Privacy Policy
1. Privacy at a Glance
General Information
The following information provides a simple overview of what happens to your personal data when you visit this website. Personal data is any data that can be used to personally identify you.
2. Responsible Body
Butterflies IT UG (haftungsbeschränkt)
Hagenower Str. 73
19061 Schwerin, Germany
Email: info@butterflies-it.de
The responsible body is the natural or legal person who alone or jointly with others decides on the purposes and means of processing personal data.
3. Data Collection on This Website
Registration
You can register on this website to use additional features. We only use the data you enter for the purpose of using the respective service for which you have registered. During registration we collect: email address, name (optional). Registration uses a double opt-in procedure.
Newsletter
If you wish to receive the newsletter, we require an email address from you. Subscription is voluntary with a double opt-in procedure. You can unsubscribe from the newsletter at any time via the unsubscribe link in each email.
Travel Reports
If you write travel reports, they will be published with your username. Location data is only stored if you explicitly provide it. Uploaded images are stored on our servers.
Contact Form
If you send us enquiries via the contact form, your details (name, email address, message) will be stored to process the enquiry. We will send you an automatic confirmation email.
4. Your Rights
You have the right at any time to:
- Information about your stored data (§ 15 GDPR)
- Rectification of inaccurate data (§ 16 GDPR)
- Deletion of your data (§ 17 GDPR)
- Restriction of processing (§ 18 GDPR)
- Data portability (§ 20 GDPR)
- Object to processing (§ 21 GDPR)
You also have the right to lodge a complaint with a data protection supervisory authority about the processing of your personal data.
5. Hosting
This website is hosted on a server in Germany. The host collects information in so-called log files that your browser automatically transmits (IP address, browser type, operating system, referrer URL, time of request). This data is stored for a maximum of 7 days and serves to ensure trouble-free operation.
6. Cookies & Consent
We use cookies and similar technologies on this website. On your first visit, you will be asked for your consent via a cookie banner. You can change your settings at any time:
Cookie Categories Overview
| Category | Cookie / Technology | Purpose | Storage Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential (always active) | access_token | JWT authentication for logged-in users | 15 minutes |
| refresh_token | Automatic session renewal | 7–30 days | |
| hg_cookie_consent | Stores your cookie settings (localStorage) | 12 months | |
| Functional (optional) | hg_travel_data | Stores travel data (dates, persons) for forms (localStorage) | Permanent |
| Session ID | Anonymous session ID for trip planner (sessionStorage) | End of session | |
| Marketing & Affiliate (optional) | CHECK24 widget, CJ affiliate links (FeWo-direkt, Expedia), Awin (Flightright, we-are.travel, travSIM, e-hoi.de, TravelSecure, touriDat, Berge & Meer) | Loads the CHECK24 package holiday comparison widget or redirects via CJ tracking links to FeWo-direkt and Expedia. Flight rights and short break links are redirected via the Awin network to Flightright or we-are.travel. Cookies from check24.net, tkqlhce.com, dpbolvw.net or awin1.com may be set. | Variable (third party) |
| Analytics (optional) | Google Analytics 4, Google Ads (Google Ireland Limited) | Anonymous website statistics and conversion measurement for advertisements. IP addresses are anonymised. Google Consent Mode v2 is activated – no data is collected without your consent. Google Ads remarketing is only loaded with marketing consent. | up to 14 months |
Legal basis: Essential cookies are set on the basis of Art. 6(1)(f) GDPR (legitimate interest). Functional, marketing and analytics cookies are only activated with your explicit consent pursuant to Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR.
7. External Services
Images (Unsplash)
We embed images via the Unsplash service (unsplash.com). When loading images, a connection to Unsplash servers is established, whereby your IP address is transmitted. Photographers are credited by name.
Map Service (MapLibre / ESRI)
For the interactive 3D globe, we use the open-source library MapLibre GL JS with satellite maps from ESRI. When loading map tiles, a connection to ESRI servers is established.
Web Analytics (Google Analytics 4)
We use Google Analytics 4 (provider: Google Ireland Limited, Gordon House, Barrow Street, Dublin 4, Ireland) for statistical analysis of website usage. Google Analytics is only loaded after your explicit consent (Art. 6(1)(a) GDPR). Without consent, no data is transmitted to Google. We use Google Consent Mode v2 so that Google does not set cookies or collect data before consent.
When analytics is enabled, the following data is processed: page views, dwell time, device and browser used, approximate location (based on the anonymised IP address). IP anonymisation is enabled (anonymize_ip), so your complete IP address is not stored. Data is processed on Google servers in the EU. The retention period is a maximum of 14 months.
You can revoke your consent at any time via the cookie settings. Further information can be found in the Google Privacy Policy.
Email Sending (Brevo)
For sending emails (verification, password reset, newsletter), we use the Brevo service (formerly Sendinblue). Processing takes place on servers in the EU.
8. Trip Planner & Analytics Events
Our trip planner captures anonymous usage events (e.g. selected holiday type, search parameters, clicks on partner links) to improve the quality of recommendations. This data is linked to a randomly generated session ID that is stored exclusively in your browser's session storage and is deleted when the tab is closed. No cookies are set and no personal data (name, email, IP address) is stored in the analytics events.
9. Affiliate Links & Referrals
HolidayGenie contains affiliate links to various travel providers, in particular CHECK24, FeWo-direkt and Expedia (via the CJ Affiliate network). When you click on such a link or use the CHECK24 widget, you will be redirected to the respective provider's website. From that point on, the respective provider's privacy policy applies. We may receive a commission for referrals or bookings. This does not result in any additional costs for you. Affiliate links are marked with an "*".
CHECK24 Package Holiday Widget: The widget is only loaded after your consent to marketing cookies. When loaded, a script from files.check24.net is embedded that may set cookies. Details can be found in the CHECK24 Privacy Policy.
FeWo-direkt (CJ Affiliate by Conversant): Links to holiday apartments on FeWo-direkt are redirected via the CJ Affiliate network (Commission Junction / Conversant LLC). When clicking such a link, a connection to CJ servers (tkqlhce.com / www.anrdoezrs.net) is established, whereby your IP address and a tracking cookie are transmitted to assign the referral. Details can be found in the CJ/Conversant Privacy Policy and the FeWo-direkt Privacy Policy.
Expedia (CJ Affiliate by Conversant): Links to hotels and accommodation on Expedia.de are also redirected via the CJ Affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to CJ servers (dpbolvw.net) is established. Details can be found in the Expedia Privacy Policy.
Flightright (Awin network): Links for checking air passenger rights claims are redirected via the Awin affiliate network (awin1.com). When clicking, a connection to Awin servers is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 30 days may be set. We receive a commission on successful referrals. Details can be found in the Awin Privacy Policy and the Flightright Privacy Policy.
We-are.travel (Awin network): Links to short break and hotel offers on we-are.travel are also redirected via the Awin affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to Awin servers (awin1.com) is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 48 days may be set. Details can be found in the we-are.travel Privacy Policy.
travSIM (Awin network): Links to travel SIM cards on travSIM.de are redirected via the Awin affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to Awin servers (awin1.com) is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 33 days may be set. Details can be found in the travSIM Privacy Policy.
e-hoi.de (Awin network): Links to cruise offers on e-hoi.de are redirected via the Awin affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to Awin servers (awin1.com) is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 233 days may be set. Details can be found in the e-hoi.de Privacy Policy.
TravelSecure (Awin network): Links to travel insurance on travelsecure.de (Würzburger Versicherungs-AG) are redirected via the Awin affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to Awin servers (awin1.com) is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 120 days may be set. Details can be found in the TravelSecure Privacy Policy.
touriDat (Awin network): Links to hotel vouchers and short trips on touridat.com are redirected via the Awin affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to Awin servers (awin1.com) is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 83 days may be set. Details can be found in the touriDat Privacy Policy.
Berge & Meer (Awin network): Links to package holidays and tours on berge-meer.de are redirected via the Awin affiliate network. When clicking, a connection to Awin servers (awin1.com) is established, whereby a tracking cookie with a duration of 170 days may be set. Details can be found in the Berge & Meer Privacy Policy.
10. Data Security
We use HTTPS encryption for the entire website. Passwords are stored hashed (bcrypt). JWT tokens are transmitted in HttpOnly cookies with the Secure flag. After 5 failed login attempts, the account is temporarily locked.
11. Deletion & Account Data
You can delete your account at any time in the profile settings. Deletion is performed as a soft delete (30-day recovery period), after which all personal data is permanently deleted.
Last updated: March 2026