The Performing Arts Travel Company
Specialised Travel is the world’s leading provider of tour and travel services to the Performing Arts.
We have two specialist departments: Production Touring to provide a full travel service to professionals – orchestras, choirs, ballet and opera companies.
Our Concert Touring division plans, organises and operates complete tours – including the organisation and promotion of concerts – for amateur ensembles of all types and abilities, from school and college choirs to youth symphony orchestras, choral societies, jazz groups and church choirs. Concert Touring is proudly part of the ACFEA Global Network.
We support a number of partner organisations with their travel operations.
© Copyright 2024 Specialised Travel Limited. Registered in England at Spaces Ealing Aurora, 71-75 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 5SL. Company No. 1472055
Specialised Travel’s operations have of course been heavily impacted by both COVID-19 and Brexit
At present, our staff are continuing to work from home and we ask for your patience in trying to reach them. An email may receive a quicker responses than a call.
The best initial source of updated information on the constantly changing entry, testing and locator form requirements remains the FCDO travel advice website. We’d be happy to introduce you to recommended insurance policies that include COVID-19 cover.
We wish all our clients a peaceful and healthy festive season and a better year for us all in 2022. Please do keep in touch.
Richard Savage
Chairman & CEO, Specialised Travel Ltd
Updated 20th December, 2021
Cost-effective support for choirs, orchestras, ballet and theatre companies of any size, travelling anywhere in the world.
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 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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
Andy studied Music and Performing Arts at Oxford Brookes University, qualified as a Primary Teacher with Nottingham Trent University and then pursued a career in instrumental teaching with Lincolnshire Music Service. Andy continued to work with LMS over 17 years and toured around Europe. Andy has musically directed a number of local Amateur Dramatic societies in his spare time but also loves to travel to unknown places.
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.
Following a degree in Music and Spanish, worked as a Tour Manager for ACFEA in Europe and Latin America. She has travelled widely on both continents and speaks French, Spanish and Portuguese. Her love of music and travel has seen her teach English in Mexico, study Music in Cuba, and establish a fair-trade crafts organisation in the Brazilian Amazon. She has a master’s degree in Translation from the University of Westminster and trained as a technical and medical translator. She is a keen ‘cellist and enjoys playing with the Kensington Symphony Orchestra.
In between her university studies at Bangor University (BMus, MA) and the University of Huddersfield (PhD), Ellen worked in the concerts team for Ex Cathedra in Birmingham. She is currently completing a PhD focussed on the instrumental manuscripts of Antonio Salieri and has travelled to Vienna for research trips, as well as presenting at conferences around the UK and in Siena, Italy. Ellen’s work has been published in various academic journals. As a performer, Ellen has previously toured with Opra Cymru, and continues to play with various orchestras and groups recreationally.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and Birmingham Conservatoire, Julian has performed as part of his guitar duo on many of the UK’s most prestigious stages, performing and touring extensively both in the UK and internationally. Specialising in 20th Century and contemporary music he has championed new music for the guitar, having commissioned, premiered and recorded numerous works by major composers. As our Tour Administrator, Julian is combining his performance experience with his love for travel.
Cat is a Durham Theology graduate whose passion lies in choral music. She has previously held a variety of roles at the Academy of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London Youth Choirs and National Youth Choirs of Great Britain. As a keen opera fan, she spends her summers in Cornwall singing at the St Endellion Summer Festivals with artists including Roderick Williams and Joely Koos. She spent the pandemic helping renovate a chateau in France and has been enjoying travelling more extensively since restrictions were lifted.
Kim is a highly accomplished VIP travel consultant with extensive experience in the airline industry. She worked at Air France/KLM for over 25 years and held various positions.
French of Vietnamese origin, Kim grew up and studied in France. She loves languages and is fluent in French, English and Vietnamese. She also has a good knowledge of Italian and Spanish and has started to learn Japanese. She has travelled extensively and her favourite continent is Asia.
Kim joined Specialised Travel in September 2024 as a Senior Travel Consultant in the Production Touring department.
After graduating with a degree in Tourism Management, Stephanie worked in Business Travel before becoming an International Hostess onboard cruise ships for 4 years, travelling the world extensively. Stephanie moved to London in the fall of 2013 and has been working in the Travel industry ever since covering all aspects of it with several positions in Sales, Customer Service and Operations. She is the newest member of Specialised Travel joining the company in October 2024. She is French and speaks French, English and Italian fluently with some knowledge of Spanish and Portuguese also.
Elyena is an alumna from the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, where her degree in performance specialised in classical violin. After graduating, Elyena pursued a career in chamber music, which has included performances around the UK and Europe. Originally from Scotland she also grew up on the West coast of Norway, giving her a profound knowledge of Scandinavian language and culture. In January 2023 Specialised Travel welcomed Elyena to the production touring department where she collaborates with dance companies and orchestras.
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. 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:
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:
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.
Currently, we have no full-time vacancies.
We are always happy to receive CVs from qualified Tour Leaders for short term assignments.
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
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
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.
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 Spaces Ealing Aurora, 71-75 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 5SL (“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:
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:
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:
Third party travel service providers
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.
2 .Write to STL at 3rd Floor Craven House, 40-44 Uxbridge Road, Ealing, London, W5 2BS
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:
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.
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