We take privacy seriously. This policy explains exactly what data Get About collects, why we collect it, how we store it, and what rights you have. We have tried to write this in plain English. If anything is unclear, email us at hello@getabout.co and we will explain it.
Get About Ltd (in formation) is a travel technology and data company based in England. We operate at getabout.co and play.getabout.co.
We are the data controller for personal data collected through our platform. This means we decide how and why personal data is processed.
Contact us about privacy: hello@getabout.co
Our registered address will be updated here upon formal incorporation. We will register as a data controller with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) upon incorporation.
We collect different data from hostel managers and guests. Here is exactly what we collect and why.
| Data | Why we collect it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| Email address and password | Account creation and login | Contract |
| Hostel name and city | Personalising the dashboard and AI suggestions | Contract |
| Route and tour content created | Delivering the service | Contract |
| Dashboard usage patterns | Improving the product | Legitimate interest |
| Games, tours, and runs created | Service delivery and platform analytics | Contract / Legitimate interest |
| Data | Why we collect it | Legal basis |
|---|---|---|
| First name (entered voluntarily) | Displaying in waiting rooms and team lists | Consent |
| GPS location during activity | GPS check-ins, distance calculation, route data | Consent (granted when GPS permission accepted) |
| Check-in attempts and successes | Game mechanics and platform improvement | Legitimate interest |
| Distance walked per session | Statistics and data platform | Legitimate interest |
| Session start and end times | Duration tracking and platform analytics | Legitimate interest |
| Drop-off point and screen | Understanding where the experience breaks down | Legitimate interest |
| Social pairing data (who paired with whom) | Game mechanics and social connection analytics | Legitimate interest |
| Emoji reactions and NPS scores | Measuring experience quality | Consent |
| QR code scan records (Self-Guided Tour) | Tour tracking and analytics | Legitimate interest |
We do not collect names, email addresses, phone numbers, or any identifying information from guests beyond the first name voluntarily entered on the join screen. Guest sessions are not linked across separate activities unless a guest creates an account.
Get About is a data company as well as a SaaS provider. The data collected through our platform — aggregated and anonymised — forms a proprietary dataset of in-stay traveller behaviour. This is a core part of our business and we want to be transparent about it.
We aggregate and anonymise data collected through all Get About products to produce insights including:
This aggregated anonymised data may be used for:
No individual guest or hostel is identifiable in any data we share externally. All external data sharing uses aggregated and anonymised datasets only.
All Get About data is stored in Google Firebase (Firestore database and Firebase Hosting), operated by Google LLC. Firebase infrastructure is hosted in Europe where possible.
Google's privacy and security practices are documented at firebase.google.com/support/privacy. Google is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework.
We use Google Gemini AI to assist with generating tour facts. When hostel managers use the AI facts feature, stop names and city names are sent to Google's Gemini API to generate fact suggestions. No guest data is sent to the Gemini API.
We take reasonable technical measures to protect data including:
| Data type | Retention period |
|---|---|
| Hostel manager account data | Until account is deleted or closed |
| Route and tour presets | Until deleted by the hostel manager |
| Individual guest session data | 24 months from session date |
| Aggregated anonymised data | Indefinitely — this is our proprietary dataset |
| AI fact generation requests | Not stored — processed in real time only |
We do not sell individual personal data to third parties. We share data in the following limited circumstances:
We will update this section as our data partnerships develop. Any new categories of data sharing will be reflected here.
Under UK GDPR and EU GDPR you have the following rights regarding your personal data:
Request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Request deletion of your personal data. We will delete individual data within 30 days.
Request correction of inaccurate personal data we hold about you.
Request your data in a portable format where technically feasible.
Object to processing based on legitimate interest. We will stop unless we have compelling grounds.
Withdraw GPS consent at any time through your device settings.
To exercise any of these rights, email hello@getabout.co with your request. We will respond within 30 days.
If you are unhappy with how we handle your data you have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or, for EU residents, your local data protection authority.
Get About uses minimal cookies. We use:
We do not use advertising cookies, tracking cookies, or third-party marketing cookies. We do not use Google Analytics or any similar tracking service.
Get About products are intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe we have inadvertently collected data from a minor please contact hello@getabout.co and we will delete it immediately.
Our data is stored on Google Firebase infrastructure. Google operates globally and data may be processed outside the UK or EU. Google is certified under the EU-US Data Privacy Framework and uses Standard Contractual Clauses for international transfers, providing appropriate safeguards under UK GDPR and EU GDPR.
We may update this Privacy Policy as our product and data practices evolve. We will notify hostel managers of significant changes via email. The date at the top of this page reflects when it was last updated.
We commit to always being transparent about what data we collect and how we use it. If our data practices change materially — particularly regarding the data licensing business — we will update this policy and notify affected users.