Privacy Policy

Last updated: 4 August 2026

This Privacy Policy explains how personal data is collected, used and protected when you visit the Free Spirit Wings website, contact me, request information about my services or subscribe to the newsletter.

Free Spirit Wings is committed to processing personal data transparently, fairly and only to the extent necessary for the purposes described below.

1. Data Controller

The Data Controller is:

Mariachiara Mecati, operating under the name Free Spirit Wings
Country of establishment: Italy
Email: contact@freespiritwings.com

For any question concerning this Privacy Policy or the processing of your personal data, you can contact me using the email address above.

A Data Protection Officer has not been appointed, as this is not currently required for the activities carried out through this website.

2. Scope of this Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy applies to personal data processed through:

the Free Spirit Wings website;
contact and service enquiry forms;
communications sent by email;
newsletter subscriptions;
requests connected with travel planning services;
requests connected with the Schengen Visa Consultation;
technical tools used to operate, secure and analyse the website.

This Privacy Policy does not apply to third-party websites that may be reached through external links. Those websites process personal data according to their own privacy policies.

3. Personal Data That May Be Collected

Depending on how you use the website, the following categories of personal data may be processed.

3.1 Data provided through contact forms

When you complete a contact or service enquiry form, you may provide:

your name;
your email address;
the service you are interested in;
your destination or travel idea;
approximate travel dates;
the number of travellers;
your questions, priorities or planning needs;
any other information you voluntarily include in your message.

The information requested through the form will be limited to what is reasonably necessary to understand and respond to your enquiry.

3.2 Data provided during communications

If you contact Free Spirit Wings by email or continue a conversation after submitting a form, the content of those communications and the related contact details may be processed.

This may include information about:

your travel plans;
destinations and dates;
personal preferences;
travel companions;
accommodation or transport needs;
your budget or preferred travel style;
practical circumstances relevant to the requested service.

Please only provide information that is relevant to your request.

3.3 Data connected with the Schengen Visa Consultation

If you request information about the Schengen Visa Consultation, you may voluntarily provide information concerning:

your nationality and country of residence;
your intended destination and travel dates;
the purpose of your journey;
your current stage in the visa application process;
the authority or visa centre handling your application;
your main questions about the process;
general information about supporting documents or personal circumstances relevant to your enquiry.

Please do not send passport copies, identity documents, financial statements, medical information or other highly sensitive documents through the general contact form unless they have been specifically requested and a suitable method of transmission has been agreed.

Free Spirit Wings does not issue visas, submit applications on behalf of travellers or make decisions concerning visa applications.

3.4 Newsletter data

If you subscribe to the Free Spirit Wings newsletter, the following data may be processed:

your email address;
your name, where requested;
the date and method of subscription;
confirmation of your subscription;
information concerning delivery, opening or interaction with newsletter emails, where this functionality is enabled and permitted;
your subscription preferences;
the date of any withdrawal or unsubscribe request.

A double opt-in procedure may be used. This means that after entering your email address, you may be asked to confirm the subscription through a message sent to your inbox.

3.5 Website navigation and technical data

When you visit the website, the systems used to operate it may automatically collect limited technical information, such as:

IP address;
browser type and version;
device and operating system;
date and time of access;
pages visited;
requested resources;
referring website;
technical errors and security events;
cookie and consent preferences.

Some of this information may constitute personal data when it can be associated with an identifiable user.

3.6 Cookie and consent information

The website may store information about:

whether you accepted or rejected optional cookies;
the categories of cookies you selected;
the date of your choice;
technical information needed to remember your preferences.

Further details are available in the separate Cookie Policy and through the website’s cookie preference centre.

4. Purposes and Legal Bases of Processing

Personal data is processed only when there is an appropriate legal basis.

4.1 Responding to enquiries

Data submitted through the contact form or by email is processed to:

read and respond to your message;
understand the type of support you are looking for;
provide preliminary information about services;
answer questions about travel planning or the Schengen Visa Consultation;
identify the most suitable next step.

The legal basis is the performance of pre-contractual measures requested by you and, where applicable, the legitimate interest in managing communications relating to the activity.

4.2 Providing travel planning and consultation services

If you decide to use a Free Spirit Wings service, personal data may be processed to:

organise consultations;
understand your travel needs and preferences;
prepare a proposal or itinerary;
provide the agreed support;
communicate before, during or after the service;
manage the professional relationship;
issue and retain administrative or accounting documents.

The legal basis is the performance of a contract or the implementation of pre-contractual measures requested by you.

Where processing is required by tax, accounting or other legal requirements, the legal basis is compliance with a legal obligation.

4.3 Managing the newsletter

If you subscribe to the newsletter, your data is processed to:

register and confirm your subscription;
send articles, travel reflections, practical guidance and Free Spirit Wings updates;
manage your preferences;
respond to subscription-related requests;
document your consent where necessary.

The legal basis is your consent.

You may withdraw your consent at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in newsletter emails or by writing to contact@freespiritwings.com.

Withdrawing consent does not affect the lawfulness of processing carried out before the withdrawal.

4.4 Operating and protecting the website

Technical and navigation data may be processed to:

display and operate the website correctly;
maintain the security and integrity of the website;
prevent abuse, spam, unauthorised access and malicious activity;
diagnose technical problems;
maintain backups;
protect the rights and systems of Free Spirit Wings and its visitors.

The legal basis is the legitimate interest in maintaining a functional, secure and reliable website.

4.5 Website analytics

If an analytics service is activated, data may be processed to understand in aggregate:

how visitors reach the website;
which pages are visited;
how the website is used;
whether technical or content improvements are needed.

Where required, analytics tools and their related cookies will be activated only after you have given consent through the cookie banner.

You may refuse or withdraw your consent at any time through the cookie preference centre.

The legal basis for non-essential analytics processing is consent.

4.6 Establishing or defending legal claims

Personal data may be retained or used where reasonably necessary to:

protect the rights of Free Spirit Wings;
prevent or investigate unlawful conduct;
manage disputes;
establish, exercise or defend legal claims;
respond to legitimate requests from competent authorities.

The legal basis is the legitimate interest in protecting legal rights or compliance with a legal obligation, depending on the circumstances.

5. Whether Providing Data Is Mandatory

You are not required to provide personal data simply to browse the publicly available pages of the website, apart from technical data necessary for the website to function.

Fields marked as required in a contact or newsletter form must be completed for the relevant request to be submitted.

If you do not provide the information necessary to understand your request, Free Spirit Wings may be unable to respond fully or provide the requested service.

Providing information for newsletter purposes is voluntary.

6. How Personal Data Is Processed

Personal data may be processed using electronic and, where necessary, organisational means.

Appropriate measures are adopted to protect data against:

unauthorised access;
accidental loss;
unlawful use;
alteration;
disclosure;
destruction.

Access to personal data is limited to the Data Controller and to suppliers or professionals who need the information to perform a specific task.

No online system can be guaranteed to be completely secure. Visitors are therefore encouraged not to send unnecessary or highly sensitive information through ordinary website forms or email.

7. Where Personal Data Is Stored

Depending on the services activated on the website, personal data may be stored:

in the protected WordPress website database;
on the servers of the hosting provider;
in the email account used to receive and manage enquiries;
in the systems of the newsletter provider;
in secure working documents used to provide the requested service;
in backups maintained for continuity and security purposes;
in administrative or accounting systems where a professional relationship is established.

8. Recipients and Service Providers

Personal data is not sold or rented.

Where necessary, data may be shared with carefully selected service providers acting as data processors or independent controllers, depending on their role.

These may include:

website hosting and infrastructure providers;
domain and technical service providers;
email hosting and delivery providers;
website maintenance and security providers;
contact form and spam-prevention providers;
newsletter management and email marketing platforms;
analytics providers, where activated with the required consent;
cloud storage and productivity providers;
accounting, tax, legal or professional advisers;
public authorities or courts where disclosure is required by law.

These parties receive only the information reasonably necessary to perform their function and are required to process personal data in accordance with applicable data protection law.

An updated list of the main service providers may be requested by contacting contact@freespiritwings.com.

9. International Data Transfers

Some technical, email, newsletter, cloud or analytics providers may process personal data outside the European Economic Area.

Where this occurs, Free Spirit Wings will rely on an appropriate transfer mechanism recognised under applicable data protection law, such as:

an adequacy decision adopted by the European Commission;
the European Commission’s Standard Contractual Clauses;
participation in an approved data protection framework, where applicable;
other legally recognised safeguards.

Where appropriate, additional technical or organisational measures may also be adopted.

Further information about the safeguards applied by a specific provider may be requested by contacting the Data Controller.

10. Data Retention

Personal data is retained only for as long as necessary for the purpose for which it was collected.

The following general criteria apply.

Contact enquiries

Messages that do not lead to a professional relationship may normally be retained for up to 24 months from the most recent communication, unless earlier deletion is appropriate or a longer period is necessary to protect legal rights.

Service requests and professional relationships

Data connected with a consultation, travel planning service, proposal or professional relationship may be retained for the duration of the relationship and afterwards for the period required by applicable contractual, tax, accounting and legal obligations.

Newsletter data is retained until you unsubscribe or withdraw your consent.

After an unsubscribe request, limited information may be retained where necessary to document the request and ensure that further newsletter communications are not sent.

Consent records

Information needed to demonstrate a consent choice may be retained for the time reasonably necessary to comply with legal obligations and protect the rights of the Data Controller.

Technical logs and security data

Technical records are retained according to the security and operational settings of the website and its service providers, for no longer than reasonably necessary unless a longer period is required to investigate a security incident or comply with the law.

Cookies

Cookie retention periods are described in the separate Cookie Policy.

When data is no longer required, it is deleted, anonymised or securely archived where continued retention is required by law.

11. Cookies and Similar Technologies

The website uses technical cookies and may use optional cookies or similar technologies.

Technical cookies are used where necessary to:

operate the website;
maintain security;
remember privacy choices;
provide functions explicitly requested by the visitor.

Optional cookies, including analytics or marketing cookies where present, are not activated before consent when consent is required.

You can:

accept optional cookies;
reject optional cookies;
select individual categories;
change or withdraw your choice at any time.

You can manage your choices through the cookie banner or the Cookie Preferences link available on the website.

For complete information about the cookies and services detected on the website, please read the separate Cookie Policy.

12. External Links and Social Media

The website may contain links to third-party websites or social media platforms, including Instagram.

A standard external link does not by itself give Free Spirit Wings access to your account on that platform. However, when you follow the link, the third party may collect information according to its own privacy policy.

Free Spirit Wings does not control the processing carried out independently by external websites or platforms.

13. Data Relating to Other Travellers

When requesting help for a shared, couple, family or group journey, you may provide limited information about other travellers.

You should:

share only information that is relevant to the request;
inform the other travellers where appropriate;
avoid disclosing sensitive information without their knowledge;
ensure that you are authorised to provide any personal data shared on their behalf.

Free Spirit Wings may ask you to remove or minimise unnecessary information.

14. Special Categories of Personal Data

Free Spirit Wings does not normally request or intentionally collect special categories of personal data through the general website forms.

Please do not submit information revealing, for example:

health conditions;
biometric or genetic information;
religious or philosophical beliefs;
political opinions;
trade union membership;
information concerning sex life or sexual orientation;

unless the information is genuinely necessary, has been specifically requested and an appropriate legal basis and secure method of communication have been established.

If such information is provided without being necessary, it may be deleted or disregarded.

15. Children’s Data

The website and services are intended for adults.

Free Spirit Wings does not knowingly collect personal data directly from children through the website.

Where a journey involves a child, the relevant information should be provided by a parent, legal guardian or authorised adult and should be limited to what is necessary for the requested service.

16. Automated Decision-Making and Profiling

Free Spirit Wings does not use personal data to make decisions based solely on automated processing that produce legal effects or similarly significant effects on individuals.

Any analytics information used to improve the website is not used by Free Spirit Wings to make legally significant decisions about individual visitors.

17. Your Data Protection Rights

Subject to the conditions established by applicable law, you may request:

confirmation as to whether your personal data is being processed;
access to your personal data;
correction of inaccurate or incomplete data;
deletion of your data;
restriction of processing;
portability of data you provided, where applicable;
objection to processing based on legitimate interests;
withdrawal of consent at any time;
information about applicable international transfer safeguards.

You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the competent supervisory authority.

In Italy, the competent authority is the:

Garante per la protezione dei dati personali
Italian Data Protection Authority

You may exercise your rights by contacting:

contact@freespiritwings.com

When necessary, you may be asked to provide information reasonably required to verify your identity and protect your data from unauthorised requests.

18. Withdrawal of Consent

Where processing is based on consent, you may withdraw that consent at any time.

In particular:

newsletter consent can be withdrawn through the unsubscribe link or by email;
cookie consent can be changed through the Cookie Preferences tool;
other consent-based processing can be withdrawn by contacting the Data Controller.

The withdrawal will apply to future processing and will not affect processing lawfully carried out before the withdrawal.

19. Changes to This Privacy Policy

This Privacy Policy may be updated when:

website functions change;
new services or providers are introduced;
legal or regulatory requirements change;
data processing activities are modified.

The latest version will always be published on this page with its revision date.

Where a change materially affects processing based on consent, a new consent request may be presented where required.

20. Contact

For questions, requests or concerns relating to this Privacy Policy or the processing of personal data, please contact:

Mariachiara Mecati – Free Spirit Wings
Email: contact@freespiritwings.com