What are cookies?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on a device's browser. Most cookies contain a unique identifier called a cookie ID: a string of characters that websites and servers associate with the browser on which the cookie is stored. This allows websites and servers to distinguish the browser from other browsers that store different cookies, and to recognise each browser by its unique cookie ID.

Cookies are widely used by websites and servers to provide many of the basic services that are found online. If you set preferences on a website, a cookie allows the website to remember your preferences the next time that you visit. Or, if you sign into a website, the website might use a cookie to recognise your browser later on, so that you don't have to sign in again. Cookies also allow websites to collect data about user activity, such as how many unique visitors a page receives per month. All these applications depend on the information stored in cookies.

What types of cookies are there?

Strictly necessary cookies. These are cookies that are essential and are required for the operation of websites, to enable you to move around a website and use its features. They include, for example, cookies that enable you to log into secure areas of a website. Without these cookies, a website might not work properly.
Analytical/performance cookies. These cookies allow websites to collect information about how visitors to that website are using the website. They recognise and count the number of visitors and to see how visitors move around a website when they are using it. This helps website owners to improve the way their website works, for example, by ensuring that users are finding what they are looking for easily. We only use these cookies to improve how our website works.
Functionality cookies. These cookies are used to recognise you and thus enable websites to remember the choices you make. This enables websites to personalise our content for you, perhaps greet you by name and remember your preferences.
Targeting/Advertising cookies. These cookies record your visit to a website, the pages you have visited and the links you have followed. This information makes websites and the advertising displayed on them tailored and more relevant to your interests, so that you are presented with adverts that may be of interest to you. We may also share this information with third parties for this purpose.

Which Third Party Cookies are used:

Google sets cookies to remember your preferences, that’s things like your language and your latest searches. Google also uses cookies to help customise ads on Google and for advertising served across the web, including on Vacation Weather channels.

Cookies are also set for Google Adwords – that’s the platform that powers the text adverts you see in your Google search results. There is lots of info directly provided by Google about how they use cookies, for more info, please see here: https://policies.google.com/technologies/types
For more information about why you are seeing a particular advert, please see here: https://support.google.com/ads/answer/1634057?hl=en

You can use Ads Settings, https://adssettings.google.com, to manage the Google ads you see and opt out of Ads Personalisation. Even if you opt out of Ads Personalisation, you may still see ads based on factors such as your general location derived from your IP address, your browser type, and your search terms.

How to opt out of Advertising Cookies

Your Online Choices, http://www.youronlinechoices.com, is a website that can turn off third-party cookies for you.
Many websites that set advertising cookies are members of the Network Advertising Initiative (NAI) and take part in the Digital Advertising Alliance’s (DAA) Self-Regulatory Program. These programs have an opt-out option, so customers can choose to not get targeted adverts from NAI or DAA affiliates. Here are the links you need for NAI opt out and DAA opt out: http://www.networkadvertising.org/choices/ http://optout.aboutads.info

Further information about cookies can be found in our Privacy Policy