A Disclaimer about Monetization

As much as we would love to write this blog purely as a passion project, hosting a website requires an inordinate amount of time and money, meaning that in exchange for the guides, tips, and other content we provide, we must make some sort of income in order to continue doing so.

Don’t worry. This income does not come at the expense of our readers, but from one of the follow ways:

  • Advertising: You may notice that you see some ads on this site. Those are there so that I can make a little bit of money for each view my site gets. I really hope they’re not too annoying and if they are, please let me know.

  • Affiliate marketing: As a member of several affiliate programs (including Amazon Affiliates, AvantLink, Impact Affiliates, Ascend by PepperJam, Share-A-Sale, and CJ Affiliates by Conversion) if you purchase a products via the any link through one of these sites, I get a percentage (albeit a small one) of the profit. This is at no cost to you; it is merely a commission for directing the sale provided by the seller. I want you to know how seriously I thus take the products I promote on this site. Any product I promote, I do so because I truly trust and like the product. I like to give back to others searching for personal testimonies by offering my own.

  • Brand ambassadorship: Every once in a while, I am given free merchandise to test by brands in the vein of either climbing or vanlife. The agreement is that I will write a review of their product in exchange. Please rest assured that my reviews are completely unswayed by the free nature of the product and not paid to be a “gleaming review”. I will always write the truth, the good and the bad, of any product received this way and I will ALWAYS disclose such instances clearly in the review.

  • Donations: I’ve always been very proud to say that I fund my travels completely on my own dime. I have worked very hard for many years to be able to afford to do what I do. In that time, however, I’ve also learned that it’s okay to accept a little help sometimes. That is why I include a link to a PayPal.me account where readers can donate if they so wish. No personal information from these donors is stored or shared with third party advertisers. In fact, PayPal is pretty good about keeping even me in the dark about my benefactors.

A word on privacy:

  • This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings.

  • I encourage my readers to reach out and contact me. I love to hear what you have to say about my adventures or answer any questions you might have. That said, any information you elect to send to me in that message is entirely of your own volition, and I reserve the right to quote your words in future posts if I think you had something really interesting to say. If you don’t want me to do that, please just say so in your message. Sort of an “off the record” kind of deal.

  • If you reach out and contact me, I absolutely will not publish or sell your email address. Same goes with all private information if you purchase stickers from my store.

  • I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission.

  • This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 12, 2020. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at amber@alwaystheadventure.com.

 *This disclaimer is in accordance to the 2009 FTC ruling regarding the disclosure of advertising and endorsement via online venues.