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Specialised Travel The Performing Arts Travel Company

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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

Concerts organised by ACFEA
Ensembles using STL's Production Touring services
TFA opera and ballet tours

Our Services

We have dedicated, highly experienced divisions, each focussed on delivering the specific needs of touring performers and of music lovers.

Production Touring
Planning, cost analysis and detailed logistics for groups of all sizes
Read more
Worldwide Concert Tours
Complete concert tours for amateur choirs, bands and orchestras
Read more
 

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

 

Worldwide Concert Tours

Visit the ACFEA website here for complete information.

Our Partners

We support a number of partner organisations with their travel operations. Current partners are:

Travel Partner for John Whibley Holidays
Carefully chosen music holidays run by a family firm
Read more
Travel Partner for Concerts from Scratch
Singing holidays for lovers of choral music
Read more
 

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

Thank you all so very much for all of your help with making the MSO’s European Tour the success it was. The MSO couldn’t have wanted for a bigger triumph across the five concerts and the arrangements that you put in place worked wonderfully, quite aside from the wonderful care and attention that you showed us on the road. For an orchestra that tours internationally comparatively rarely, it was great to be working with the best!

HH - Melbourne Symphony Orchestra

Be it for an extensive tour of Asia or America or a single concert in Europe, having received an excellent level of service for many years, the RPO is hugely indebted to Kristina Aljinovic and all the team at Specialised Travel … when it comes to transporting the orchestra and its instruments around the world, their inside knowledge, dedication, reliability and expertise is invaluable and we look forward to Specialised Travel organising our travel requirements for many years to come.

LF - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

We can't imagine how we ran our hectic schedule without Specialised Travel. Always efficient, helpful, patient, and understanding the particular problems which occur. This service is one of the most important features of a musicians life, contributing greatly to our health and happiness.

Lady Molly Marriner

Excellent, can't speak highly enough of the individual, personal service provided. There is no other company I would ever travel with! Looking forward to the next one!

SP - The Cardinal Vaughan Memorial School Choir

Propeller Theatre Company has benefitted from Specialised Travel's superb care and efficiency for the last eight years as the company travel all over the world each year. Each trip comes with its own special requests and these are always met with great grace. We happily recommend Specialised Travel to other companies and are delighted to do so.

CM - Propeller Theatre Company

We have been working with Specialised for many years now and they always deliver a consistently friendly and helpful service – often going beyond the call of duty to help with last minute requests and always ensuring our travel runs smoothly for our overseas tours.

LS - Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment

I have been using Specialised Travel to arrange group scheduled flights and charters for orchestral touring for over 10 years. The team’s expertise, knowledge and professional service is outstanding. Nothing is too much trouble for which is especially important when a problem arises. I know that I can always rely on Specialised Travel to arrange group travel expertly.

LB - City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra

I thought choir tours were just hard work from start to finish but I was proved wrong. I enjoyed this trip and we enjoyed the music. ACFEA clearly understands musicians and your excellent links with communities abroad means that our performances were extremely well received. We had over 400 people at our first concert and a standing ovation! Thanks for putting it all together!

DM - King's School, Rochester

The Tours department of Intermusica have enjoyed a wonderful working relationship with Specialised Travel for many years. We very much enjoy working with the group department at Specialised, and find their services extremely professional, reliable and provide a high level of service for our clients. The team are extremely prompt at replying to enquiries, and ensure to make suitable arrangements no matter what type of group (orchestras, choirs etc) taking into account all special requirements. We value our relationship with Specialised Travel and plan to continue working with them into the future.

KC - Intermusica

I've worked with Specialised Travel for almost 25 years on many orchestral tours all over the world. She. Kristina effortlessly combines charm and elegance with a no-nonsense and hands-on approach and is someone you would like to have with you in a crisis; she and I were in New York together on 9/11 for a major project for the Lincoln Center. We had an orchestra, choir and artists flying in from all over the world that day, but we ended up dismantling the entire project in very challenging circumstances. We were stuck in NY for a week, but Kristina got us back to London (business class!) on only the third BA flight out of NY... I am grateful to Richard, Kristina and all their colleagues at Specialised Travel for their care and contribution to the work we do.

TW - Harrison Parrott

Specialised Travel deliver a dependable and professional service, with a distinct understanding for the unique demands of travel within the arts.

JC - London Philharmonic Orchestra

Meet the Team

Directors

Richard Savage
Chairman & C.E.O.
Kristina Aljinovic
Managing Director
Nick Barrand
Finance Director
Helen David
Director
Nick Abbott
Director
Dan Porterfield
Director

ACFEA

Nick Abbott
Director
Helen David
Director
Dan Porterfield
Director
Becky Shaftoe
Senior Tour Manager
Catherine Clambaneva
Senior Tour Manager
Ina Wieczorek
Tour Manager

Admin & Accounts

Nick Barrand
Finance Director
Andy Lingam
Cash Controller

PRODUCTION TOURING

Kristina Aljinovic
Managing Director
Juliet Manners
Project Manager
Sunita Verma
Senior Travel Consultant
Hannah Lester
Senior Travel Consultant
Maria Kay
Senior Travel Consultant
Laurence Gay
Senior Travel Consultant
Vanessa Kyriacou
Head of Tour Operations

 

Richard Savage

Chairman & C.E.O.
+44 20 8799 8333

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

Managing Director
+44 20 8799 8322

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

Finance Director
+44 20 8799 8331

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

Director
+44 20 8799 8376

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

Director
+44 20 8799 8360

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

Director
+44 20 8799 8371

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

Director
+44 20 8799 8360

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

Director
+44 20 8799 8376

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

Director
+44 20 8799 8371

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

Senior Tour Manager
+44 20 8799 8374

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

Senior Tour Manager
+44 20 8799 8362

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

Tour Manager
+44 20 8799 8360

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

Finance Director
+44 20 8799 8331

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

Cash Controller
+44 20 8799 8372

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

Managing Director
+44 20 8799 8322

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

Project Manager
+44 20 8799 8324

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

Senior Travel Consultant
+44 20 8799 8321

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

Senior Travel Consultant
+44 20 8799 8318

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

Senior Travel Consultant
+44 20 8799 8315

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

Senior Travel Consultant
+44 20 8799 8300

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

Head of Tour Operations
+44 20 8799 8353

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.

 

Links

You might find the following travel information pages useful:

 

 

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.

The Sustainability Committee will present a quarterly report to the Directors for them to monitor progress and consider new initiatives and our Sustainability Policy will be reviewed annually. Our full policy can be viewed here.

 

Social

https://twitter.com/stgroup1955?lang=en

 

Memberships & Associations

We are full members of:

 

 

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.

Contact

Address Specialised Travel Ltd
Craven House
40–44 Uxbridge Road
London
W5 2BS
Phone +44 20 8799 8300
Vacancies
© Copyright 2019 Specialised Travel Limited. Registered in England at Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS. Company No. 1472055
Website Terms and Conditions Privacy Policy
 

Vacancies

You might find the following travel information pages useful:

 

 

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.

 

Website Terms and Conditions

Website Terms of Use

This page (together with any documents referred to on it) explains to you the terms of use on which you may make use of the website (www.stlon.com) (“the Website”).  Please read these terms of use carefully before you start to use the Website.  By using this Website, you indicate that you accept these terms of use and that you agree to abide by them.  If you do not agree to these terms of use, please refrain from using the Website.

Terms of use

  1. The Website is operated under the trading name and registered trade mark Specialised Travel Limited, a company registered in England and Wales under company number 01472055 whose registered office is at Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, London, W5 2BS (“the Company” or “we”).  We are a fully bonded member of ABTA and the IATA.  We also hold an ATOL licence and are also a member of the AITO.
  2. Access to the Website is permitted on a temporary basis and we reserve the right to withdraw or amend the service provided on the Website without notice.  We shall not be liable if for any reason the Website is not available at any time or for any period.  From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or the entire Website, if required.  We aim to update the Website regularly and may change the content at any time.  We may therefore have to suspend access to the website, or close it if necessary.  Any of the material on the Website may be out of date at any given time and we are under no obligation to update such material.
  3. You are responsible for making all arrangements necessary for you to have access to the Website and for ensuring that all persons who access the Website through your internet connection are aware of these terms and that they comply with them.
  4. We shall not be liable for and accept no responsibility for any information presented by a third party including, but not limited to, pricing, liability in connection with any products, bookings and cancellations made directly with a third party, or any other transactions between you and a third party, and the performance of the contract entered into between you and the third party or any circumstances that may arise during your holiday.
  5. We do not guarantee that the information displayed on the Website is accurate. We make every attempt to keep the content on this Website as up-to-date as possible, but (in accordance with Clause 2) are under no obligation to do so.
  6. Where we publish and control information on the Website, we will use all reasonable endeavours to correct errors or omissions as quickly as practicable after being notified of them. However, because of the complex technology that is required in operating the Website there may be times when obvious errors occur.  For example, this may result in a price, product or service or other detail displayed being incorrect. We will endeavour to correct this information as quickly as possible.
  7. All holidays, tours and packages shown on the Website are subject to availability and you must always check with the Company to see whether a holiday, tour or package is available prior to arranging any booking.  You may book a holiday, tour or package with the Company by contacting the Company using the details on the contacts page on this Website.  Any bookings made will be subject to the Booking Conditions applicable at the time you make your booking, as provided by the Company.
  8. Any links provided on the Website to other websites are not intended to provide an endorsement by the Company (unless otherwise specified) and we will have no liability or responsibility for the content of this or those websites whatsoever.  You must not establish a link to this Website from any other website without the Company’s explicit written consent.
  9. We cannot guarantee that the Website is free from infection by viruses or anything else that has contaminating or destructive properties.  You must not misuse the Website by introducing viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs or other material which is malicious or technologically harmful.  You must not attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Website, the server on which the Website is stored or any server, computer or database connected to the Website.
  10. Any destination/attraction/tour/travel guide information on this Website written or provided by the Company is purely for information.  We endeavour to ensure that such information is accurate however we provide no guarantee that such information is accurate.  This information does not form part of your agreement with the Company and is provided solely as additional background content.  We shall not be held liable in any way whatsoever for any inaccuracy, misunderstanding or expectation drawn from this content.
  11. All rights in the Website, including copyright, the content and design of the Website, is owned by the Company or used under licence from third party owners.  Any use of this Website or its contents, including copyright or storing it or them in whole or part, other than for your personal or non-commercial use is prohibited without the permission of the Company.  You are prohibited from copying, modifying, transmitting, distributing, selling, displaying, licensing or reproducing any content including images and other media on this Website for any commercial purpose.
  12. The transmission of unlawful, threatening, defamatory, pornographic, political or racist material is strictly prohibited.
  13. If you breach the provisions of these Terms of Use, we shall suspend or permanently terminate your access to the Website.
  14. To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all liability, representations, warranties, whether express or implied by statute, custom or usage relating to the information contained in or services offered on this Website.  This does not affect your statutory rights under English law.  We shall not be liable for any losses or damages (whether direct, indirect or consequential) whatsoever, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), or otherwise arising from this Website, or from any interruption or delay in accessing this Website.
  15. Any material you upload to the Website will be considered to be non-confidential and non-proprietary and we have the right to use, copy, distribute and disclose to third parties any such material for any purpose.
  16. We process information about you in accordance with the Privacy Policy displayed on the Website from time to time.  By using the Website you consent to such processing and you warrant that all data provided by you is accurate.
  17. These Terms of Use may vary from time to time.  By using this Website you accept that you are bound by the terms and conditions in force at that time and displayed on this page.
  18. If any part of these Terms of Use or any document referred to herein is illegal or unenforceable, such portion(s) shall be excluded from these Terms and Conditions and any relevant document to the minimum extent required and the balance of these Terms and Conditions and any relevant document shall remain in full force and effect and enforceable.
  19. These Terms of Use and any documents or policies referred to herein shall govern the entire relationship between the parties to the exclusion of any other terms.
  20. It is not the intention of the parties to confer any rights on any third parties by virtue of this Agreement and accordingly the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 shall not apply to these Terms of Use.
  21. These Terms of Use and any disputes that may arise between you and the Company will be governed by the laws of England and Wales and the parties shall submit to the jurisdiction of the English courts.

 

 

Privacy Policy

Introduction

This is the Privacy Policy for Specialised Travel Limited, a company registered in England and Wales with company number 01472055, having its registered office at 3rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS (“STL”, “We”, “Us” or “Our”).

This Policy sets out how STL uses and protects any personal data that you provide to STL (including personal data provided through the website www.stlon.com (“Website”)). We are committed to protecting your personal data and this Policy and tells you about your privacy rights and how the law protects you.

STL provides services to individuals in connection with booking travel arrangements and services, and through providing services to individuals it may collect and process personal data about individuals (“Services”). In addition to this, the Website also collects certain personal data from users, in accordance with this Policy.

STL and its affiliated Group companies or brands (“STL Group”) are firmly committed to respecting and protecting the privacy of all personal data received or collected, in strict adherence to Data Protection Legislation (defined below) and best business practice.  The STL Group has established this Policy so that you can understand the care with which We intend to treat your personal data.

How to contact us

We have a data privacy manager who is responsible (together with our Data Protection Committee) for overseeing questions in relation to this Policy.  If you have any questions about this Policy, including any requests to exercise your legal rights, please contact the data privacy manager using the details set out below.  If you have any questions regarding your personal data and how We may use it, including any queries relating to this Policy, please contact us at data@stlon.com or writing to our “Data Privacy Manager” at the head office address noted above.

It is important that the personal data We hold about you is accurate and current. Please keep Us informed if your personal data changes during your relationship with Us.

Terminology used

STL’s data protection and privacy measures are governed by all applicable data protection and privacy legislation in force from time to time in the UK, including without limitation (i) the UK GDPR (which has the meaning given to it in section 3(10) (as supplemented by section 205(4)) of the Data Protection Act 2018); the Data Protection Act 2018 (and regulations made thereunder); and (ii) to the extent EU GDPR applies, the General Data Protection Regulation ((EU) 2016/679)) and the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2426) as amended (“Data Protection Legislation”).

For the purpose of Data Protection Legislation where personal data is provided directly to STL through use of the Website, email, meeting with you or other means where STL is determining the way in which that personal data is processed, then STL will be a data controller of such information.

Personal data and Basis for Collection 

Personal data means any data or information about an individual from which that person can be identified. It does not include data where the identity has been removed (anonymous data).

Where STL is acting as a data controller, STL may collect, use, store and transfer different kinds of personal data about you which STL has grouped together as follows:

  • Identity Data includes first name, last name, username or similar identifier, title, date of birth, gender, and passport or national identity card information;
  • Contact Data includes postal address, email address and telephone numbers;
  • Financial Data includes credit / debit card details or other payment information;
  • Transaction Data includes details about payments to and from you and other details of travel services you have purchased from STL;
  • Technical Data includes internet protocol address, browser type and versions, time zone setting and location, browser plug-in types and versions and platform and other technology on the devices you use to access our Website;
  • Profile Data includes purchases or bookings made by you, your interests, preferences, feedback and survey responses;
  • Usage Data includes information about how you use our Services or submit an enquiry or query through our Website;
  • Marketing and Communications Data includes your preferences in receiving marketing from us and Our third parties and your communication preferences;
  • Individual Data – additional information collected from you in relation to the Services We provide;
  • Special Categories of Data includes information relating to disabilities or medical conditions which may affect your holiday arrangements and any dietary restrictions which may disclose your religious beliefs. Special categories of data may also include ethnicity, sexual orientation or other biometric data, although it is unlikely that We will need to collect all of this type of data from you in connection with your holiday arrangements.

If you fail to provide personal data

Where STL needs to collect personal data by law, or under the terms of a contract STL has with you (or our client whom STL acts for) and you fail to provide that data when requested, STL may not be able to perform the contract it has or is trying to enter. In this case, STL may have to cancel the Services but it will notify you (or where appropriate, its client) if this is the case at the time.

How is your personal data collected?

STL uses different methods to collect personal data from and about you including through:

  • Direct interactions. You may give Us your contact information by filling in forms or by corresponding with us by post, phone, email or otherwise. This includes personal data you provide when you making a reservation or booking STL for travel Services, when We (or those travel providers for whom We act as an agent) provide your holiday or travel arrangements; or
  • Enquiries information, when made through the Website or by email, including requests for a brochure or further information relating to the Services We offer; or
  • Participation contact if you participate in a competition, survey or other offer that We might make available to you; or
  • Third parties or publicly available sources. We may receive personal data about you from various third parties and public sources such as contact data from providers; or
  • Automated technologies or interactions. As you interact with Our Website, We may automatically collect Technical Data about your equipment, browsing actions and patterns.  We collect this personal data by using cookies.  Please see Our website terms of use policy stlon.com/small-print for further details.
  • Telephone interaction. We take your details during telephone calls in relation to your Identity Data, Transaction Data, Contact Data, Financial Data, Profile Data and Marketing Data.

How STL uses your personal data

STL will only use your personal data when the law allows Us to, ie, if We have a legal basis for doing so, as outlined in this Policy or as notified to you at the time We collect your personal data, and for the purposes for which it was collected for, unless We reasonably consider that We need to use it for another reason and that reason is compatible with the original purpose.  If We need to use your personal data for an unrelated purpose, We will notify you and we will explain the legal basis which allows Us to do this.  Please note that We may process your personal data without your knowledge or consent, where this is required or permitted by law.

Where We act as the data controller for client contact information, We have set out below in the table a description of all the ways We plan to use your personal data, and which of the legal bases We rely on to do so. We have also identified what Our legitimate interests are, where appropriate.

Note that We may process your personal data for more than one lawful ground depending on the specific purpose for which We are using your data. Please contact STL if you need details about the specific legal ground we are relying on to process your personal data where more than one ground has been set out in the table below.

Purpose/Activity

Type of data

Lawful basis for processing including basis of legitimate interest

 

To register you as a new client and verify your identity (where required) and to provide you with travel arrangements and our  Services

 

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Financial

(d) Special category data

Performance of a contract with you

Consent (for use of special categories of data)

 

To manage Our relationship with you which will include:

(a)   notifying you about changes to Our terms or privacy policy

(b)   asking you to leave a review or take a survey

(a)   Identity

(b)   Contact

(c)   Profile

(d)   Marketing and Communications

Performance of a contract with you

Necessary to comply with a legal obligation

Necessary for Our legitimate interests (to keep Our records updated and to study how customers use Our services)

 

To process and deliver the Services including:

(a) Manage accounts, payments, fees and charges

(b) contacting you and corresponding about your travel arrangements and our Services

 

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Financial

 

Performance of a contract

Necessary for our legitimate interests (to recover debts due to us)

To respond to queries and enquiries

 

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

Legitimate interests

To undertake marketing to you

 

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Marketing and Communications

Consent, unless Our legitimate interests apply and this does not adversely affect your rights as a data subject

 

To administer and protect Our business and this Website (including troubleshooting data analysis, testing, system maintenance, support, reporting and hosting of data)

(a) Identity

(b) Contact

(c) Technical

Necessary for Our legitimate interests (for running Our business, provision of administration and IT services, network security and to prevent fraud)

Necessary to comply with a legal obligation

 

How your personal data may be shared

Where We act as the data controller, personal data processed by STL may be shared as follows:

  • with any member of the STL Group, which means STL’s subsidiaries, STL’s ultimate holding company and its subsidiaries, as defined in section 1159 of the UK Companies Act 2006;
  • where STL is under a duty to disclose your personal data to comply with any legal obligation, or to enforce or apply STL’s or terms and conditions and other agreements;
  • to protect the rights, property, or safety of STL, STL’s client, or others. This includes exchanging information with other companies and organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and for compliance with laws;
  • with the authorities, Foreign and Commonwealth Office or other regulatory or official purpose, as may be appropriate for regulatory purposes; and
  • with third parties to whom We may choose to sell, transfer, or merge parts of our business or our assets. Alternatively, We may seek to acquire other businesses or merge with them. If a change happens to our business, then the new owners may use your personal data in the same way as set out in this Policy.

Third party travel service providers

  • To fulfil your booking arrangements, appropriate personal data will be passed on to the relevant suppliers of your arrangements / any third party supplier / any other third party (including banks and/or credit card issuers) who need to process your personal data so that your holiday can be provided. The information may also be provided to government / public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law.
  • We will generally use other companies to help provide your travel services, including hotels, airlines, ground handlers and guides, as well as when we mail brochures and send marketing material. We only provide third parties with the personal data they require in order to deliver their services and their use is limited to the services they provide.
  • If We cannot pass your personal data to the relevant suppliers, We will be unable to fulfil your booking.

We require all third parties to respect the security of your personal data and to treat it in accordance with the law. We do not allow Our third-party service providers to use your personal data for their own purposes and only permit them to process your personal data for specified purposes and in accordance with Our instructions.

Many of Our external third parties are based outside the European Economic Area (EEA) so their processing of your personal data will involve a transfer of data outside the EEA.

Whenever We transfer your personal data to countries outside of the EEA to other people or companies it will be for one of the legal bases for processing your personal data as indicated above.  Where We do so, We will take all steps to ensure that any country to which the personal data has been transferred has suitable protection mechanisms in place to protect personal data, including (if applicable) use of EU Model Clauses in any contract with that third party for steps to be taken to keep personal data secure.  We will always ensure suitable safeguards are implemented.

Please contact Us if you want further information on the specific mechanism used by Us when transferring your personal data out of the UK.

Marketing

We strive to provide you with choices regarding certain personal data uses, particularly around marketing and advertising.

Promotional offers from Us

We may use your Identity, Contact, Technical, Usage and Profile Data to form a view on what We think you may want or need, or what may be of interest to you.  This is how We decide which products, services and offers may be relevant for you (We call this marketing).  You will only receive marketing communications from Us if you have either requested information from Us, or you have previously purchased travel arrangements from Us, and you have not opted out of receiving that marketing.

Opting out

You can opt-out of receiving marketing communications from Us at any time by contacting Us via the following methods.

1. Email Us at data@stlon.com providing your full name, address and postcode and the email address which you would have originally used.

2 .Write to STL at 3rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS

3. Call Our office on 020 8799 8300.

4. You can also be removed from Our email database by clicking the Unsubscribe link located in the footer of all marketing email communications from Us.

 

  1. You can update your preferences by sending an email to data@stlon.com, or telephoning Us on 020 8799 8300.

Data security

We have put in place appropriate security measures to prevent your personal data from being accidentally lost, used or accessed in an unauthorised way, altered or disclosed. In addition, We limit access to your personal data to those employees, agents, contractors and other third parties who have a business need to know. They will only process your personal data on our instructions and they are subject to a duty of confidentiality.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where We are legally required to do so.

Other than in relation to government / public authorities (over whom We have no control), We take appropriate steps to ensure that anyone to whom We pass your personal data for any reason agrees to keep it secure, only uses it for the purposes of providing their services and does not collect any personal data from you in the course performing their services.

We have put in place procedures to deal with any suspected personal data breach and will notify you and any applicable regulator of a breach where We are legally required to do so.

Personal Data Retention

We will keep your information for as long as We need it for the purpose it is being processed for. For example, where you book a holiday with Us We will keep the information related to your booking, so We can fulfil the specific travel arrangements you have made and after that, We will keep the information for a period which enables Us to handle or respond to any complaints, queries or concerns relating to the booking. The information may also be retained so that We can continue to improve your experience with Us, this will usually be no longer than 7 years after you have travelled with Us.

We will actively review the information We hold and delete it securely, or in some cases anonymise it, when there is no longer a legal, business or customer need for it to be retained.

Your Rights

Under certain circumstances, you have rights under data protection laws in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

  • The right to be informed – this is information on for what purpose We are processing it and what personal data We are processing.
  • The right of access (commonly known as a “subject access request”) – you have the right to be provided with copies of the personal data of you that We are processing as well as confirmation of the processing We are doing. You can do this by sending a “subject access request” to the contact details noted above for Our consideration.
  • The right to rectification – if you think the personal data that We hold on you is wrong you can tell Us and We will fix it, though We may need to verify the accuracy of the new data you provide to Us.
  • The right to erasure (also known as the right to be forgotten) – if you want Us to permanently delete the personal data We hold for you then you can ask Us to do so.
  • The right to restrict processing – if you do not like how We are using your personal data then you can let us know and We will stop processing it in that way. You also have the right to object where We are processing your personal data for direct marketing purposes. In some cases, We may demonstrate that We have compelling legitimate grounds to process your information which override your rights and freedoms.
  • The right to data portability – if you want Us to pass on your personal data to someone else then please let Us know. This transfer should not affect the integrity or otherwise damage your personal data.
  • The right to withdraw your consent – you can withdraw your consent for Us to process your personal data (if we have relied on your consent to process your personal data) at any time by contacting Us. If We have relied only on your consent as the basis to process your personal data then We will stop processing your personal data at the point you withdraw your consent. Please note that if We can also rely on other bases to process your personal data aside from consent then We may do so even if you have withdrawn your consent.
  • Rights in relation to automated decision making and profiling – if We use either automated decision making or profiling then you have a right to know. Also, We need your consent if either of these are used to make a decision that affects you. As with all consent, you can withdraw it at any time.

To exercise any of the above rights please email your request to: data@stlon.com.

Where you exercise your right to erasure or where information is deleted in accordance with STL’s retention policy, please note that after the deletion of your personal data, it cannot be recovered, so if you require a copy of this personal data, please request this during the period STL retains the data.

Where you exercise your right to request access to the information STL processes about you, you will not have to pay a fee to access your personal data (or to exercise any of the other rights). However, We may charge a reasonable fee if your request is clearly unfounded, repetitive or excessive.  We will inform you of this, and our reasons, if this is the case.

Alternatively, We may refuse to comply with your request in these circumstances.

STL will try to respond to all legitimate access requests within one month. Occasionally it may take us longer than a month if your request is particularly complex or you have made a number of requests. In this case, We will notify you and keep you updated.

If you believe that any of your personal data which We are processing is inaccurate or incorrect please contact Us by calling Our office on 020 8799 8300, by emailing data@stlon.com, or by writing to STL, 3rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS.

Children 

The Website is not intended for children and STL will not knowingly collect any personal data from persons under the age of 18.  Where, as part of the Services being provided and travel arrangements being put in place, We may collect information about children from you to perform such Services and We will treat such information securely.

Complaints

If you would like to make a complaint in relation to how STL may have stored, used or processed your personal data, you have the right to make a complaint at any time to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK supervisory authority for data protection issues (www.ico.org.uk). STL would, however, appreciate the chance to deal with your concerns before you approach the ICO so please contact Us in the first instance.

External Websites

The Website may, from time to time, contain links to and from the websites of STL partner networks, advertisers and affiliates. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that We do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. STL is not responsible for the content of external internet sites and you are advised to read the privacy policy of external sites before disclosing any personal data.

Remember the Risks Whenever You Use the Internet

STL is committed to ensuring that your information is secure and has in place reasonable and proportionate safeguards and procedures to protect your personal data. Whilst STL does its best to protect your personal data, STL cannot guarantee the security of any information that you transmit to STL and you are solely responsible for maintaining the secrecy of any passwords or other account information.

Changes to this Privacy Policy and your duty to inform us of changes

As and when necessary, changes to this Privacy Policy will be posted here. Where changes are significant, We may also email all our registered users with the new details, and where required by law, We will obtain your consent to these changes.

This Privacy Policy was last updated on February 2022.