Specialised Travel The Performing Arts Travel Company
About Us
Specialised Travel is the world’s leading provider of tour and travel services to the Performing Arts world. Our specialist departments serve professionals and amateur musicians, organise complete concert tours for ensembles world-wide, holidays for singers, and tours for classical music, opera and ballet lovers.
2022 in numbers
Our Services
We have dedicated, highly experienced divisions, each focussed on delivering the specific needs of touring performers and of music lovers.
Production Touring
Cost-effective support for choirs, orchestras, ballet and theatre companies of any size, travelling anywhere in the world.
- From simple rail ticket supply to the complete operation of a world tour with experienced multi-lingual tour managers
- Access to all airlines; multi carrier solutions for both passengers and freight
- Buying power, negotiation skills and competitive pricing. We source globally and in multiple currencies to obtain the best deals
- Centralised administration and billing. One contact for all requests, i.e. awkward instruments, baggage, special meals, seating etc.
- The internet does provide not the cheapest options .
- What is your time worth?
- Support when things go wrong; 24/7 back-up when unexpected events occur such as strikes, closures, IT failures bad weather. Airline websites and reservations centres are usually unavailable in such cases.
- Trained multilingual staff who can provide a wide range of services from simple support at check-in to complete tour management worldwide
- Our wide range of clients view us as a flexible extension of their own touring staff – called upon whenever necessary
Our Partners
We support a number of partner organisations with their travel operations. Current partners are:
Travel Partner for John Whibley Holidays
Visit the John Whibley Holidays website here for more information.
Travel Partner for Concerts from Scratch
Visit the Really Big Chorus website here for more information.
Testimonials
Meet the Team
Directors
ACFEA
Admin & Accounts
PRODUCTION TOURING
Richard Savage
Richard worked as a courier for ACFEA and Specialised Travel whilst a student at Oxford University where he took an MA in Materials Science, was Chairman of the University Choir and a Lay Clerk in Christ Church Cathedral. He purchased the company in 1983 and has combined his travel career with that of being a professional singer, having over 150 CD recordings to his credit. He still appears regularly with ensembles like the King's Consort, Polyphony, Tenebrae, Concert d'Astree, BBC Singers and Sonoro amongst others.
Kristina Aljinovic
Kristina joined Specialised Travel in 1985 after an initial grounding in the travel industry. In addition to her responsibilities for general management of the company as Managing Director, she has concentrated on developing and servicing the international touring market for orchestras, choirs, ballet companies etc., travelling worldwide and - for example - visiting Japan over 46 times at the latest count. By birth a French-Croatian, Kristina is fluent in French, Croatian and Italian.
Nick Barrand
Nick joined STL in 2005 and has over 20 years of experience in the travel sector, having held a variety of different finance roles in both tour operating and travel agency businesses. A qualified chartered accountant, he trained with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) in Cambridge, before deciding to focus on the travel industry. At STL, his responsibilities also extend to overseeing HR and legal matters, IT and compliance. He has travelled extensively in North America, Australia and New Zealand, and is passionate about cricket.
Helen David
Following a degree in Music from Sussex University, Helen worked for the Philharmonia Orchestra as Tour Manager for 15 years. In this role she travelled widely across Europe, the USA, Australasia and the Far East. Helen also studied the violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has sung with the BBC Symphony Chorus on various occasions.
Nick Abbott
Now living in Seattle, Nick graduated in Music from the University of Cambridge where he was organ scholar of Girton College. Prior to joining Specialised Travel, he combined post-graduate studies in Musicology at the University of Bristol with work as a conductor, organist, accompanist and baritone. He has organised, led and performed on tours throughout most of Europe, North America and Asia. He is an expert in the crucial area of planning cost-effective and rewarding concert tours, especially for our North American clients.
Dan Porterfield
Dan studied oboe at Birmingham Conservatoire before joining the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, administering their community choruses. After moving to London in 2012, he worked at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, assisting the orchestral and chamber faculties, before joining the team at ACFEA in 2015. As well as his passion for music and the arts, Dan enjoys travelling extensively throughout Europe and worldwide.
Nick Abbott
Now living in Seattle, Nick graduated in Music from the University of Cambridge where he was organ scholar of Girton College. Prior to joining Specialised Travel, he combined post-graduate studies in Musicology at the University of Bristol with work as a conductor, organist, accompanist and baritone. He has organised, led and performed on tours throughout most of Europe, North America and Asia. He is an expert in the crucial area of planning cost-effective and rewarding concert tours, especially for our North American clients.
Helen David
Following a degree in Music from Sussex University, Helen worked for the Philharmonia Orchestra as Tour Manager for 15 years. In this role she travelled widely across Europe, the USA, Australasia and the Far East. Helen also studied the violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and has sung with the BBC Symphony Chorus on various occasions.
Dan Porterfield
Dan studied oboe at Birmingham Conservatoire before joining the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, administering their community choruses. After moving to London in 2012, he worked at the Royal College of Music and the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, assisting the orchestral and chamber faculties, before joining the team at ACFEA in 2015. As well as his passion for music and the arts, Dan enjoys travelling extensively throughout Europe and worldwide.
Becky Shaftoe
Following a degree in Music, Becky trained in Arts Administration at the London Sinfonietta before spending five years organizing concerts and education projects for the London Symphony Orchestra. In her role as LSO Tours Manager she travelled widely across Europe and the USA. Becky plays the oboe and, prior to joining Specialised Travel in 2005, taught English in Spain.
Catherine Clambaneva
Catherine moved to London from San Francisco to obtain her master’s degree in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern Music Studies from City University. In San Francisco, she worked as a Marketing Manager at ODC/Dance and curated a monthly concert series at the Pro Arts Gallery. In London, Catherine has worked as an arts manager and consultant for emerging artists and not-for-profit organizations such as Dance Art Foundation and Making Tracks. She is an active performer specializing in traditional and contemporary Greek music and has performed all over Europe and the USA.
Ina Wieczorek
Ina studied music in Germany at the Musikhochschule Münster and in the Netherlands at the Royal Conservatory The Hague. After years of successfully working as a soloist and chamber musician in ensembles such as ELECTRA and Malle Symen Quartet, she moved to London. Since then Ina has worked as Project Manager for IMG Artists’ Orchestral division, touring some of the most renown international orchestras and artists worldwide. Following this, she became Concerts and Recordings Manager for the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Since 2016 Ina has been working as a Project Manager for a number of international orchestral tours and for Peasmarsh Chamber Music Festival and as a Courier for ACFEA.
Nick Barrand
Nick joined STL in 2005 and has over 20 years of experience in the travel sector, having held a variety of different finance roles in both tour operating and travel agency businesses. A qualified chartered accountant, he trained with Price Waterhouse Coopers (PWC) in Cambridge, before deciding to focus on the travel industry. At STL, his responsibilities also extend to overseeing HR and legal matters, IT and compliance. He has travelled extensively in North America, Australia and New Zealand, and is passionate about cricket.
Andy Lingam
Sri Lankan born, Andy came to the UK in 1984 and completed his education here. Since then he worked in a number of finance departments, before joining Specialised Travel in 2001. He is primarily responsible for its treasury function. He enjoys sports and spends much of his spare time helping to raise money for various charitable causes.
Kristina Aljinovic
Kristina joined Specialised Travel in 1985 after an initial grounding in the travel industry. In addition to her responsibilities for general management of the company as Managing Director, she has concentrated on developing and servicing the international touring market for orchestras, choirs, ballet companies etc., travelling worldwide and - for example - visiting Japan over 46 times at the latest count. By birth a French-Croatian, Kristina is fluent in French, Croatian and Italian.
Juliet Manners
Juliet joined the Production Touring department in 2018 after spending 11 years working in STL on programme planning and marketing for our Travel for the Arts tour operation. Prior to this, she held posts at the Royal Opera House and with European Union Youth Orchestra. Juliet is a trained dancer and spends much of her spare time performing with a local theatre group.
Sunita Verma
Sunita lived in the USA for over 16 years, working in Corporate Travel in Tampa, New York and Seattle. Returning to the UK in 2002, she joined Specialised Travel where she has contributed her considerable experience of travel and knowledge of diverse destinations across the USA, Caribbean, Europe and Asia. She is fluent in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi, and is passionate about Indian Classical Arts, Drama and Architecture.
Hannah Lester
After graduating with a joint honours degree in Russian and German from the University of Manchester, Hannah travelled extensively as a member of Cabin Crew for British Airways. After a brief stint in individual travel, and with a vital insight into airline operations, Hannah joined Specialised Travel in 2018 and is a member of our Production Touring Department currently looking after touring dance companies.
Maria Kay
Maria has worked in travel since 1980, covering tour operations, ABTA holidays, film crew transportation and individuals from both the opera and classical music worlds. She joined the Business Travel department at Specialised Travel in April 2001.
Laurence Gay
French by birth, after working for 18 years for airline companies such as Tunisair, Air France and KLM, Laurence moved on to event management with the agency Banks Sadler as a student travel specialist. In this position, she had the opportunity to travel worldwide and appreciate many different cultures. In 2019, Laurence joined Specialised Travel as a Senior Travel Consultant in the Production Touring department, specialising in group travel arrangements.
Vanessa Kyriacou
Vanessa is a seasoned travel agent of Cypriot origin, raised in South Africa. She moved to London in 1998 to work for a European tour operator, gaining knowledge of cosmopolitan Europe. Before joining the TFA in 2013, she worked for a London-based tour operator specialising in tours to Asia from which she gained a detailed knowledge of that Continent. She counts China, India, and parts of South America as some of her top destinations. Vanessa is multilingual, being fluent in Greek and Afrikaans.
Safety

Associations
Links
You might find the following travel information pages useful:
- Identity & Passport Service
- Foreign and Commonwealth Office
- NHS Travel Health Advice
- HM Revenue & Customs
- Weather Reports
- FT Currency converter
DISCLAIMER – Specialised Travel Ltd is not responsible for the contents or reliability of any linked external websites and does not necessarily endorse the views expressed within them. We cannot guarantee the availability or accuracy of the linked pages, but please do email us if you have any problems with the links provided admin@stlon.com.
Health & Safety
All package tours are subject to detailed safety checks as part of our Safety Management System annually audited by independent advisors, Checkpoint Solutions.
We are Assured Members of the School Travel Forum (STF) – a group of leading school tour operators which promotes good practice and safety in school travel. We are also proud to hold the Learning Outside the Classroom Quality Badge award. Devised by the Department for Education in partnership with the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom, the LOtC Quality Badge assists schools in identifying providers which deliver good quality teaching and learning experiences whilst managing risk effectively. The addition of the LOtC Quality Badge to our safety portfolio offers teachers additional peace of mind that we:
- understand and facilitate the needs of educational travel
- manage safety effectively
- offer fair terms and conditions, and the best financial security.
Specialised Travel Ltd and its Brands Sustainability and Environmental Policy.
Climate change is universally recognised as one of the greatest current threats that our world is facing. Our oceans are increasingly polluted with alarming quantities of plastics. The growth of travel is a contributor to these issues. At Specialised Travel, we accept our responsibilities to the communities in which we operate.
In December 2020, our Directors set up a Sustainability Committee or “Green Team” with key representatives from each of our business areas to examine all aspects of our own business, and seek ways to try to help and influence our clients and suppliers.
We are committed to:
- Measuring our impact on the environment
- Setting targets for ongoing improvement
- Complying with all relevant environmental legislation
- Complying with all relevant environmental legislation
- Reducing any harmful impact our operations may have on the local & global environment
- Raising staff awareness of environmental issues, and enlisting their support and “buy-in” to all the company’s policies on sustainability
- Working alongside key travel partners to support environmentally friendly practices.
Memberships & Associations
We are full members of:
- ABTA – No. 56275
- ATOL – No. 2178
- IATA – No. 91244930
- School Travel Forum
- Learning Outside the Classroom
Specialised Travel proudly supports the work of the following organisations through corporate membership:
Vacancies
Currently, we have no full-time vacancies.
We are always happy to receive CVs from qualified Tour Leaders for short term assignments.