Legal

Privacy Policy

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This policy explains what personal information we collect when you visit happilyabroad.com or email us, and how we use and share it. It also explains your choices and rights.

Who we are

Happily Abroad is owned and operated by HemSol Group AB (company reg. no. 559196-6675), Drottninggatan 32, 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden. We're responsible for the personal information collected on the site. In this policy, "we," "us" and "our" mean HemSol Group AB.

This policy applies to happilyabroad.com. It doesn't apply to the sites of card issuers or other companies we link to, which have their own privacy policies.

Information we collect

We collect information automatically when you visit the site, and information you send us when you email us. The site has no user accounts, forms or newsletter, and we don't take credit card applications.

  • Device and usage data. When you visit the site, we and our service providers receive technical information such as your IP address, browser and device type, the time of your visit and the page that sent you to us.
  • Analytics data. We use Google Analytics to see how visitors use the site, such as which pages they view, which offers they see and which links they click.
  • Advertising data. We use the Meta pixel and Meta's Conversions API to measure our ads on Facebook and Instagram. They send Meta information about your visit, such as the pages you view and the links you click, together with your IP address, browser details and identifiers stored in cookies.
  • Ad click identifiers. If you come to the site from an ad, the web address can include an identifier from the ad click, such as Meta's click ID (fbclid). It's stored in a cookie so the visit can be linked to the ad.
  • Cookies and similar technologies. We and our service providers store cookies and identifiers in your browser. Read more under Cookies and similar technologies.
  • Emails you send us. If you email us, we receive your email address and what you write.

We don't ask for sensitive information, such as your Social Security number, account numbers or health information, and we ask you not to send it to us.

When you apply for a card, you do it on the card issuer's site. The issuer collects the information in your application, and the issuer's privacy policy applies.

How we use information

We use the information we collect for these purposes:

  • Run the site. To show you the pages, keep the site working and fix errors.
  • Understand and improve the site. To see which pages and features visitors use, so we can improve our posts and design. We may also compare different versions of a page to see which works better.
  • Measure our ads and commissions. To see which ads lead to visits and clicks on affiliate links, keep track of the commissions we earn and choose who sees our ads.
  • Prevent fraud and misuse. To detect and stop bots, invalid ad clicks, attacks and other misuse of the site.
  • Answer your emails. To reply to you and follow up on your message.

We may also use information when the law requires it, or to protect our rights and the safety of others.

Who we share information with

We share information with service providers that help us run, measure and protect the site, and with our advertising partners. They include:

  • Google. Google Analytics collects statistics about how the site is used, and Google Tag Manager manages the tags that send measurement data.
  • Meta. The Meta pixel and Meta's Conversions API send Meta information about visits and clicks on affiliate links, so Meta can measure our ads on Facebook and Instagram and decide who sees them.
  • Stape. Hosts our server-side tagging service. Measurement data sent through this service is forwarded to Google and Meta.
  • Cloudflare. Hosts and delivers the site and protects it against attacks. All traffic to the site passes through Cloudflare.
  • Card issuers and affiliate networks. Links to our partners may go through our own link service, which records the click, including the time, the offer, your IP address and browser type, so that our commissions can be calculated and checked. You're then sent to the partner's site, sometimes through an affiliate network that tracks referrals for the partner. The partner learns that you came from us, and its own privacy policy applies to what it collects. Read more in our Advertiser Disclosure.

Google and Meta can also use information from their analytics and advertising services for their own purposes. Read more on Google's page How Google uses information from sites or apps that use our services and in Meta's Privacy Policy.

Under California law, our use of the Meta pixel and Meta's Conversions API may count as "selling" or "sharing" personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising. Other states may treat it as targeted advertising. You can opt out as described under Your privacy choices.

We may also disclose information if the law requires it, to protect our rights or the safety of others, or as part of a merger or sale of our business.

Cookies and similar technologies

A cookie is a small text file that's stored in your browser when you visit a website. We also use similar technologies, such as storage in your browser and tags that send information to our service providers. Cookies are set when you visit the site.

We use cookies for three purposes:

  • Necessary. To deliver the site and protect it against misuse.
  • Analytics. To see how visitors use the site. When we compare different versions of a page, a cookie makes sure you see the same version each time.
  • Advertising. To measure which ads lead to visits and clicks on affiliate links, and to personalize ads. These include the cookies set by the Meta pixel.

You can delete cookies and block them in your browser settings. Most browsers also let you block only third-party cookies. The site still works if you block cookies.

How long we keep information

We keep personal information only as long as we need it for the purposes in this policy, or longer if the law requires it.

  • Cookies. Cookies stay in your browser for different periods, from a few minutes up to two years, unless you delete them.
  • Google Analytics. User and event data is kept for up to 14 months.
  • Meta. Meta keeps information from its advertising services under its own retention rules.
  • Clicks on affiliate links. Our link service keeps a record of each click as long as we need it to calculate and check our commissions.
  • Server logs. Technical information in server logs is kept only as long as needed to run the site and fix problems.
  • Emails. We keep emails as long as we need them to handle your message, unless the law requires us to keep them longer.

Security

We use reasonable measures to protect the information we collect, such as encrypted connections (HTTPS) and access controls on our systems. No website is completely secure, so we can't guarantee that information will never be lost or misused.

Children

Happily Abroad is not directed to children under 13, and we don't knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child under 13 has sent us personal information, email us at info@happilyabroad.com and we'll delete it.

We don't knowingly sell or share the personal information of anyone under 16.

International transfers

HemSol Group AB is based in Sweden, in the European Union. Several of our service providers are based in the U.S., so your information may be processed in both the EU and the U.S.

Data protection laws in these places may differ from the laws where you live. When personal information is transferred from the EU to the U.S., the transfer relies on the EU-U.S. Data Privacy Framework or on standard contractual clauses approved by the European Commission.

Your privacy choices

Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. You can tell us not to "sell" or "share" your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising, which means ads based on your activity across different websites. Some states call this opting out of targeted advertising. To opt out, email us at info@happilyabroad.com.

Blocking cookies in your browser also limits what's collected. See Cookies and similar technologies.

If you use Facebook or Instagram, you can also choose in your Meta ad preferences whether Meta uses activity information from websites like ours to show you ads.

Your privacy rights

Depending on where you live, you have rights over your personal information. California residents have rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), and residents of several other states have similar rights under their own laws. And because HemSol Group AB is based in Sweden, the EU's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) applies to the personal information we handle, wherever you live. These rights include:

  • Right to know and access. You can ask what personal information we have about you, where it came from, why we use it and who we share it with, and ask for a copy.
  • Right to correct. You can ask us to correct inaccurate personal information about you.
  • Right to delete. You can ask us to delete personal information about you, with some exceptions set out in the law.
  • Right to opt out. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your personal information and of targeted advertising, as described under Your privacy choices.
  • Right to object or restrict. Under the GDPR, you can object to our use of your personal information or ask us to limit how we use it.
  • Right to complain. Under the GDPR, you can file a complaint with the Swedish Authority for Privacy Protection (IMY) or, if you live in the EU, with your local data protection authority.

To make a request, email us at info@happilyabroad.com. We may ask for more information to verify your request. Because we don't have user accounts, we may not be able to link information such as cookie identifiers to you. You can also let an authorized agent make a request for you.

We respond within one month. If we need more time, we'll tell you why.

We won't discriminate against you for using your privacy rights. For example, you can still use the whole site after you opt out.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy, for example when we start using a new service or the law changes. The current version is always on this page, with the date of the last update at the top.

If we make important changes, we'll make that clear on this page.

Contact us

If you have questions about this policy or how we handle personal information, email us at info@happilyabroad.com or write to us at HemSol Group AB, Drottninggatan 32, 111 51 Stockholm, Sweden.