In this privacy policy we explain how we collect and use your personal information.  In all your dealings with us you must ensure that others you represent are aware of the content of our privacy policy and consent to your acting on their behalf.

You can use the contact detail on our website to contact us for any queries that you have about privacy or data protection.

What information do we collect about you and how do we collect it?

We will only require you to provide personal information to us where it is necessary for us to provide you with a service.

Information you provide us

We may receive personal information about you whenever you contact us, for example by doing the following:

• • Completing our contact form

• • Subscribing to our mailing list

• • Using and browsing our website

• • Telephoning, texting, writing by post or emailing us

• • Connecting with us via social media

This information may include the following:

• • Normal identification information, such as your full name, date of birth, age, passport number

• • Contact information, such as your postal address, email address and telephone number

• • Additional information relevant to the use of our site and services, such as feedback and marketing preferences

Information we collect about you on our website

We collect information using Cookies and other similar technologies to help distinguish you from other users of our website.  For more information about how and why we use Cookies please take a look through our cookies policy.

When you visit our website we may collect the following information:

• • Which pages you view

• • Your IP address and general location

• • Details of the hardware and software you are using to access the site

How do we use your personal information?

We take data protection law seriously, so below we have set out exact how and why we use your information, and what our legal basis is to be able to use your information in each way.

Providing our services

It is necessary for us to use your personal information about you to enter and perform the contracts that we make with you, such as when you make a booking with us. Using your information in this context is necessary so we can:

• • Provide you with information about your booking

• • Verify your identity

• • Deal with any complaints you may have

• • Contact you with any changes that we may to our services

• • Administer our website, including troubleshooting problems, analysing statistics, conducting research and tests, and keeping the site secure

When you subscribe to our mailing list or you obtain from us any other services that we offer free of charge, it is necessary for us to use your personal information and we have a legitimate interest in providing these services to you.  Providing these services is necessary so that we can:

• • Provide you with information about our other trips

• • Provide you with news and information

Photographs and video footage

From time-to-time, our staff and/or our customers may take photographs and video footage of trips in progress, including pictures of our customers. These pictures may be used in future marketing materials and/or posted on our social media sites.  If you do not wish for to be filmed or for your pictures to be taken or used in this manner, please advise your Tour Leader and/or the photographer at the start of your trip.

Telling you about other trips that we think may be of interest to you

We may use your information to identify and tell you about our trips that we think may be of interest to you.  We will only do this where you have informed us that you would like to receive marketing communications.

Whether you choose to receive marketing communications is entirely up to you.  Your choice will not affect any trips that you have purchased from us, nor will it affect any quotes for trips in the future.

You can update your preferences by using the links in any marketing emails to you, or by getting in touch using our contact form.

Making our business better

We always want to offer the best services and experiences that we can.  Sometimes this means we may use your information to find ways that we can improve what we do or how we do it.

In this context, we will only use your information where it is necessary so that we can:

• • Review and improve our existing trips and develop new ones

• • Review and improve the performance of our systems, performance and staff (including training)

• • Improve our website to ensure that content is presented in the most effective manner for you and your computer

Contacting you

We want to stay in touch with you.  Sometimes we may need to use the information that we have about you in order to respond to your questions or let you know about important changes.

We will only use your information in this respect where it is necessary so that we can:

• • Interact and respond to any communications you send us, including where you use our contact form, and any social media posts that you tag us in.

• • Let you know about any important changes to our business

Verifying your identity

We may use your information where it is necessary for us to do so in order to meet our legal obligations or to detect and prevent fraud, money laundering and other crimes.

• • Protecting you and others from harm

• • We may use your information where it is necessary to protect your interests, or the interests of others.  This may include in the event of criminality such as identify theft, piracy or fraud.

Who do you share your personal information with?

Sharing your information within our company

We share the information that you provide us with our staff so that we can provide our services to you.

Sharing your information with third parties

We need to pass on your personal details to the companies and organisations who need to know them so that your trip can be provided (for example your hotel, other suppliers, credit or debit card company or bank). Such companies and organisations may be outside the European Union, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein if your trip is to take place or involves suppliers outside these countries.

We may share information with other people who are going and/or have been on the same trip where you have given your agreement first to do so.

There are certain exceptional circumstances in which we may disclose your information to third parties.  This would be where we believe the disclosure is:

• • Required by law, or in order to comply with judicial proceedings, court orders, legal or regulatory proceedings

• • Necessary to protect the safety our employees, our property or the public

• • Necessary for the prevention or detection of crime, including exchanging information with other companies or organisations for the purposes of fraud protection and credit risk reduction

How long do we keep your personal information?

We will only store your personal information for as long as we need it for the purposes for which it was collected. Where we provide you with a service through booking a trip we will retain any information you provide to us for 12 months after the completion date of the tour.

Where you have subscribed to our mailing list we will retain your information for as long as you subscribe to receive mailing list emails.

In all other circumstances, we will keep your information for a period of 5 years.

How do we protect your personal information?

We will take all steps reasonably necessary to ensure that your personal information is treated securely and in accordance with this policy.  We try to ensure that all information you provide to us is transferred securely via the website (always check for the padlock symbol and ‘https’ at the beginning of the URL).

Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure.  Although we do our best to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee the security of your information transmitted to our site; any transmission is at your own risk.  Once we have received your information, we will use strict procedures and security features to try to prevent unauthorised access.

All information you provide to us is stored on third party secure servers.

What rights do you have in respect of your personal information?

You have the right to be informed

We have a legal obligation to provide you with concise, transparent, intelligible and easily accessible information about your personal information and our use of it.  We have written this policy to do just that, but if you have any questions or require more specific information, you can get in touch using our contact form.

You have the right to access personal information

You have the right to ask us to confirm whether or not we hold any of your personal information.  If we do, you have the right to have a copy of your information and be informed of the following:

• • Why we have been using your information

• • What categories of information we are using

• • Who we have shared the information with

• • How long we envisage holding your information

In order to maintain the security of your information, we will have to verify the identity before we provide you with a copy of the information we hold.

You have the right to correct any inaccurate or incomplete personal information

If you have requested a copy of the information we hold about you, you may notice that there are inaccuracies in the records, or that certain parts of incomplete.  If this is the case you can contact us so that we can correct our records.

You have the right to be forgotten

There may be times where it is necessary for us to hold personal information about you.  This could be if:

• • The personal information is no longer needed for the original purpose that we collected

• • You object to us using your information and we have no overriding reason to keep using it

• • We have used your information unlawfully

• • We are subject to a legal requirement to delete your information

In those situations you have the right to have your personal information deleted.  If you believe one of these situations applies to you, please get in touch using our contact form.

Also known as data portability, you have the right to obtain a copy of the personal information you have provided as part of entering into a contract when you book a trip with us.  This right allows you to move, copy or transfer your personal information from IT system to another, in a safe and secure way.

If you would like to transfer a copy of your personal information to you or another organisation in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format, please contact us.  There is no charge for exercising this right.

You have the right to object to direct marketing

You can tell us at any time that you would prefer that we do not use your information for direct marketing purposes.  If you would not like to receive any direct marketing from us, please contact us or use the links provided in one of our marketing communications and we will stop sending direct marketing immediately.

You have the right to object to us using your information for our own legitimate interests

Sometimes, we use your personal information to achieve goals that will help us as well as you.  This includes:

• • When we tell you about trips that are similar to ones that you have already booked.

• • When we use your information to help us make our business better

• • When we contact you to interact, communicate or let you know about changes we are making

We aim to ensure that your rights and information are properly protected.  If you believe that the way we are using your personal information is not justified due to its impact on your or your rights, you have the right to object.  Unless we have a compelling reason to continue, we must stop using your personal information for these purposes.

In order to exercise your right to object to use your personal information for the purposes above, please contact us.

You have the right to restrict how we use your personal information

You have the right to ask us to stop using your personal information in any way other than simply keeping a copy of it.  This right is available where:

• • You have informed us that the information we hold about you is inaccurate, and we have not been able to verify this

• • You have objected to us using your information for our own legitimate interests and we are in the process of considering your objection

• • We have used your information in an unlawful way, but you do not want us to delete your personal information, prior to the end of its retention period

• • We no longer need to use the information, but you need it for a legal claim

Changes to this privacy policy

Any changes to this privacy policy will be posted on our website.

Complaints

If you wish to make a complaint about our collection or use of personal information, please contact us in the first instance so that we may seek to resolve your complaint.

If you are still not satisfied after you have gone through our complaints procedure, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the statutory body which oversees data protection in the UK.  Please visit the ICO website if you wish to lodge a complaint with the ICO: www.ico.org.uk

This document was last updated on March 14, 2018