Disclosure Policy

Welcome to Matt’s Next Steps!

At Matt’s Next Steps, I believe in transparency and honesty when it comes to my travel adventures, recommendations, and partnerships. Building trust with you, my readers, is my top priority, so here’s a breakdown of how I approach sponsored content, affiliate links, and collaborations.

This disclosure policy is valid as of 1st July 2020 and covers the social channels owned and managed by Matt’s Next Steps:

This is a personal travel blog written and edited by me (Matt). For questions about this blog, please contact me.

Sponsored Content

From time to time, I collaborate with brands, tourism boards, and companies to create sponsored content. Sponsored content means that I have been compensated (monetarily, through gifted products/services, or other means) to write or share about a particular experience, product, or destination.

What you need to know:

  • I only work with brands or partners that align with my values, travel style, and audience interests.
  • All sponsored posts are clearly labeled as such to maintain full transparency.
  • Compensation may influence the advertising content, topics, or posts made in this blog; however, it will never influence my opinions. All reviews, recommendations, and experiences shared are 100% honest and reflect my personal thoughts and experiences.

The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely my own. Any product claim, statistic, quote, or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider, or party in question.

Affiliate Links

Some posts on this blog may contain affiliate links. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. These commissions help support the blog and allow me to keep sharing free, helpful travel content with you.

What you need to know:

  • I only recommend products, services, or resources that I genuinely use, love, and find valuable for my audience.
  • I will always disclose when affiliate links are used within a post.

Your support by using these links is truly appreciated, and it helps me continue creating useful content for your adventures.

Gifted Products or Services

Occasionally, I may be offered complimentary products, tours, hotel stays, or other experiences. If I write about these, I will always disclose that the product or service was gifted.

What you need to know:

  • A gifted experience does not guarantee a positive review. I will always provide my honest thoughts and feedback.
  • Any gifted product or service will be clearly noted in the content.

Ads & Third-Party Content

This blog may display advertisements or third-party content via ad networks such as Google AdSense. These ads help fund the running of the blog and allow me to keep it free for you.

What you need to know:

  • I do not directly control the specific ads that are displayed.
  • If you see an ad that seems inappropriate or irrelevant, feel free to let me know!

Honesty & Conflict of Interest

This blog abides by word-of-mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationships, opinions, and identity. This blog does not contain any content that might present a conflict of interest. For example, I do not accept compensation or partnerships that require me to promote a product or service I don’t personally use, trust, or believe in. Additionally, I avoid working with brands or organisations whose values do not align with my own.

My Promise to You

Your trust means everything to me. Whether it’s a sponsored post, affiliate link, or gifted product, I promise to:

  • Always disclose any relationships with brands, companies, or individuals.
  • Only share recommendations and experiences that I truly believe in.
  • Provide content that is helpful, honest, and authentic.

If you have any questions about this disclosure policy or how I work with brands, feel free to reach out to me via the contact form on my Contact page. I value your support and am always happy to chat!

Thank you for being part of the journey.