Privacy Policy

1. Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to PlanGatlinburg.com and the pages, guides, forms, trip-planning tools, and other features provided through the website. It does not control the privacy practices of hotels, vacation-rental platforms, attractions, booking companies, email providers, affiliate partners, or other websites that Plan Gatlinburg may link to.

Plan Gatlinburg is an independently operated trip-planning resource. It is not an official website of the City of Gatlinburg, Great Smoky Mountains National Park, or a tourism authority.

2. Information You Provide

Information may be collected when you choose to interact with the site.

Contact forms

A contact submission may include your name, email address, selected topic, subject, message, and any page address you provide. This information is used to review the inquiry and, when appropriate, respond by email.

Email subscriptions

When you request travel tips, a checklist, a trip plan, or another email resource, you may provide an email address and other information shown on that form.

Trip-planning tools

The trip planner may ask about details such as travel dates, group size, lodging preferences, transportation, budget considerations, and trip priorities. The current planner is designed to generate its planning result within your browser. Information is sent to another service only when a feature clearly asks you to submit it, such as an email-delivery form.

Please keep submissions non-sensitive. Do not enter payment information, reservation credentials, passwords, medical information, government identification numbers, or confidential personal records.

3. Information Collected Automatically

Like most websites, Plan Gatlinburg and its hosting or technical service providers may automatically receive limited technical information when the site is visited. This may include:

• Internet Protocol address and approximate location derived from it;
• browser, device, operating-system, and language information;
• pages viewed, referring pages, links selected, and access times;
• diagnostic, security, and error information; and
• cookie or similar identifier information where those technologies are used.

This information may be recorded in server logs or used to operate, secure, troubleshoot, and understand general use of the website. This policy does not name a specific analytics or advertising platform because none is confirmed as part of the current site setup.

4. How Information Is Used

Information may be used to:

• provide requested guides, planner results, checklists, or email content;
• review and respond to questions, corrections, feedback, and business inquiries;
• operate, maintain, secure, and troubleshoot the website;
• understand which pages and resources are useful to visitors;
• prevent spam, fraud, misuse, or harmful activity;
• maintain records needed for legitimate operational or legal purposes; and
• comply with applicable law or protect the rights and safety of the site and others.

Plan Gatlinburg does not knowingly sell personal information for money. Affiliate and referral technologies are described separately below because some privacy laws may define certain data transfers more broadly than an ordinary sale.

5. Service Providers and Disclosure

Information may be handled by companies that support the website. These providers receive information only as needed for the service they perform or as otherwise described in their own policies.

Plan Gatlinburg may also disclose information when reasonably necessary to comply with law, enforce site terms, investigate misuse, protect legal rights or safety, or complete a business transfer involving the website. Plan Gatlinburg does not control how an external provider processes information after you leave this site.

6. Email Subscriptions

Plan Gatlinburg uses AWeber to process newsletter and lead-magnet subscriptions. When you submit an AWeber-connected form, the information entered is transmitted to AWeber and handled under the AWeber Privacy Policy.

Emails may contain practical Gatlinburg guidance, requested downloads, planning information, site updates, and relevant offers. You can unsubscribe by selecting the unsubscribe link included in an email. An unsubscribe record may be retained so that the request can be honored.

7. Cookies and Similar Technologies

Cookies are small files stored by a browser. Plan Gatlinburg, its hosting provider, AWeber, and external affiliate partners may use cookies or similar technologies for functions such as security, form operation, preferences, email attribution, referral tracking, and measuring interactions.

You can usually block or delete cookies through browser settings. Doing so may affect forms, saved preferences, affiliate attribution, or other website features. Browser-based “Do Not Track” signals are not handled consistently across the web; Plan Gatlinburg does not currently promise a specific response to every such signal.

8. Affiliate and External Links

Some Plan Gatlinburg pages contain affiliate links to lodging, travel, insurance, attractions, or other relevant offers. If you select one of these links, the destination company may set cookies or receive referral and device information to recognize that the visit came from Plan Gatlinburg. A qualifying booking or purchase may generate a commission at no additional cost to you.

External websites maintain their own privacy policies and controls. Review those policies before submitting personal information or completing a reservation. More information about commercial relationships appears in the Affiliate Disclosure.

9. Retention and Security

Information is kept only for as long as reasonably needed for the purpose for which it was collected, to maintain necessary operational records, resolve disputes, prevent misuse, honor communication preferences, or satisfy legal obligations. Different service providers may maintain their own retention schedules.

Reasonable administrative and technical measures are used to protect information. No website, email system, or online transmission method can be guaranteed completely secure. Visitors should avoid sending sensitive information through ordinary website forms or email.

10. Your Choices and Rights

You may:

• choose not to submit optional information;
• unsubscribe from marketing emails using the link in each message;
• control cookies through browser or device settings;
• contact Plan Gatlinburg to request access, correction, or deletion of information submitted directly to the site; and
• contact an external partner directly regarding information that partner controls.

Depending on where you live, applicable law may provide additional privacy rights. A request may require reasonable identity verification. Some information may be retained when needed for security, legal compliance, recordkeeping, or honoring an opt-out request.

11. Children's Privacy

Plan Gatlinburg is a general-audience travel-planning website and is not directed to children under 13. The site does not knowingly request personal information from children under 13. If a parent or guardian believes a child submitted personal information, they may use the contact page to request review and deletion.

12. International Visitors

Plan Gatlinburg is operated for a United States travel-planning audience. Information submitted through the site or its service providers may be processed and stored in the United States or other locations where those providers operate. Privacy protections may differ from those in your home jurisdiction.

13. Changes to This Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when site features, providers, legal requirements, or information practices change. The revised policy will be posted on this page and the “Last updated” date will be changed. Material changes may also be communicated through another reasonable notice when appropriate.