1. Who we are
Last updated: 23.10.26
Talking Travel Writing (“TTW”, “we”, “us”) is run by Lottie Gross and Steph Dyson, trading as Talking Travel Writing LLP. We run the website travelwriting.xyz, our checkout pages at sales.travelwriting.xyz, the Talking Travel Writing newsletter on Substack, and our online courses, resources and residential workshops.
We are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy. This means we decide how and why it is used, and we are responsible for looking after it.
If you have any questions about this policy or how we use your information, contact us at:
- Email: [email protected]
- Post: Lytchett House 13 Freeland Park, Wareham Road, Poole, BH16 6FA
- ICO registration number: ZC079050
2. Information we collect
We only collect what we need to deliver our resources and courses, run our business and tell you about things we think you’ll find useful.
Information you give us
| When | What we collect |
|---|---|
| You download a free resource (e.g. The Travel Writer’s Starter Kit or Introduction to Travel Writing) | Name, email address, and any other details the form asks for |
| You buy a course, resource or residential place | Name, email address, billing address, phone number (optional), business name and VAT number (optional), and order details. Card details are handled directly by our payment providers; we never see or store your full card number |
| You subscribe to our newsletter | Email address and, for paid subscriptions, the details Substack collects to process your payment |
| You fill in an enquiry form, contact us or book a call | Name, email address and anything you choose to tell us, such as your writing experience and goals |
| You take a course, submit pitches or attend a workshop | Course progress, work you share with us for feedback, and any information you provide for a residential (such as dietary requirements) |
| You respond to one of our ads on Facebook or Instagram using a lead form | The details you submit in the form, usually your name and email address |
Information collected automatically
When you visit our website or checkout pages, we and our partners collect information about your device and how you use the site. This includes your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, the link or ad that brought you to us, and actions such as downloading a resource or completing a purchase. Some of this is collected using cookies and similar technologies, including the Meta Pixel and Google Analytics, but only where you have agreed to it (see sections 4 and 5).
We also see whether you open our emails and click on links in them, so we can understand which content is useful.
Information from third parties
We receive information from Meta and Google about how our ads perform, and from our payment and checkout providers to confirm your orders. This is mostly aggregated and does not identify you by name.
3. How we use your information
UK data protection law requires us to have a lawful basis for each way we use your information. Here is what we do and why.
| What we do | Lawful basis |
|---|---|
| Deliver the free resources, courses and products you request, and give you access to them | Contract (or taking steps at your request before a contract) |
| Process payments, send receipts and handle refunds | Contract |
| Send you our emails about travel writing tips, opportunities, courses and offers | Consent. When you download a free resource, receiving our emails is part of the offer, as explained on the sign-up form. Where you’ve bought from us, our legitimate interest in telling you about similar products. You can unsubscribe at any time. |
| Reply to your enquiries and hold discovery or feedback calls | Legitimate interests (responding to people who contact us) |
| Show you ads on Facebook, Instagram and Google, and measure how well our ads work | Consent (for cookies and pixels) |
| Understand how people use our website so we can improve it | Consent (for analytics cookies) |
| Prevent fraud and spam, and keep our site secure | Legitimate interests |
| Keep financial and tax records | Legal obligation |
Every marketing email includes an unsubscribe link. You can also email us to stop receiving them. We will never sell your personal information.
4. Advertising on Facebook, Instagram and Google
We advertise our free and paid resources and courses on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram) and on Google. To do this, we use the following tools.
Meta Pixel and Conversions API. With your consent, we use the Meta Pixel on our website and checkout pages, and may send equivalent information directly from our systems to Meta (the Conversions API). These record actions such as viewing a page, downloading a free resource or making a purchase. Meta uses this to show our ads to people likely to be interested, measure their results, and avoid showing you ads for things you already have.
Lead Ads. If you submit a form inside Facebook or Instagram, Meta collects the details you enter and passes them to us. We then use them as described in this policy, including adding you to our email list where you’ve agreed to that.
Custom and lookalike audiences. We may share a list of our subscribers’ or customers’ email addresses with Meta or Google so we can show (or avoid showing) them our ads, or find similar people. The addresses are hashed (converted into a scrambled code) on your device before upload, and Meta and Google delete them after the matching process. You can ask us to exclude you from this at any time.
Google Ads. With your consent, Google Ads conversion tracking records when someone who clicked on one of our Google ads completes an action on our site.
Meta and Google also use this information for their own purposes, as set out in their privacy policies: Meta Privacy Policy and Google Privacy Policy.
Your choices. You can decline or withdraw consent to advertising cookies at any time through the cookie settings link in our website footer. You can also manage your ad preferences in Meta’s Ad Preferences and Google’s My Ad Center, or opt out of interest-based advertising at youronlinechoices.eu.
5. Cookies
Cookies are small files stored on your device when you visit a website. We use three kinds.
| Type | What it does | Examples | Needs your consent? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Strictly necessary | Makes the site and checkout work, keeps them secure and prevents spam | WordPress, ThriveCart, Google reCAPTCHA | No |
| Analytics | Tells us how many people visit and which pages they use | Google Analytics (via Google Site Kit) | Yes |
| Advertising | Measures our ads and shows them to the right people | Meta Pixel, Google Ads | Yes |
When you first visit our website, we’ll ask you to choose which optional cookies to accept. You can change your mind at any time using the cookie settings link in the footer, or by clearing cookies in your browser settings. Blocking necessary cookies may stop parts of the site, such as checkout, from working.
6. Who we share your information with
We share your information only with trusted service providers who help us run TTW, and only as much as they need. They act on our instructions and must keep your data secure.
| Provider | What they do for us |
|---|---|
| Big Scoots and WordPress | Hosts our website |
| ThriveCart | Runs our checkout and order pages and hosts out online courses |
| Stripe and PayPal | Process payments |
| MailerLite | Sends our emails and delivers free resources |
| Substack | Hosts and sends the Talking Travel Writing newsletter, including paid subscriptions |
| Tally | Runs our enquiry forms |
| Google Meet | Hosts calls and bookings |
| Google (Analytics, Ads, reCAPTCHA) | Website analytics, advertising and spam protection |
| Meta (Facebook and Instagram) | Advertising and lead forms |
We may also share information with our accountants and professional advisers, or where the law requires it. If TTW were ever sold or restructured, your information could pass to the new owner, who would have to honour this policy.
International transfers. Some of these providers store data outside the UK, mainly in the United States and the EU. Where they do, we rely on UK adequacy regulations (including the UK–US Data Bridge for certified US companies) or the UK International Data Transfer Agreement or Addendum, so your information gets the same level of protection it would in the UK.
7. How long we keep your information
| Information | How long |
|---|---|
| Purchase and payment records | 6 years after the end of the tax year of purchase, as HMRC requires |
| Course access and work you submit | For as long as you have access to the course, then up to 2 years |
| Email subscriber details | Until you unsubscribe. We keep a minimal record of your address so we don’t email you again |
| Enquiries and call notes | Up to 2 years after our last contact |
| Analytics data | Up to 14 months |
8. Keeping your information secure
We use reputable providers with strong security, limit access to your information to the people who need it, and protect our accounts with strong passwords and two-factor authentication. No system is completely secure, but we’ll tell you and the ICO promptly if a breach puts your information at risk.
9. Your rights
Under UK data protection law, you have the right to:
- access a copy of the information we hold about you
- ask us to correct information that’s wrong or incomplete
- ask us to delete your information
- ask us to restrict or stop using your information, including objecting to direct marketing at any time
- receive your information in a portable format
- withdraw your consent at any time, without affecting anything we did before you withdrew it
To use any of these rights, email [email protected]. It’s free, and we’ll respond within one month. We may need to confirm your identity first.
If you’re unhappy with how we’ve handled your information, please tell us so we can put it right. You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint or on 0303 123 1113.
10. Children
Our website, courses and ads are intended for adults. We don’t knowingly collect information from anyone under 18. If you believe a child has given us their details, contact us and we’ll delete them.
11. Links to other websites
Our website and emails link to other sites, such as publications and our social media pages. We aren’t responsible for how those sites handle your information, so please read their privacy policies.
12. Changes to this policy
We may update this policy from time to time, for example when we start using a new tool. We’ll post the new version here with an updated date, and tell you by email if the changes are significant.