Cookie Policy
Effective Date: September 2026
Welcome to France Vibes. This Cookie Policy explains how francevibes.com (“we”, “us”, or “our”) uses cookies and similar tracking technologies when you visit our website. By continuing to browse, you agree to the use of cookies as described here. For broader information on how we handle your personal data, please read our Privacy Policy.
1. What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) when you visit a website. They allow the site to recognise your device on future visits, remember your preferences, and collect aggregated information about how visitors interact with our content. Cookies do not contain personally identifiable information unless you have provided it to us directly.
2. Types of Cookies We Use
2.1 Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are essential for the website to operate correctly. They cannot be switched off in our systems, as the site would not function without them. No personal data is stored beyond what is strictly required for the session.
- Session cookies — Maintain your navigation session as you browse between pages. Expire when you close your browser.
- Security cookies — Protect against cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks.
- cookie_law_accepted — Records whether you have accepted or declined non-essential cookies via our consent banner (set by the Cookie Law Info plugin). Expires after 1 year.
2.2 Analytics Cookies
We use Google Analytics to understand how visitors interact with France Vibes — which pages attract the most interest, average session duration, and traffic sources. This data helps us improve our content and navigation. All data is anonymised before being sent to Google.
- _ga — Distinguishes unique users. Retention: 2 years.
- _gid — Distinguishes users across sessions. Retention: 24 hours.
- _gat — Throttles the rate of requests sent to Google Analytics. Retention: 1 minute.
You can opt out of Google Analytics tracking at any time using the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on.
2.3 Advertising Cookies (Google AdSense)
France Vibes participates in the Google AdSense programme. Google uses cookies to serve advertisements that are relevant to your interests, based on your previous visits to this site and to other websites across the internet. This enables us to keep our travel content free to access.
- IDE — Used by Google DoubleClick to register and report actions on ads. Retention: up to 13 months.
- DSID, FLC, AID, TAID — Ad personalisation and frequency-capping cookies set by Google advertising partners. Retention: varies, typically up to 13 months.
- test_cookie — Verifies that your browser supports cookies. Retention: 15 minutes.
You can opt out of personalised advertising by visiting Google Ads Settings or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page.
3. Third-Party Cookies
Some content embedded on France Vibes — such as maps or social sharing buttons — is provided by third-party services that may set their own cookies independently of our consent mechanism. We do not control these cookies. We recommend consulting the privacy and cookie policies of any third-party service you interact with on our site.
4. Cookie Retention Summary
| Cookie name | Category | Purpose | Retention |
|---|---|---|---|
| cookie_law_accepted | Necessary | Consent record | 1 year |
| _ga | Analytics | User identification (anonymised) | 2 years |
| _gid | Analytics | Session tracking | 24 hours |
| _gat | Analytics | Request throttle | 1 minute |
| IDE | Advertising | Ad conversion tracking (Google) | 13 months |
5. How to Manage Your Cookies
You have several options for controlling how cookies are stored on your device:
- Our consent banner — When you first visit France Vibes, a banner appears allowing you to accept or decline non-essential cookies. To change your preference after accepting, clear your browser’s cookies for francevibes.com and reload the page — the banner will reappear.
- Browser settings — Most modern browsers allow you to block or delete cookies. Instructions for major browsers:
- Google opt-out tools — Analytics Opt-out Add-on | Google Ads Settings
Please note that blocking or deleting cookies may affect how France Vibes functions and could limit your access to certain features.
6. Changes to This Cookie Policy
We may update this Cookie Policy from time to time to reflect changes in applicable laws, technology, or our own practices. Any changes will be published on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this page periodically to stay informed.
7. Contact
If you have questions about how France Vibes uses cookies, please refer to our Privacy Policy for contact details.