Cookie Policy

Last updated: 19 September 2026  ·  Do It Self Guided  ·  doitselfguided.com

1. What cookies are

Cookies are small text files that a website places in your browser when you visit. They let the site remember things: that you have already set your preferences, for example, or that you have visited before. They can also be used to track how you use a site or to show you personalised advertising.

This site uses cookies in two ways: essential cookies that the site cannot function without, and optional cookies for analytics and advertising that only load with your consent. You can manage your preferences at any time using the Cookie Settings link in the footer. Affiliate links, which set cookies on the partner’s site rather than on this one, are covered in section 5.

2. Types of cookies used on this site

Essential cookies

Essential cookies are required for the site to work. They cannot be turned off.

  • Cookie consent preference: stores your cookie consent decision in your browser's localStorage under the key disg_cookie_consent. This is technically localStorage rather than a cookie, but it functions the same way: it lets the site remember that you have already made a choice so the consent banner does not reappear on every visit. It holds a JSON record of which categories you accepted and the timestamp of your decision. It expires after 12 months, at which point you will be asked again. Set by this site.
  • Dark mode preference: if you use the moon button in the header to switch between light and dark mode, your choice is stored in your browser's localStorage under the key disg_theme, so the site opens in the mode you picked next time. Until you press it, the site follows your device's own light or dark setting and stores nothing. It holds only the word dark or light, stays on your own device and is never sent anywhere. Set by this site.
  • Packing list: if you tick items off the packing checklist on a guide, your ticks are stored in localStorage under a key named after that guide (for example salkantay-trek-to-machu-picchu-pack-v1), so they are still ticked when you come back. Nothing is stored until you tick something, and nothing is sent anywhere. Set by this site.
  • Like button: if you like a guide, a yes-or-no flag is stored in localStorage under disg-like: followed by the page address, so the heart stays filled. Pressing the button also sends the page address to this site’s own server to move the count; the Privacy Policy explains what that involves. Set by this site.

Analytics cookies

Analytics cookies help me understand how visitors use the site: which pages are most popular, how long people spend on a guide, where they come from. This information is used to improve the site over time. Analytics cookies only load if you consent to the Analytics category. Until you do, Google Analytics runs in Google’s Consent Mode: it sets no cookies and stores no identifier, but it does send an anonymous “cookieless ping” to Google on each page load (the page address and the fact that consent was declined) which Google uses only for aggregate visitor estimates. The Privacy Policy explains this in more detail, including how to block it entirely.

  • Google Analytics: when enabled, Google Analytics places cookies in your browser (typically _ga, _ga_XXXXXXXX) that track your session and distinguish you from other visitors using a randomly generated identifier. Data is aggregated and anonymised before I see it. Retention: 2 years for the main identifier, 24 hours for session data. Set by Google. For more, see Google's privacy policy.

Advertising cookies

Advertising cookies allow Google AdSense to show you relevant ads. Revenue from advertising helps keep the guides free. Advertising cookies only load if you consent to the Advertising category, and only once advertising is switched on for this site; if it is not, accepting the category loads nothing.

  • Google AdSense: when enabled, Google may place cookies that track your browsing activity across sites to serve personalised ads. These include cookies like IDE (up to 1 year, set by doubleclick.net) and DSID. The exact cookies set depend on your Google account status and ad personalisation settings. For full details, see Google's advertising technologies page. You can opt out of personalised Google ads at myadcenter.google.com.

3. How to manage your cookie preferences

Via Cookie Settings on this site

The Cookie Settings link in the footer of every page opens a preferences panel where you can turn analytics and advertising cookies on or off. Your choice is saved immediately and takes effect on the current page. Essential cookies cannot be turned off as the site requires them to function.

Via your browser

All major browsers allow you to view, delete, or block cookies. Blocking all cookies will prevent the site from remembering your consent preferences, so the consent banner will reappear on each visit. Instructions for common browsers:

Via Google's ad personalisation

If you have a Google account, you can manage personalised advertising across all sites at myadcenter.google.com. This affects Google ads everywhere, not just this site.

4. Third parties that may set cookies

In addition to the optional analytics and advertising cookies above, the following third-party services may set cookies or store identifiers as a side effect of delivering content:

  • CARTO: the interactive route map on the trek guides loads its map tiles from CARTO, which may log standard access data when the map loads.
  • Open-Meteo and Open Exchange Rates: the live weather widgets and the currency converter on the destination and guide pages fetch data from these services, which may log standard access data when the relevant page loads.
  • Google: the Google Analytics library is loaded from googletagmanager.com on every page (see Analytics cookies above) and, if you accept Advertising, the AdSense library from pagead2.googlesyndication.com.
  • Affiliate partner image servers: a tour or accommodation card may show the listing’s own photo loaded from the partner’s image servers (Viator and Tripadvisor for tours, Booking.com for accommodation, and others as partners are added), which may log standard access data when the page loads.
  • Vercel (site hosting): all requests pass through Vercel's infrastructure, which logs standard server access data.

For full details on how third-party data is handled, see the Privacy Policy.

5. Affiliate links

Some links in the guides are affiliate links to partners such as Viator (tours and activities), Booking.com and Hostelworld (accommodation), World Nomads (travel insurance) and Amazon, and more partners are likely to be added over time. The current list is kept on the Affiliate Disclosure page, and every page that contains affiliate links says so near the top.

Clicking an affiliate link sets no cookie on this site. What it does do:

  • The link carries an identifier for this site (and sometimes for the guide it sits on), so the partner knows the click came from Do It Self Guided. It is the same for every reader and does not identify you.
  • Some links pass through an affiliate network, a company that tracks clicks and pays commissions on behalf of many partners, before reaching the partner. The network records the click and may set a cookie on its own domain.
  • The partner sets a cookie on its own domain when you arrive, so that a booking you make later, typically within 30 days to a year depending on the partner, can be credited to this site.

Those cookies belong to the partner or network, are described in their own cookie policies, and can be refused or removed through their cookie banners or your browser settings. Refusing them does not change the price you pay; it only means the booking is not credited to this site.

6. Changes to this policy

This cookie policy may be updated when new features are added, when third-party services change, or when legal requirements evolve. The "Last updated" date at the top of this page reflects the most recent revision.

If significant changes are made to which cookies are used or how consent is managed, the consent banner will reappear so you can review and confirm your preferences.

7. Contact

For any questions about how cookies are used on this site:

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