I'll be honest with you — writing a privacy policy isn't exactly the most thrilling part of running a Florida family travel blog. I'd much rather be telling you about the best time to rope drop Magic Kingdom or which beach on the Gulf Coast is worth the drive. But this page matters, and I want to be completely upfront with you about how this site works, what data it collects, and what happens with it. You deserve to know, and I'd rather explain it in plain English than hide behind impenetrable legal waffle.
This is Florida Family Holiday — a blog I run because I genuinely love Florida and I want UK families to have the best possible holiday there. It's not a corporate operation. It's just me, a dad from Gloucester who's been visiting Florida since 1991, sharing everything I've learned over 35 years of trips. That means I take your trust seriously. So here's everything you need to know about how this site handles your data.
Who Is Behind This Blog?
This website is operated by me (Lewis), the sole author and owner of Florida Family Holiday (floridafamilyholiday.com). This is a personal blog, not a limited company. For the purposes of UK data protection law, I am the data controller for any personal information collected through this site.
If you have any questions about this policy or want to make a request about your data, you can contact me directly. I'll always respond as quickly as I can — usually within a few days.
Contact: You can reach me via the contact form on this website. I don't publish my email address publicly to avoid spam, but the form goes straight to me.
What Data Does This Site Collect?
Florida Family Holiday collects a small amount of data, and I want to be clear about exactly what that is and why.
Data You Provide Directly
If you leave a comment on a post, I collect your name, email address, and the comment itself. Your email address is never displayed publicly — it's only used to notify you if someone replies to your comment, and to help me identify spam. You don't have to leave a real name if you'd prefer not to.
If you contact me via the contact form, I receive your name, email address, and message. I use that information purely to reply to you. I don't add you to any mailing list without your explicit consent.
Data Collected Automatically
Like almost every website on the internet, this site collects some data automatically when you visit. This includes your IP address, browser type, the pages you visit, how long you spend on each page, and where you came from (e.g. a Google search or a link on another site). This information is collected through Google Analytics and helps me understand which articles are actually useful to readers — so I can write more of the right stuff and less of the wrong stuff.
I cannot identify you personally from this data. I see things like "47 people visited the Universal Orlando guide today" — not "Dave from Manchester read it for 8 minutes." It's anonymous, aggregated information.
Cookie Policy — What Are Cookies and What Does This Site Use?
Cookies are small text files that websites store on your device when you visit. They're not viruses, they're not tracking your every move on the internet, and they don't know who you are. They're mostly just useful little files that help websites work properly and help site owners understand how their content is being used.
Here's what cookies this site uses:
- Google Analytics cookies — These help me understand how people find and use the site. They track things like page views, session duration, and traffic sources. Google Analytics data is anonymised and I cannot use it to identify individual visitors.
- WordPress functional cookies — If you leave a comment, WordPress sets a cookie to remember your name and email so you don't have to type them again next time. This is purely for your convenience.
- Affiliate cookies — This site contains affiliate links (explained in more detail below). When you click one of those links, the affiliate partner (such as Booking.com or Viator) may set their own cookie on your device. I don't control those cookies — they're set by the third-party site, not by me.
- Consent cookies — If you use the cookie consent tool on this site, a cookie is set to remember your preferences so you're not asked again every visit.
You can control and delete cookies through your browser settings at any time. Be aware that disabling cookies may affect how some features of this site work — but honestly, the articles will still load just fine.
Affiliate Links and How I Make Money
I want to be completely transparent about this because I think some blogs are far too cagey about it. Florida Family Holiday contains affiliate links. That means if you click a link to a product or service — such as a hotel on Booking.com, a tour on Viator, or a ticket purchase — and you go on to make a booking or purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
This does not affect my recommendations. I only link to things I'd genuinely recommend to a friend. I've been visiting Florida for 35 years — I'm not about to start sending people to rubbish hotels for the sake of a commission. My reputation and your trust matter far more than a few quid.
Affiliate income helps keep this blog running and free to read. It pays for the hosting, the time I spend writing, and the occasional cup of tea I drink while doing it. If you find this blog useful and you book something through a link here, thank you — it genuinely helps.
Third-Party Services This Site Uses
A few third-party services run in the background of this site, and each has its own privacy policy. Here's the relevant ones:
- Google Analytics — Used for website traffic analysis. Google's privacy policy applies to data processed by Analytics. You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking using the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on.
- WordPress — This site is built on WordPress. Automattic (the company behind WordPress) may process some data. Their privacy policy is available at wordpress.com/privacy.
- Booking.com, Viator, and other affiliate partners — These sites have their own privacy and cookie policies which apply when you click through to their platforms.
- Social media platforms — If you share an article or follow this blog on social media, those platforms' own policies apply. I don't embed social media tracking pixels on this site.
I'm not in the business of selling your data or sharing it with anyone who doesn't need it to make this site function. That's not how I operate.
Your Rights Under UK Data Protection Law
Under UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018, you have a number of rights regarding your personal data. These include the right to access any personal data I hold about you, the right to have it corrected if it's wrong, and the right to ask me to delete it.
In practice, the only personal data I'm likely to hold about you is a comment you've left on this site or a message you've sent me. If you want any of that removed, just ask and I'll sort it.
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) if you believe I'm handling your data improperly. Their website is ico.org.uk. I'd much rather you came to me first so I can put things right, but that right is yours and I want you to know it exists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does this site sell my personal data to anyone?
No. Absolutely not. I don't sell, rent, or trade your personal data. The only data shared with third parties is what's necessary to run the site — for example, Google Analytics receiving anonymised traffic data. No personal information is ever passed to advertisers or marketing companies.
Do I need to create an account to read this blog?
No. You can read every single article on Florida Family Holiday without signing up for anything or handing over any personal information whatsoever. An account or email address is only needed if you want to leave a comment or get in touch.
How do I opt out of Google Analytics tracking?
You can install the Google Analytics Opt-Out Browser Add-on, which prevents your visit from being included in the analytics data. Alternatively, most modern browsers have built-in privacy settings that limit tracking across websites — your browser's help section will explain how to enable these.
How often is this privacy policy updated?
I'll update this page whenever something changes — a new service added to the site, a change in how affiliate links work, or an update to UK data protection law that affects things. The date at the bottom of this page reflects the last time it was reviewed. If you're a regular reader, it's worth checking back occasionally, though I'll aim to flag any significant changes in a blog post too.
A Final Word
This blog exists because I love Florida and I want to help UK families have an incredible holiday there. I've been going since I was 11 years old, and I still get a buzz every time the plane touches down at Orlando International. The last thing I want is for you to feel uncertain about visiting this site or sharing it with friends. I hope this page gives you complete confidence that Florida Family Holiday is a trustworthy place — run by a real person, with your interests front and centre. If you ever have a question about any of this, just get in touch. I'm always happy to talk.
Last reviewed: June 2025