated)
• Browser type and version
• Operating system
• Referring URL (the page that linked you to us)
• Pages visited and time spent on each page
• Date and time of visit
• Device type (desktop, mobile, tablet)
• General geographic location (country/region level, not precise location)

This data is collected via Google Analytics and is used in aggregated, anonymized form to understand how visitors use the site. We do not use this data to identify individual users.

Cookies and Similar Technologies

vanlife uses cookies for analytics and advertising. See Section 04 for full details.

03 — How We Use Your Information

We use the information we collect for the following purposes:

• Responding to contact form submissions — to answer your questions, process build submissions, or respond to inquiries
• Sending the newsletter — to deliver weekly guides, build posts, and site updates to subscribers who have opted in
• Improving the website — analytics data helps us understand which guides are most useful, where users drop off, and how to improve content
• Displaying advertisements — to fund free content on the site through Google AdSense (see Section 05)
• Legal compliance — to comply with applicable laws and regulations

04 — Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Cookies are small text files stored on your device by your browser. vanlife uses the following types of cookies:

Essential Cookies

These cookies are necessary for the website to function. They do not collect personal information and cannot be disabled without affecting site functionality. We do not currently set any first-party essential cookies beyond standard session management.

Analytics Cookies (Google Analytics)

We use Google Analytics to collect aggregated, anonymized data about how visitors use vanlife. Google Analytics sets the following cookies:

• _ga — distinguishes users; expires after 2 years
• _ga_[ID] — persists session state; expires after 2 years
• _gid — distinguishes users; expires after 24 hours
• _gat — throttles request rate; expires after 1 minute

We have enabled IP anonymization in Google Analytics. This means Google Analytics shortens IP addresses within EU member states before any transmission to Google's servers. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)

Google AdSense uses cookies to serve personalized advertisements based on your interests and browsing history across the web. See Section 05 for full details. The main cookies used include:

• IDE — used by Google DoubleClick to register and report user actions after viewing or clicking an advertisement; expires after 13 months
• DSID — stores user preferences for signed-in Google accounts; expires after 2 weeks
• test_cookie — checks if the user's browser supports cookies; expires after 1 day
• __gads / __gpi — stores ad interaction data; expires after 13 months

Managing Cookies

You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers allow you to refuse cookies, delete existing cookies, or be notified when new cookies are set. Note that disabling cookies may affect site functionality and your ad experience. Instructions for managing cookies in common browsers:

• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox
• Apple Safari
• Microsoft Edge

05 — Google AdSense & Advertising

vanlife participates in Google AdSense, an advertising service provided by Google LLC ("Google"). Google AdSense uses cookies to display ads based on your prior visits to this website and other sites across the web.

How Google AdSense Uses Your Data

Google uses data collected through AdSense cookies to:

• Serve personalized advertisements based on your browsing history and interests (if you have not opted out of personalized ads)
• Measure the effectiveness of advertisements
• Prevent ad fraud
• Improve ad relevance and user experience

Personalized vs Non-Personalized Ads

By default, Google AdSense may show personalized ads based on your interests across the web. If you prefer not to receive personalized ads, you can opt out via:

• Google Ads Settings
• Digital Advertising Alliance (DAA) Opt-Out
• Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) Opt-Out
• For EU users: Your Online Choices

Opting out of personalized ads does not mean you will stop seeing ads — you will still see non-personalized ads based on the page content.

Google's Privacy Policy

For full details on how Google collects and uses data through AdSense, please review Google's Privacy Policy and Google's Advertising Policy.

Consent Management (EU/EEA Users)

For users in the European Union and European Economic Area, Google requires a Consent Management Platform (CMP) before serving personalized ads. vanlife uses Google's Funding Choices (or equivalent CMP) to collect consent from EU/EEA visitors before any personalized advertising cookies are set. You will see a consent banner when visiting from these regions and can update your preferences at any time.

06 — Google Analytics

vanlife uses Google Analytics 4 (GA4) provided by Google LLC to analyze website traffic and usage patterns. Google Analytics helps us understand which guides are most useful, how users navigate the site, and where we can improve.

Google Analytics collects data such as pages viewed, time on site, geographic location (country/region), device type, and traffic source. This data is aggregated and anonymized — we cannot identify individual users from this data.

We have configured Google Analytics with the following privacy settings:

• IP anonymization is enabled
• Data sharing with Google is limited to Analytics purposes
• Data retention is set to 14 months
• Google Signals is disabled unless required by applicable law

To opt out of Google Analytics tracking across all websites, install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.

For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

07 — Third-Party Services

vanlife uses the following third-party services, each of which operates under its own privacy policy:

• Google AdSense — advertising (Privacy Policy)
• Google Analytics — website analytics (Privacy Policy)
• Google Fonts — typography (Bebas Neue, Syne, Inter); Google may receive data when fonts load (Privacy Policy)
• Newsletter email provider — we use a third-party email service provider (ESP) to send our newsletter. The specific provider is disclosed to subscribers at signup. The ESP processes email addresses of newsletter subscribers on our behalf.
• Form processor — contact form submissions may be processed through a form service (e.g., Formspree or Netlify Forms). These services process form data to deliver it to us but do not retain it for their own marketing purposes.
• Hosting provider — our web host stores server logs including IP addresses as standard practice. These logs are retained according to our host's standard data retention policies.

We have no control over the practices of these third-party services. We encourage you to review their respective privacy policies.

08 — Data Sharing & Disclosure

We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal information to third parties. We may share your data only in the following limited circumstances:

Service Providers

We share data with service providers who assist us in operating the website (such as our email provider and form processor), on the condition that they agree to keep this information confidential and use it only to provide services to us.

Legal Requirements

We may disclose your information if required to do so by law, or in good-faith belief that such action is necessary to comply with a legal obligation, protect and defend our rights or property, prevent or investigate possible wrongdoing in connection with the site, protect the personal safety of users of the site or the public, or protect against legal liability.

Business Transfers

If vanlife is acquired, merged, or sold, user data may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify users by posting a prominent notice on the website before any such transfer takes effect, and update this Privacy Policy to reflect the change in ownership.

With Your Consent

If you submit your build for publication, certain information you provide (your rig details, build costs, and photos) will be published on the website. We will always ask for your explicit consent before publishing any personal details, and you can specify a display name or remain anonymous.

09 — Data Retention

We retain your data for as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes for which it was collected:

• Contact form submissions — retained for up to 2 years to allow for follow-up communication, then permanently deleted
• Newsletter subscriber data — retained until you unsubscribe. Upon unsubscription, your email address is removed from our active list. Depending on our email provider's policies, suppression lists may be maintained to honor your unsubscribe request
• Google Analytics data — data is retained for 14 months as configured in Google Analytics, after which it is automatically deleted
• Server logs — typically retained for 30–90 days depending on our hosting provider's standard policies
• Published build submissions — retained indefinitely on the site unless you request removal

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting us using the information in Section 16.

10 — Your Rights & Opt-Out Options

Depending on your location, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

Newsletter Opt-Out

Every newsletter we send includes an unsubscribe link. Clicking this link immediately removes you from our mailing list. Alternatively, you can contact us directly to be removed.

Advertising Opt-Out

You can opt out of personalized advertising served through Google AdSense using the methods described in Section 05. You can also manage ad preferences across all Google properties at myaccount.google.com.

Analytics Opt-Out

Install the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on to prevent Google Analytics from tracking your visits across all websites.

Access, Correction, and Deletion

You have the right to request access to the personal data we hold about you, to request correction of inaccurate data, and to request deletion of your data. To exercise these rights, contact us at the address in Section 16. We will respond to requests within 30 days.

Do Not Track

Some browsers include a "Do Not Track" (DNT) feature. At this time, vanlife does not alter its data collection practices in response to DNT signals because there is no common standard for interpreting such signals. Google Analytics and AdSense have their own mechanisms for opt-out as described above.

11 — Children's Privacy

vanlife is not directed to individuals under the age of 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you are a parent or guardian and believe your child has provided us with personal information, please contact us at the address in Section 16 and we will take steps to delete that information.

If we learn we have collected or received personal information from a child under 13 without verification of parental consent, we will delete that information promptly.

12 — California Privacy Rights (CCPA / CPRA)

If you are a California resident, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), as amended by the California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA), provides you with specific rights regarding your personal information.

Your CCPA Rights

• Right to Know — You have the right to request that we disclose what personal information we collect, use, disclose, and sell about you.
• Right to Delete — You have the right to request that we delete personal information we have collected from you, subject to certain exceptions.
• Right to Opt Out of Sale — You have the right to opt out of the sale of your personal information. vanlife does not sell personal information.
• Right to Correct — You have the right to request that we correct inaccurate personal information we maintain about you.
• Right to Non-Discrimination — We will not discriminate against you for exercising any of your CCPA rights.

Categories of Personal Information Collected

In the preceding 12 months, we have collected the following categories of personal information as defined by the CCPA:

• Identifiers — name and email address (from contact form and newsletter signup)
• Internet or electronic network activity — browsing behavior, pages viewed, clicks (via Google Analytics)
• Inferences — interests and preferences derived from browsing activity (by Google AdSense for ad personalization)

Exercising Your Rights

To exercise your CCPA rights, contact us using the information in Section 16. We will verify your identity before processing your request and respond within 45 days as required by law.

13 — European Users (GDPR)

If you are located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or United Kingdom, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and applicable national data protection laws provide you with specific rights.

Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal data under the following legal bases:

• Consent — newsletter subscription and personalized advertising (you can withdraw consent at any time)
• Legitimate interests — responding to contact form submissions, website analytics to improve content, preventing fraud
• Legal obligation — where required by applicable law

Your GDPR Rights

• Right of access — to receive a copy of personal data we hold about you
• Right to rectification — to correct inaccurate personal data
• Right to erasure ("right to be forgotten") — to request deletion of your personal data
• Right to restriction of processing — to request that we limit how we use your data
• Right to data portability — to receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — to object to processing based on legitimate interests or for direct marketing purposes
• Rights related to automated decision-making — we do not engage in automated decision-making or profiling that produces legal effects

Data Transfers Outside the EEA

Google Analytics and Google AdSense may transfer your data to the United States and other countries outside the European Economic Area. Google processes this data pursuant to its Standard Contractual Clauses and its certification under applicable data transfer frameworks. For more information, see Google's Privacy Policy.

Consent Withdrawal

Where we rely on consent as the legal basis for processing, you have the right to withdraw consent at any time. Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing that occurred before withdrawal.

Right to Lodge a Complaint

If you believe your data protection rights have been violated, you have the right to lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority. In the UK, this is the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO).

14 — Data Security

We take reasonable measures to protect your personal information from unauthorized access, use, alteration, and destruction. These measures include:

• HTTPS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our website
• Access controls limiting who can access stored contact form data
• Using reputable third-party services with their own security practices for email, analytics, and advertising

However, no method of transmission over the Internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. While we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee absolute security.

If you believe your data has been compromised or you have a security concern, please contact us immediately at the address in Section 16.

15 — Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or other factors. When we make changes, we will:

• Update the "Last Updated" date at the top of this page
• Post a notice on the website for material changes
• Notify newsletter subscribers of significant changes via email where required by law

Your continued use of vanlife after any changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Privacy Policy. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed.

Archived versions of this Privacy Policy are available upon request.

16 — Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, want to exercise your data rights, or have a privacy-related concern, please contact us: