Here is the short version: I collect as little as possible, I do not sell anything about you, and the only list you can end up on is one you asked to join.
The longer version is below, because some of it is required and some of it is just worth knowing.
First Step to Adventure is published by Boltz Creations, LLC. It is a one-person operation. Where this page says “I” or “me,” that is Andrew.
Your email address, but only if you hand it over. The signup form near the bottom of most pages asks for your email and which free guide you want. That goes to Kit, the email service I use to send the guide and the occasional update. Your guide choice is stored as a tag so I do not send you Florence when you asked for Athens. Unsubscribe using the link in any email and you are removed.
Whatever you type into the contact form. Your name, your email, and your message, so that I can reply. Nothing else.
Ordinary analytics. I use Google Analytics to see which pages people actually read, roughly what part of the world they are in, and whether something on the site is broken. It arrives as aggregate numbers. I cannot see who you are and I do not try to.
Server and security logs. The site runs on Hostinger and uses Wordfence for security. Both keep the usual technical records, including IP addresses, so that the site stays up and unbroken.
Some cookies keep the site working and fast. Analytics sets cookies to count visits. And the affiliate programs behind some of the travel links set cookies so a partner knows a booking came from here, which is the thing that keeps the guides free to read.
That last group is worth naming properly. The Travelpayouts script that powers several of the travel links also reaches Google advertising domains while it runs. I do not sell ad space on this site and I do not hold an ad network account, but that traffic is real and you should know it happens.
You can block or clear cookies in your browser settings. Nothing here breaks if you do, apart from affiliate tracking, and that only costs me.
Google Analytics and Google Fonts, Kit for email, Travelpayouts and CJ Affiliate for affiliate links, Gumroad and Etsy if you buy a guide, Hostinger for hosting, and Gravatar for profile images. Each one has its own privacy policy, and the moment you leave this site you are on their terms rather than mine.
Purchases do not happen here. If you buy a guide, checkout runs on Gumroad or Etsy. I never see or store your card details.
I do not sell, rent, or trade your email address or anything else about you. I do not run display advertising. I do not buy lists. Nobody is paying me for access to the people who read this.
Unsubscribe from any email using the link at the bottom of it. If you want to know what I hold about you, or you want it deleted, say so through the Contact page and I will do it. Depending on where you live you may have rights under the GDPR or the CCPA. I will honor those requests whether or not the law where you live requires me to.
This site is written for adults planning trips. It is not directed at children under 13 and I do not knowingly collect anything from them.
If this changes, the date below changes with it. There is no version where I quietly swap the terms and hope nobody notices.
Last updated: August 20, 2026
Questions go through the Contact page. Related reading: the Affiliate Disclosure and the Disclaimer.
Andrew
First Step to Adventure / Boltz Creations, LLC