Vortela · Information

User Agreement

Last updated August 31, 2026

1. Acceptance of These Terms

Welcome to Vortela (the "Service"), an independent editorial guide to Seattle, the Salish Sea, and restorative weekends in the Pacific Northwest. The Service is operated at the domain Vortela.top ("we," "us," or "our"). This User Agreement ("Agreement") governs your access to and use of the Service. By accessing, browsing, or otherwise using the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by this Agreement and by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into this Agreement by reference. If you do not agree to any part of this Agreement, you must stop using the Service immediately. This Service is provided for general information and entertainment purposes only.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Service. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you may use the Service only under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to be bound by this Agreement. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements. The Service is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children under 13 (see our Privacy Policy).

3. License to Use the Service

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, revocable, and non-transferable license to access and use the Service for personal, non-commercial purposes, subject to this Agreement. Unless otherwise stated, all content on the Service is made available for your own private, lawful use. You may share links to our stories for personal, non-commercial purposes with appropriate credit, but you may not copy, reproduce, republish, scrape, frame, or redistribute the Service's content, design, or materials in any form, in whole or in part, without our prior written permission.

4. Acceptable Use and Prohibited Conduct

The Service must be used lawfully and respectfully. We follow Google's content policies for publishers, and we expect the same standard from our visitors. In connection with your use of the Service, you agree that you will not:

Use the Service in any way that violates applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation;
Post, transmit, or facilitate any content that is illegal, deceptive, defamatory, harassing, hateful, or discriminatory, or that promotes violence or endangers any person;
Publish or distribute content that infringes any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other intellectual property right of any party;
Upload or transmit any viruses, malware, worms, or other malicious code, or attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Service, its servers, or connected networks;
Interfere with, disrupt, overload, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, including by automated means such as bots, scrapers, or data-mining tools;
Engage in deceptive, fraudulent, or misleading practices, including impersonating any person or entity or misrepresenting your affiliation with us;
Collect, harvest, or store personal information about other users of the Service without their consent;
Use the Service to send unsolicited commercial messages, spam, or advertising without our permission; or
Encourage or assist any third party in doing any of the foregoing.

We reserve the right to investigate any suspected violation of this Agreement and to take any action we deem appropriate, including limiting, suspending, or terminating access to the Service and cooperating with law enforcement authorities.

5. Intellectual Property and Copyright

The Service and its original content, features, and functionality — including, but not limited to, text, editorial selections, photography, illustration, design, layout, typography, logos, and graphics — are and will remain the exclusive property of Vortela and its licensors, and are protected by applicable intellectual property laws, including United States copyright and trademark law and international conventions. Our trademarks and trade dress may not be used in connection with any product or service without our prior written consent. All rights not expressly granted in this Agreement are reserved.

Copyright and DMCA. We respect the intellectual property rights of others and ask that you do the same. If you believe in good faith that any material available through the Service infringes a copyright owned or controlled by you, please notify us at [email protected] with the following information: (i) a description of the copyrighted work you claim is infringed; (ii) a description of the allegedly infringing material and where it is located on the Service; (iii) your contact information; (iv) a statement of good faith belief that the use is not authorized; and (v) a statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information you provide is accurate and that you are the owner or are authorized to act on the owner's behalf. We will respond to valid notices in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and applicable law.

6. User Content

If you submit, post, or otherwise make available content to us — including feedback, corrections, correspondence, comments, or submissions through our contact channels (collectively, "User Content") — you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, and display such User Content in connection with the Service. You retain all rights to any User Content you submit. You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to your User Content, and that it is lawful, accurate, and appropriate and does not violate this Agreement or any third-party rights. We are under no obligation to publish, host, or use any User Content, and we may remove or decline any User Content at any time, for any reason, without prior notice.

7. Third-Party Content, Advertising, and Disclosure

The Service may display third-party content, including advertisements served by advertising networks such as Google AdSense, and links to third-party websites, social networks, booking platforms, and travel providers. We follow Google's advertising disclosure policies: advertisements on the Service are visually distinguishable from editorial content and are labeled to make their commercial nature clear to users. Where we publish sponsored or affiliate content, we clearly disclose that relationship in accordance with applicable advertising and disclosure regulations (including the U.S. Federal Trade Commission's endorsement guidelines).

We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy practices, products, or services of any third party, including any advertisers. Any interaction you have with a third-party site or advertisement — including the collection of information by cookies or other technologies — is governed by that third party's own terms and privacy policy. Please review the privacy practices of any third party before engaging with it. To learn how Google uses information from sites that use its advertising services, and to opt out of personalized advertising, please see https://policies.google.com/technologies/partner-sites and https://myadcenter.google.com/personalizationoff.

8. Editorial Disclaimer

Our stories are intended to inspire planning and to serve as editorial guidance. They are not a guarantee of the availability, quality, hours, prices, access rules, weather, reservations, transportation, or any other condition of the businesses, venues, parks, ferries, trails, or destinations described. Such details change frequently. Please confirm all important information directly with the relevant business, public agency, ferry operator, park service, or host before traveling. Vortela is not a travel agency, booking service, or licensed adviser, and nothing on the Service constitutes professional, legal, financial, medical, or travel advice. Any reliance on the content of the Service is at your own risk.

9. Disclaimers of Warranties

YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, OR COURSE OF PERFORMANCE. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT THE SERVICE OR ITS SERVERS ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL WE, NOR OUR DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS, OR AFFILIATES, BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO (i) YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THE SERVICE; (ii) ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE, INCLUDING THIRD-PARTY ADVERTISEMENTS; OR (iii) ANY TRAVEL, VISIT, PURCHASE, OR OTHER DECISION MADE IN RELIANCE ON OUR EDITORIAL CONTENT. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF $100 OR THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID US, IF ANY, IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT SHALL LIMIT RIGHTS THAT CANNOT BE LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

11. Compliance with Applicable Laws and Data Protection

You agree to comply with all applicable laws, rules, and regulations governing your use of the Service, wherever you are located. We process personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy and, where applicable, with data protection laws including the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), Brazil's General Data Protection Law (LGPD), and the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA/CPRA). Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, the legal bases for processing, your rights, and how to exercise them. If you are located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Brazil, or California, the rights described in our Privacy Policy apply to you.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service, in whole or in part, immediately and without prior notice or liability, for any reason whatsoever, including without limitation if you breach this Agreement or if we believe your conduct is unlawful or harmful to the Service, its users, or the communities we cover. You may discontinue your use of the Service at any time. Sections of this Agreement that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, and 14 — shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

13. Governing Law, Dispute Resolution, and Indemnification

Governing law. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Washington, United States of America, without regard to its conflict-of-law provisions, and to the extent applicable, the federal laws of the United States.

Dispute resolution. We hope that any question or concern can be resolved informally. Before initiating any formal proceeding, you agree to first contact us at [email protected] and give us a reasonable opportunity to address your concern. If the matter is not resolved within thirty (30) days, you agree to attempt in good faith to resolve any dispute arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the Service through individual, binding arbitration conducted in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association, if and to the extent applicable. You agree that any dispute will be resolved on an individual basis only, and you waive any right to participate in a class action or class-wide arbitration.

Indemnification. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us and our directors, employees, partners, agents, suppliers, and affiliates harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising out of or relating to your use of and access to the Service, your User Content, your violation of this Agreement, or your violation of any rights of any third party.

14. Changes to This Agreement

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to modify or replace this Agreement at any time. We will make reasonable efforts to provide at least thirty (30) days' notice of material changes before the revised Agreement takes effect, by posting a notice on the Service or updating the "Last updated" date above. By continuing to access or use the Service after any revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Agreement. If you do not agree to the revised Agreement, you must stop using the Service.

15. Severability and Entire Agreement

This Agreement, together with our Privacy Policy and any other policies published on the Service, constitutes the entire agreement between you and Vortela regarding your use of the Service and supersedes any prior agreements or understandings, whether written or oral. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect, and the invalid provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable. Our failure to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

16. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Agreement or about the Service, please contact us at [email protected], or write to us through our contact page. We welcome corrections, accessibility notes, and thoughtful feedback.