Hideout Nepal ("we", "us", "our") respects your privacy. This policy explains what information we collect when you visit hideoutnepal.com, how we use it, and your rights regarding your data.
1. Who we are
Hideout Nepal is an independent travel discovery platform operated from Sydney, Australia. We provide editorial content, trip planning tools, and curated recommendations for travelers visiting Nepal.
2. Information we collect
Information you provide directly
- Email address when you subscribe to our newsletter or send an inquiry
- Name, phone number, country, travel dates when you submit an inquiry form
- Messages you send us via inquiry forms, WhatsApp, or email
- Account information if you sign up (email, name) via Clerk authentication
Information collected automatically
- Usage data: pages visited, time on site, referring URL
- Device data: browser type, operating system, screen size
- Approximate location: country/region derived from IP address (we do not store full IP addresses; we hash them for spam prevention only)
- Affiliate link clicks: we record when you click affiliate partner links so we can understand which content drives bookings
3. How we use your information
- Respond to inquiries and provide travel recommendations
- Send our newsletter (only if you opted in)
- Improve the website, content, and trip planning tools
- Analyze affiliate performance and traffic patterns
- Prevent spam, fraud, and abuse
- Comply with legal obligations
4. Cookies and tracking
We use minimal cookies — primarily for authentication (Clerk) and for affiliate tracking to identify which page led to a booking. We do not use advertising cookies or sell your data to advertisers. We may add analytics tools in future (e.g. Google Analytics, Plausible), which would be disclosed here.
5. Affiliate partnerships
When you click affiliate links on our site (e.g. Booking.com hotel listings), our partners may receive your click data and IP address as part of standard internet operations. If you complete a booking, we may earn a small commission. This does not affect the price you pay. We disclose these relationships near every affiliate link.
6. Who we share data with
- Supabase — our database and hosting provider (data stored in the EU/US)
- Clerk — authentication provider (only if you create an account)
- Vercel — application hosting provider
- Resend — email delivery (newsletter and inquiry notifications)
- Anthropic — AI provider (when you use our AI itinerary planner; your inputs are processed but not stored long-term by Anthropic)
- Affiliate partners — when you click their links (e.g. Booking.com, CJ Affiliate)
We do not sell your personal information. We only share data with the above service providers as necessary to operate the website.
7. How long we keep data
- Newsletter subscribers: until you unsubscribe
- Inquiry submissions: up to 2 years from last contact, then deleted
- Affiliate click logs: 12 months (anonymized — no IP, only country)
- Account data: until you delete your account
8. Your rights
Under the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and the EU GDPR (if you're in Europe), you have the right to:
- Access the information we hold about you
- Correct inaccurate information
- Delete your information (the "right to be forgotten")
- Withdraw consent at any time (e.g. unsubscribe from emails)
- Object to certain uses of your data
- Lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC)
To exercise any of these rights, email [email protected]. We respond within 30 days.
9. Data security
We use industry-standard security measures: HTTPS encryption, hashed sensitive data (IP addresses, etc.), row-level security in our database, and access controls. No system is 100% secure, but we work hard to protect your information.
10. Children's privacy
Hideout Nepal is intended for adults (18+). We do not knowingly collect data from anyone under 16. If you believe we have inadvertently collected such information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.
11. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy occasionally to reflect changes in our practices or for legal reasons. We'll update the "Last updated" date at the top. For significant changes, we'll notify newsletter subscribers by email.
12. Contact us
Questions about this policy or your data? Email [email protected].