PRIVACY POLICY

Effective date: 1 March 2026
Last updated: 19 August 2026

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1. Who We Are

Sapphic Journeys is a travel, community and connection platform for lesbian and queer women.

Sapphic Journeys is a trading name of Silver Lovers Abroad, a UK sole trader business operated by Magdalena Sora, registered with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC).

For the purposes of applicable UK data protection legislation, including the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018, Magdalena Sora is responsible for the personal information processed by Sapphic Journeys.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, how your personal information is used, or your data protection rights, please contact us:

Email: sapphic.journeys@outlook.com

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2. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect only the personal information that we reasonably need to operate Sapphic Journeys, communicate with our community and improve our website and services.

Depending on how you interact with us, we may collect:

Information you provide directly

This may include:

• Your name

• Your email address

• Your location, where you choose to provide it

• Information you provide when joining our founding members or community lists

• Information you provide when subscribing to our newsletter

• Information submitted through our website contact forms

• Messages, enquiries, feedback or other information you voluntarily send to us

• Information you choose to provide when communicating with Sapphic Journeys

Please do not provide sensitive personal information through our contact forms or by email unless we specifically ask you to do so and explain why it is required.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website, certain technical information may be collected automatically. This may include:

• IP address

• Browser type

• Device type

• Operating system

• Pages visited

• Approximate location information derived from technical data

• Date and time of visits

• Website usage and interaction information

• Referring website or source

This information may be collected through Wix, website analytics tools, cookies or similar technologies.

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3. How We Use Your Information

We may use your personal information to:

• Provide and operate the Sapphic Journeys website and community

• Manage our founding members and community communications

• Send newsletters, updates and information about Sapphic Journeys

• Tell you about travel opportunities, destinations, events and community activities

• Respond to your questions, enquiries and messages

• Communicate with you about services or activities you have expressed an interest in

• Understand how visitors use our website

• Monitor and improve website performance

• Develop and improve our services, content and community experience

• Maintain website security and prevent misuse

• Keep appropriate business and administrative records

• Comply with legal and regulatory obligations

• Establish, exercise or defend legal claims where necessary

We will only use your personal information for purposes that are compatible with the reason it was collected or where otherwise permitted by law.

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4. Our Lawful Bases for Processing

Under the UK GDPR, we need a lawful basis for processing personal information.

Depending on the circumstances, we may rely on the following lawful bases:

Consent

We may rely on your consent when you voluntarily subscribe to a newsletter, founding members list or other marketing communication.

You can withdraw your consent at any time by contacting us or using the unsubscribe option provided in our emails.

Legitimate interests

We may process personal information where it is reasonably necessary for our legitimate interests, provided those interests are not overridden by your rights and freedoms.

This may include:

• Operating and improving our website

• Understanding website usage

• Maintaining website security

• Managing our community

• Communicating with existing contacts where permitted by law

• Developing and improving Sapphic Journeys

Contract

Where applicable, we may process information because it is necessary to take steps at your request before entering into a contract or to perform a contract with you.

Legal obligation

We may process personal information where necessary to comply with a legal or regulatory obligation.

Legal claims

Where necessary, we may process information for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims.

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5. Marketing Communications

If you choose to subscribe to our newsletter, founding members list or other marketing communications, we may use your name and email address to send you information about:

• Sapphic Journeys app

• New community developments

• Travel opportunities

• Events and destinations

• News and updates

• Offers or partnerships that may be relevant to our community

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our emails or contacting us at:

sapphic.journeys@outlook.com

Unsubscribing from marketing communications does not necessarily mean that we will immediately delete all information we hold about you. We may need to retain certain information where we have a lawful reason to do so, such as maintaining suppression records or complying with legal obligations.

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6. Cookies and Website Analytics

Our website is hosted using Wix and may use cookies and similar technologies.

Cookies may be used for purposes including:

• Website functionality

• Security

• Understanding website traffic

• Measuring website performance

• Improving the user experience

• Analytics and statistics

Some cookies may be essential for the website to function, while others may require your consent depending on their purpose and applicable law.

You can manage or restrict cookies through your browser and, where provided, through our website's cookie settings.

Where non-essential cookies require consent, we will seek your consent before using them.

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7. Whom We Share Your Information With

We do not sell your personal information.

We do not share your personal information with advertisers for their own marketing purposes.

However, we may share or allow access to personal information with trusted service providers who help us operate Sapphic Journeys.

These may include:

• Wix, our website hosting and website management platform

• Email marketing providers, where used, such as Mailchimp, Kit, MailerLite or another provider we may use in the future

• Website analytics and technology providers

• IT, hosting, security and technical service providers

• Professional advisers where necessary

• Government authorities, regulators or law enforcement where we are legally required to do so

Where third-party service providers process personal information on our behalf, we expect them to handle that information appropriately and in accordance with applicable data protection requirements.

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8. Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Other Platforms

Sapphic Journeys may use third-party platforms and social media services, including Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.

If you interact with Sapphic Journeys through these platforms, the platform may collect and process information about you under its own privacy policy and terms.

For example, information you choose to post in a Facebook Group or on another social media platform may be visible to other users of that platform.

We do not control how these third-party platforms process information once it is within their systems.

You should review the privacy policies of the relevant platforms before using them.

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9. Our Community

Sapphic Journeys is intended to provide a welcoming environment for lesbian and queer women to connect around travel, community and shared experiences.

If you participate in community discussions, groups, events or other interactive areas, please remember that anything you voluntarily share may potentially be seen by other members or participants.

Please think carefully before sharing personal information publicly.

Sapphic Journeys will not ask you to publicly disclose information that is unnecessary for participation in our community.

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10. International Data Transfers

Some of the service providers we use may process personal information outside the United Kingdom.

For example, Wix and other technology or email service providers may operate infrastructure or use service providers in countries outside the UK.

Where personal information is transferred outside the UK, we will take appropriate steps to ensure that the transfer is protected in accordance with applicable data protection law.

This may include relying on an adequacy decision or appropriate contractual safeguards where required.

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11. How We Protect Your Information

We take reasonable and appropriate steps to protect the personal information we hold against:

• Unauthorised access

• Accidental loss

• Misuse

• Unauthorised alteration

• Unauthorised disclosure

• Destruction

However, no website, email system or method of transmitting information over the internet can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

You should therefore avoid sending highly sensitive information by ordinary email or website contact forms unless specifically requested.

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12. How Long We Keep Your Information

We will keep personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected, unless we are required or permitted by law to retain it for longer.

Different types of information may therefore be retained for different periods.

For example:

• Newsletter and marketing information will generally be retained while you remain subscribed or until we no longer have a legitimate reason to retain it.

• Contact form enquiries may be retained for as long as reasonably necessary to deal with the enquiry and maintain appropriate business records.

• Certain financial, accounting or legal records may need to be retained for longer periods because of legal or regulatory requirements.

• Technical and analytics information may be retained according to the retention settings of the relevant service provider.

When personal information is no longer required, we will take reasonable steps to securely delete it or anonymise it.

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13. Your Data Protection Rights

Depending on the circumstances, you have rights under UK data protection law, including:

• The right to be informed about how your personal information is used

• The right of access to the personal information we hold about you

• The right to rectification if information is inaccurate or incomplete

• The right to erasure in certain circumstances

• The right to restrict processing in certain circumstances

• The right to object to certain types of processing

• The right to data portability in certain circumstances

• The right to withdraw consent where we rely on consent as our lawful basis

These rights are not absolute and may not apply in every circumstance.

To exercise your rights, please contact:

sapphic.journeys@outlook.com

Please provide enough information for us to identify you and understand your request.

We may need to verify your identity before providing personal information or making certain changes.

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14. How We Respond to Data Requests

We aim to respond to valid data protection requests without undue delay and generally within one month, in accordance with applicable data protection law.

In some circumstances, the law allows the response period to be extended. If this applies, we will let you know.

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15. Children's Privacy

Sapphic Journeys is intended for people aged 18 and over.

We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under the age of 18.

If we become aware that we have collected personal information from someone under 18 without an appropriate lawful basis, we will take reasonable steps to delete that information.

By using Sapphic Journeys and participating in our community, you confirm that you are at least 18 years old.

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16. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to websites operated by third parties, including travel providers, social media platforms, accommodation providers, event organisers and other organisations.

We are not responsible for the privacy practices, security or content of third-party websites.

We recommend that you read the privacy policy of any external website before providing personal information to it.

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17. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes to:

• Our business

• Our website

• Our community

• The services we use

• The way we process personal information

• Applicable data protection legislation

When we make changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page.

Where a change is significant, we may take additional steps to bring it to your attention where appropriate.

We recommend checking this page periodically to make sure you are aware of the latest version.

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18. Complaints

We hope that we can resolve any concerns you may have about how we handle your personal information.

If you have a concern or complaint, please contact us first:

Sapphic Journeys
Trading name of Silver Lovers Abroad
Operated by Magdalena Sora
Email: sapphic.journeys@outlook.com

You also have the right to complain to the UK's data protection regulator, the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), if you believe your personal information has been handled unlawfully.

Information Commissioner's Office (ICO)
Website: ico.org.uk

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19. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, your personal information, or how Sapphic Journeys uses your data, please contact:

Sapphic Journeys
A trading name of Silver Lovers Abroad
Operated by Magdalena Sora

Email: sapphic.journeys@outlook.com

We are committed to treating your personal information with care, respect and transparency.

© Sapphic Journeys 2026. All rights reserved.

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