Privacy Policy
Last updated: April 13, 2026
This Privacy Policy explains what personal data US Trip Planner processes, why we process it, how long we keep it, and the choices available to you. It applies to the US Trip Planner website, including public route pages, the planner, account features, the contact form, and route feedback tools.
Controller
Data We Process
Technical and request data
When you browse the site, our application and hosting environment may process technical data such as IP address, browser or device information, requested URLs, referrer information, and timestamps. We use this data to deliver pages, protect the service, and troubleshoot issues.
Account data
If you create an account, we store your name, email address, hashed password, and related account timestamps. If you sign in, we also process session information needed to keep you logged in and secure your account.
Contact form data
If you contact us, we store the name, email address, optional subject, message body, and IP address you submit. We may also send the contents of that message to our support email so we can respond.
Route votes and tips
If you vote on a route or submit a tip, we store the route identifier, the submission type, the content you submit, any optional author name, timestamps, and an IP-based hash used for abuse prevention and rate limiting.
Route tips may be shown publicly on the relevant route page. Votes are used in aggregate and are not displayed as a public user profile.
Browser-side preferences
We store your theme preference locally in your browser using localStorage so the site can remember
dark or light mode on future visits.
How We Use Data
We use personal data to operate, secure, and improve US Trip Planner, including to:
- serve pages, maps, planner tools, and account functionality;
- authenticate users and maintain secure sessions;
- prevent spam, abuse, duplicate votes, and misuse of feedback features;
- review and moderate public route tips or comments;
- respond to support or legal inquiries sent through the contact form or email;
- debug availability, performance, and security issues.
Legal Bases
Depending on the context, we process personal data because it is necessary to provide the service you request, to take steps at your request, to comply with legal obligations, or for our legitimate interests in running, securing, and improving US Trip Planner.
Where a browser-side preference depends on your own device settings, such as a stored theme selection in
localStorage, that preference remains under your control and can be cleared from your browser.
Cookies, Sessions, and Similar Storage
US Trip Planner uses essential session technology for functions such as login, CSRF protection, form handling, and account security. Without these, account and form features would not work correctly.
We also store a theme preference in your browser through localStorage. We do not currently describe any
advertising cookies or third-party behavioral tracking cookies as part of the site itself.
Third-Party Providers and External Services
US Trip Planner uses or links to third-party services to load some assets or support certain features. Depending on the page, these may include Google Fonts, jsDelivr, UNPKG, CARTO basemaps, Google Maps, Waze, Apple Maps, Booking.com, and data or image providers referenced elsewhere on the site.
When your browser loads assets from those providers, or when you open an external navigation or booking link, those third parties may receive technical information such as your IP address, browser metadata, and the fact that your browser requested their resource.
We do not control those third-party privacy practices. You should review their own policies before relying on their services.
Sharing
We do not sell your personal data. We may share data with service providers or infrastructure vendors only where reasonably necessary to host, secure, deliver, or support US Trip Planner, or where required by law.
Public route tips or comments that you submit may be visible to other visitors.
Retention
We keep personal data only for as long as it is reasonably needed for the purpose it was collected, including service delivery, moderation, security, recordkeeping, and legal compliance.
In practice, this means account data is generally kept while your account remains active, session data remains until expiry or logout, contact messages are retained while needed to handle your inquiry and maintain support records, and route feedback is retained while needed to operate or moderate the feature.
International Transfers
Some third-party providers used by or linked from US Trip Planner may process data outside your country, including outside the European Economic Area. Where that happens, the transfer is governed by the relevant provider's own legal and contractual arrangements.
Your Rights
Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights to request access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, or portability for personal data we hold about you.
To exercise a privacy request, contact [email protected] or use the contact page.
Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in the site, data flows, legal requirements, or operational practices. We will update the "Last updated" date when we do.