Privacy Policy

Last updated: April 16, 2026

This Privacy Policy describes how HikeHydrated ("we", "our", or "us") collects, uses, and shares information when you visit hikehydrated.com (the "Site").

1. Who we are

HikeHydrated is operated by:

Vertical Publishing SRL Alba Iulia, Romania Registered under Romanian law Email: contact@hikehydrated.com

For the purposes of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Vertical Publishing SRL is the data controller.

2. Information we collect

Automatically collected information

When you visit the Site, we automatically collect certain information about your device and browsing behavior:

  • Technical data: IP address, browser type and version, device type, operating system, screen resolution, time zone
  • Usage data: pages visited, time spent on pages, scroll depth, clicks, referring website, search terms used to find us
  • Cookies and similar technologies (see Section 5)

Information you provide

  • Contact form submissions: If you contact us, we receive your name, email address, and message content.
  • Newsletter subscriptions (if applicable): email address.

We do not sell products directly on this Site, and we do not collect payment information.

3. How we use your information

We use collected information to:

  • Operate and maintain the Site
  • Analyze traffic patterns and improve content (via Google Analytics and/or privacy-respecting alternatives)
  • Respond to contact form submissions
  • Detect and prevent abuse, spam, or security threats
  • Comply with legal obligations

Legal bases under GDPR:

  • Legitimate interest — site operation, analytics, security
  • Consent — marketing cookies, newsletter (if applicable)
  • Contract performance — responding to your direct inquiries

4. Amazon Associates disclosure

HikeHydrated is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

What this means for you:

  • When you click an Amazon link on our Site and make a purchase, Amazon may pay us a commission.
  • This commission does not increase the price you pay.
  • Our editorial recommendations are independent of this commission arrangement. We do not rank products higher because they pay higher commissions.
  • Clicking an Amazon affiliate link transfers you to Amazon.com, where Amazon's own privacy policy and cookie policy apply.

Our Amazon Associates tracking ID is embedded in affiliate links (tag=hikehydrated2-20). Amazon uses this to attribute referred sales to us.

For details on how Amazon handles your data after you click through, see Amazon's Privacy Notice.

5. Cookies and tracking technologies

We use the following types of cookies:

Strictly necessary cookies

Required for the Site to function. These cannot be disabled.

Analytics cookies

We use analytics tools (Google Analytics, potentially Microsoft Clarity) to understand how visitors interact with the Site. These cookies collect aggregated information such as pageviews, session duration, and general geographic region.

Marketing cookies

Amazon and other affiliate networks may set cookies when you click affiliate links. These are governed by their respective privacy policies.

Managing cookies: You can control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling analytics cookies does not affect site functionality. On first visit, EU and UK users are presented with a cookie consent banner that allows granular choice.

6. Sharing your information

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. We may share information with:

  • Service providers: hosting (Vercel), CDN (Cloudflare), analytics (Google, Microsoft), email providers — bound by their own privacy and data processing terms
  • Affiliate networks: Amazon Associates, as described in Section 4
  • Legal obligations: if required by law, subpoena, or to protect rights and safety

7. Data retention

  • Technical/usage data: retained in aggregated form for up to 26 months (Google Analytics default)
  • Contact form submissions: retained for up to 24 months after last correspondence, then deleted
  • Cookie data: retained per the cookie's individual expiration (see cookie banner details)

8. Your rights

If you are in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK, or Switzerland (GDPR / UK GDPR)

You have the right to:

  • Access the personal data we hold about you
  • Rectify inaccurate data
  • Erase your data ("right to be forgotten")
  • Restrict or object to processing
  • Data portability — receive your data in a portable format
  • Withdraw consent at any time where processing is based on consent
  • Lodge a complaint with your local supervisory authority (in Romania: ANSPDCP)

If you are in California (CCPA / CPRA)

You have the right to:

  • Know what personal information is collected, used, and shared
  • Delete personal information we hold
  • Opt-out of the sale of personal information (we do not sell personal information)
  • Non-discrimination for exercising your rights

To exercise any of these rights, email contact@hikehydrated.com with the subject "Privacy Request".

9. International data transfers

The Site is operated from Romania (EU). Some service providers (Vercel, Google, Cloudflare, Amazon) are based in the United States and other jurisdictions. Where data is transferred outside the EU/EEA, we rely on Standard Contractual Clauses or equivalent safeguards as required by GDPR.

10. Children's privacy

This Site is not directed to children under 13. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it.

11. Security

We take reasonable technical and organizational measures to protect your information, including HTTPS encryption, Cloudflare DDoS protection, and restricted access to analytics dashboards. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure.

12. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy periodically. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the most recent revision. Material changes will be highlighted on the Site homepage for at least 30 days.

13. Contact

For questions about this Privacy Policy or to exercise your data rights:

Email: contact@hikehydrated.com Postal: Vertical Publishing SRL, Alba Iulia, Romania

Response time: we aim to reply within 30 days, as required by GDPR.