RESPONSIBLE TRAVEL
Artisan Travel is part of The Artisan Travel Company (our parent company). Right from the beginning all the way back in 2002 we have held strong beliefs and a keen focus on responsible tourism.
Our Responsible Tourism Policy is outlined below and puts on paper what we implement across our business. The policy is always under review and amended in line with best practice. Whilst we do our very best with the resources that we have, we always know that there is more to be done to make our operations both at home and overseas as responsible as possible.
This policy is always available to our guests and it is issued to all of our suppliers in order to ensure that the core principles are adhered to and upheld throughout our supply chain and that our clients are aware of our stance on certain practices etc.
Our policy is divided into three primary sections: social, economic and environmental responsibility.
It is important to outline here the general approach which The Artisan Travel Company takes to responsible tourism. It is based on the theory of the triple bottom line, a phrase coined by John Elkington a world leading authority on corporate responsibility.
In short the triple bottom line is where the profitability of the company and the positive economic impact of our holidays in a destination is as equally valued as the company's environmental and social performance. Where many tour operators may well simply quote Elkington as a tick box in a policy we endeavor to provide tangible evidence that we are putting this into action. Responsible tourism is at the core of what we do.
As an independently owned company we have the luxury of being able to determine our own priorities and our own bench marks for success and have the ability to ensure that this ethos is central to everything we do.
Social Responsibility
Firstly we ensure that wherever possible we use local guides, local transport providers and locally owned accommodation providers. This gives our clients a much more intimate relationship with the destination in which they are visiting, provides local people with employment and ensures that wherever possible the economic benefits of the tourists' visits are received in the local communities. We do not want this money to act as compensation to the communities for our clients' visits, but as payment for excellent services provided. We also hope that by helping to provide local employment we will also be helping to preserve remote communities where otherwise younger generations may tend to move towards larger urban areas for work.
Importantly we feel very strongly that the local guides in particular are better qualified than anyone to talk about the destinations in which they work and to operate within a region which they know like the back of their hands. These factors both enable them to take pride in the area they work as well as improving safety levels in many of the activities as the guides generally have years of experience rather than weeks. In some destinations you may encounter some expatriate Britons but they live and work within these regions and have invested heavily in the destination.
- We also ensure that throughout our operations anyone involved with The Artisan Travel Company:
- Has a safe and clean environment in which to work
- Is paid fairly for their work
- Is not given an unreasonable amount of work
- Is treated with respect and equality by all clients and members of staff
- Is not discriminated against for reasons of colour, race, gender, religion or disability
We want to ensure that our clients get the best possible experience and so it is vital for us to develop long term and successful partnerships with suppliers that are productive and fair for all parties involved.
Economic Responsibility
We always utilise locally owned accommodation and activity providers wherever possible. We like to stay off the beaten track and provide a more unique experience for clients so this all goes hand in hand.
Wherever possible we try to avoid using large hotel chains as we want the money generated by tourism within a region to remain within the region rather than leaking overseas.
The areas in which we operate tend to be rural and so employment opportunities can be more limited than in larger towns. A local hotel can provide a vital source of employment in a town and help stem the flow of people from these communities to urban environments. In turn this helps to sustain the economies of small rural towns. We ensure that wherever possible our accommodation providers and activity guides source produce locally when meals are included and if not then we recommend local restaurants to clients. We want to utilise the tourism multiplier effect wherever possible in order to widen the economic benefit of our presence.
When it comes to souvenirs we will always try to inform clients of some of the locally produced handicrafts to look out for and try and encourage them to purchase goods from the region if they wish to take something home. We also ensure that we discourage the removal of natural souvenirs such as shells etc. Our clients are informed about souvenir trades that may be detrimental to the environment or that perhaps do not provide their workers with appropriate working conditions.
In some countries we feature; bargaining for goods is the local custom and we give guidelines to clients to help them negotiate prices which are both fair to them and the seller. We discourage any form of aggressive haggling.
By ensuring that the economic benefits (wherever possible) are felt by the people in the areas in which our holidays operate then we improve our relationships and show our commitment to a destination. This in turn enables us to improve the experiences in a destination as this mutual cooperation fosters excellent working relationships.
Environmental Responsibility
This is the section that most people will associate most strongly with responsible tourism and it is certainly the most high profile area.
Tourism and the environment must be managed and the relationship monitored. It is something which we take into account throughout the planning, the operation and the evaluation of a holiday.
Firstly we are a niche operator; we do not send hundreds of clients into one destination during a week. It is not the way in which we operate, nor will it ever be. Large groups are not conducive to successful and high quality holidays and during our small group holidays the group size is always made appropriate to the nature of the environment and the proximity of our guests to the local population. We do not want local people to feel they have been invaded!
We work in remote areas and in many places which can only be described as pristine wildernesses. The impact of unmanaged tourism in these areas can be wholly detrimental
Working with local people obviously provides us with a huge advantage in this respect. Our guides' pride in the regions is always tangible and they ensure that the 'leave no trace' ethos is continually expressed to clients and visibly implemented during the activities.
When we plan our holidays we do so with the environment in mind. We deliberately leave out certain activities if we feel that their impact on the environment is to its detriment. The group sizes which we offer are designed with our clients’ experience in mind as well as the likely impact on a natural area.
We assess a hotel's facilities with regards to the environment and have developed an audit to enable us to document the processes and facilities in places in each of our hotels with greater accuracy and in order to help provide our clients with further information.
Where possible we always include group transportation. Not only is this obviously more economical for clients but it reduces emissions. We also ask clients to consider the use of public transport such as trains and buses on their free days (when available).
When planning hotels we ensure that we familiarise ourselves with all means of arriving in a destination, whether by train, sea or by road. When flights are involved we encourage clients to offset the emissions caused – in fact we encourage this for all methods of transport.
We dedicate additional time and money to ensuring that the impacts of our holidays are positive and that the environments we operate in remain unspoiled by our presence.
Financial Protection
We know that your holiday will be one of the most important investments you make in a year and we understand how important it is for you to know that you are financially protected and that your money is secure.
We understand how important it is for you to know that you are financially protected and that your money is secure.
The British Travel Industry is strictly governed and so there are many factors in place to ensure that your holiday experience and your finances are protected.
Many of our holidays include flights and these always depart from the UK. If your holiday is flight inclusive, then it is protected under our ATOL license (License number 6865).
If you are a fulltime UK resident and you book a ‘land only’ (i.e. a non-flight inclusive package where you arrange your own flights) then your money is protected through our ABTA bonding (ABTA number Y6261).
We are very happy to arrange holidays for people located anywhere in the world. The vast majority of non-UK residents arrange their own travel to the UK and make a booking with for a flight inclusive package departing from the UK for convenience but also to benefit from our financial protection. If you would like to arrange your own flights directly to your chosen holiday destination then this would not be covered by our ATOL financial protection and you would need to ensure your travel insurance provides sufficient cover for your needs. This does not affect our booking terms and conditions.
We are also members of AITO (Association of Independent Tour Operators) and abide by their terms of membership.
Additional information from the CAA relating to our ATOL license:
We hold an Air Travel Organiser's License issued by the Civil Aviation Authority (ATOL number 6865). When you buy an ATOL protected flight or flight inclusive holiday* from us, you will receive an ATOL Certificate.
This lists what is financially protected, where you can get information from and who to contact if things go wrong. We, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL Certificate, will provide you with the services listed on the ATOL Certificate (or a suitable alternative).
In some cases, where neither we nor the supplier are able to do so for reasons of insolvency, an alternative ATOL holder may provide you with services you have bought or a suitable alternative (at no extra cost to you). You agree to accept that in those circumstances the alternative ATOL holder will perform those obligations and you agree to pay any money outstanding to be paid by you under your contract to that alternative ATOL holder. However, you also agree that in some cases it will not be possible to appoint an alternative ATOL holder, in which case you will be entitled to make a claim under the ATOL scheme (or your credit card issuer where applicable). If we, or the suppliers identified on your ATOL certificate, are unable to provide the services listed (or a suitable alternative, through an alternative ATOL holder or otherwise) for reasons of insolvency, the Trustees of the Air Travel Trust may make a payment to (or confer a benefit on) you under the ATOL scheme. You agree that in return for such a payment or benefit, you assign absolutely to those Trustees any claims which you have or may have arising out of or relating to the non-provision of the services, including any claim against us, the travel agent or your credit card issuer where applicable. You also agree that any such claims may be re-assigned to another body, if that other body has paid sums you have claimed under the ATOL scheme.
*Many of the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. But ATOL protection does not apply to all holiday and travel services listed on this website. Please ask us to confirm what protection may apply to your booking. If you do not receive an ATOL Certificate then the booking will not be ATOL protected. If you do receive an ATOL Certificate but all the parts of your trip are not listed on it, those parts will not be ATOL protected. Please see our booking conditions for information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate go to: www.atol.org.uk/atolcertificate.
If you have any questions relating to financial protection, please do not hesitate to contact us as this is an area we have extensive knowledge and expertise. We will be more than happy to discuss and take you through any concerns that you may have.
Contact us by phone, email or use the contact form below
Artisan Sales
01670 785085
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Artisan Customer Services
01670 785085
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Content Here for Inspiration Page
An Introduction to Artisan Travel
“Life is what happens to us while we are making other plans.”
This oh-so apposite quotation is often attributed to John Lennon but probably dates back two decades earlier to American writer, journalist and cartoonist Allen Saunders in a 1957 edition of the Readers’ Digest. Regardless of its provenance, we believe that the quotation very succinctly sums up what Artisan Travel is all about.
Time is an increasingly precious commodity and as we get older it seems to pass all the quicker while, at the same time, the lists of must-do experiences and must-see places grows ever longer. Reconciling the passing of time with a burgeoning bucket list is a difficult process because the process of planning often consumes the actual doing and that is where we come in.
All of our itineraries have been painstakingly researched in order to save you all that valuable planning time.
All of our itineraries have been painstakingly researched in order to save you all that valuable planning time and allow you to get on with ticking off as many of those wish list items as possible in the limited time available.
The Artisan Difference
The thing we have noticed during our years in the travel industry is that our favourite moments often occur when we are with our local partners but not specifically looking at the tourism infrastructure. We always ask our suppliers to show us the main sites and attractions but also the places that they frequent in their daily lives. We also ask them what they would see and do if they were visitors in their own country because we want to experience their country beyond the manufactured veneer of its most visited tourism sites.
We sit down with our local suppliers and create itineraries that they, as locals, believe best reflect their country or region.
It is the local tourism suppliers, our partners, who know the destinations best and to think otherwise would be simply foolish. So, we sit down with our local suppliers and create itineraries that they, as locals, believe best reflect their country or region.
That is what makes The Artisan Travel Company that little bit different. We rely on local knowledge to create holidays that allow you to really get beneath the skin of any given destination and see the very best of it in a given amount of time.
Artisan Travel - Our Heritage
We have been providing holidays for over 15 years and throughout that time the word "experience" has been at the heart of everything we do.
We started with family activity holidays because we wanted to enjoy memorable times with our own kids rather than lie by a pool for two weeks roasting under a burning Mediterranean sun.
A while later, we ventured into Lapland creating winter activity and adventure holidays in a part of the world that was still largely overlooked by the travelling public. In 2011, we took these winter holidays to a whole new level by creating the UK's first ever company dedicated solely to Northern Lights holidays.
We have been providing holidays for over 15 years and throughout that time the word "experience" has been at the heart of everything we do.
All the while, we were meeting local tourism experts, learning about the destinations and creating ever more exciting and, to our great delight, award-winning itineraries.
It is these years of experience in the travel industry that led to us establishing Artisan Travel. Firstly it occurred to us that after all this time, we know our clients pretty well and have a very good idea of what it is that they want from a holiday. Secondly, we have developed an enviable network of local suppliers and tourism experts who know their own countries far, far better than we ever could.
Essentially, we have taken what we know about our clients' holiday wishes and, in close consultation with our local partners, we have handcrafted itineraries that we believe illustrate the very best of any particular destination.
Our simple formula helps our clients tick off those "bucket list" items time after time.
It's a pretty simple formula but it is one that we believe will help our clients tick off those "bucket list" items time after time.
Our Expert Team Content
Customer Reviews Page
Introduction
This notice describes the Privacy Policy for The Artisan Travel Company Ltd, trading as Activities Abroad, The Aurora Zone and Artisan Travel, with regards to the personal information collected from or about you on our websites or by any other means.
We will only use, collect and otherwise process your personal data in accordance with applicable data protection legislation.
This Privacy Policy will explain what personal data is collected, why it is collected, how the collected data is used and your options and rights regarding your personal data. From 25 May 2018 onwards, you and your personal data will be protected by the EU General Data Protection Regulation (which is otherwise known as GDPR) and a new UK Data Protection Act 2018. In this Privacy Policy, we refer to this legislation as data protection laws.
When we refer to personal data, we mean any information which relates to an identified or identifiable individual. Where we refer to process or processing, we mean anything which we may do with your personal data including collecting, storing, using, disclosing to third parties and erasing it.
Who are we
The Artisan Travel Company Limited is a privately-owned UK tour operator specialising in holiday travel.
Any personal data provided to or gathered by us is controlled by The Artisan Travel Company Ltd, a company registered in England at: Maling Exchange, Hoults Yard, Walker Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE6 1AB. Registered no. 04482022, ABTA No. Y6261, ATOL No. 6865, AITO No. 5180. We are therefore the data controller in respect of your personal data.
Data Protection
The Artisan Travel Company complies with the data protection laws of the United Kingdom. We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect against unauthorised or unlawful processing of personal data and against accidental loss or destruction of, or damage to, personal data, which is appropriate to the harm that might result from the unauthorised or unlawful processing or accidental loss, destruction or damage and the nature of the data to be protected, having regard to the state of technological development and the cost of implementing any measures.
We work very hard to keep the information you give us safe. We follow stringent security procedures on how your personal data is stored and used, and who sees it, to help stop any unauthorised person getting hold of it.
If you want to know exactly what information Artisan Travel Company holds about you, you can obtain it by requesting a Subject Access Request Form from The Artisan Travel Company at its registered office. This can be returned by post or e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. No fee will be charged for responding to this request unless it is obviously unfounded or excessive or we have previously provided the same information. We promise to respond to your request without delay and in any event within one month unless the request is complex, or you have made numerous requests, in which case we may be able to extend our response time by a further two months.
Collection of Information and Data
In order to respond to an enquiry, provide a quote, administer and fulfil your booking or send you information or promotional material, we need to process personal data we obtain from you. This is likely to include the following:
A1 Contact Information including name, address, passport number, telephone number and email address
A2 Identity including gender, data of birth and nationality
A3 Passport Data
A4 Health Data including allergies, disabilities, medical conditions and restricted mobility
A5 Communication, including all records of communications. This includes, but is not limited to, email communication, online chats, reviews and posts on social media.
A6 Booking and Scheduling Data, including data regarding your booked holiday and excursions. This includes, but is not limited to flight reservations, transfer reservations, hotel bookings, itinerary, and activities.
A7 Digital and Marketing Data, we collect data when you visit our website, including traffic data, booking history, social media trends and user behaviour. If you subscribe to our newsletters, we collect data on which newsletters you open and whether you accessed any links. Please view our Cookies Policy to see how we collect and regulate data online.
We will update your information whenever we can to keep it current, accurate and complete.
Special categories of personal data
Personal data which concerns your health, or which reveals your racial or ethnic origin, religious beliefs or your sexual orientation are special categories of personal data. Other information also comes within special categories, but this is unlikely to be relevant to the booking and provision of travel arrangements.
Generally speaking, the processing of special categories of personal data requires the explicit consent of the person concerned.
Accordingly, information concerning any disability, medical condition, restricted mobility or other health-related issues (and related requirements) as well as dietary restrictions which disclose your religious beliefs, or any health issue are special categories of personal data. We will ask for your consent to our processing this information at the time you make your booking or your booking enquiry or whenever you otherwise provide or indicate that you intend to provide such information.
Why we use your data
We use your data for the following reasons:
Booking and booking enquiries:
We use personal data to arrange, process and confirm bookings for your Artisan Travel Company holiday and to answer pre-booking enquiries. In order for you to travel abroad, it may be mandatory to disclose and process information. This will include data acquired from: A1, A2, A3, A4, A5. Please note, in order for us to make arrangements for your tour, we will need to disclose certain personal data to the suppliers of the services which make up your tour.
Activities:
If you have planned to take part in activities or excursions whilst on an Artisan Travel Company holiday we will use personal data to make the reservations and any necessary requirements for you. This will include data from A1, A4, A5 and A6. Please note, we may need to disclose your personal data to service providers to ensure you have the best experience possible. This is a prerequisite for your participation.
Communication:
We will need to process your personal data to contact you with important information relating to your travel plans and excursions with us. This includes information relating to departures, check-in times, and itineraries. This will require data from A1 and A5.
Marketing:
We will only retain and use your personal data for marketing purposes where you have specifically consented to this or we are permitted to do so in accordance with data protection laws (including as set out below). You may opt-out of receiving marketing material from us at any time.
We may send you e-mail marketing where we comply with the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 (PECR). PECR permits us to e-mail you information about the travel services we offer where you have previously provided us with your e-mail address in the course of entering into a contract with us for holiday/travel arrangements or negotiations for such arrangements and we wish to e-mail you marketing material about our similar services or products. You will, of course, be given the opportunity to opt-out of receiving such e-mail marketing communications when you first provide us with your e-mail address and whenever we send you any e-mail marketing.
Where you have previously requested or agreed to receive information about our travel services from us by post, we may continue to send you such information in the same way until you ask us not to (which you can do by telephone, e-mail or post).
Everything we send you will tell you what you should do if you no longer wish to hear from us. We will send you this information as this is necessary for the purposes of our legitimate interests in communicating with you unless it is or becomes clear that our interests are overridden by your interests or fundamental rights and freedoms in which case we will cease communicating with you.
You may provide your consent to receiving marketing information from us by opting to receive marketing material either on-line or by telephone. You may also choose in what ways you are happy to receive communications from us. You may, for example, be happy to receive information and offers by post and e-mail but not by telephone.
Profiling:
We may use and compile data for profiling purposes. Profiling is a processing of personal data which evaluates, analyses and predicts your interests and behaviours. This applies to data from A1, A2, A6, A7.
How long will we store your data
We will not process your personal data in a form which enables you to be personally identified for any longer than is necessary in order to fulfil the purpose for which it was originally collected or for any other legitimate business purpose.
Where your personal data has been provided for the purpose of the holiday arrangements or other services you have contracted, we are entitled to retain this data for a period of 6 years after those arrangements have been completed. In certain limited circumstances, we may be able to retain it for a longer period.
If you have consented to receive marketing communications from us, we may continue to use your personal data for this purpose until you withdraw your consent or otherwise for as long as we reasonably consider your consent remains valid and effective.
To withdraw from selected marketing communications, please contact our team at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
How we keep your information secure
The Artisan Travel Company takes the security of your personal data seriously. We use industry-standard security software to safeguard your data and follow strict internal procedures to restrict access to personal data and protect it. .
Who else may see your data
In order to respond to your holiday request or booking or send you marketing material, we may need to disclose certain personal data to third parties. These third parties include;
• Delivery companies such as Royal Mail.
• Suppliers and operators such as hotels, airlines, activity providers and car hire companies.
Personal data may also be provided to government/public authorities such as customs or immigration if required by them, or as required by law. Certain information may also be passed on to security or credit checking companies.
We only provide third parties with the personal data they require in order to deliver their services. Other than in relation to government/public authorities (over whom we have no control), we will take appropriate steps which are intended 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. Your personal data may be processed within the UK and/or any other country(ies) of the European Economic Area (EEA). EEA countries are all member states of the European Union together with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.
We may also process personal data outside the EEA. Data protection laws may not be as strong outside the EEA as they are in the EEA. Personal data will not be transferred to a country outside the EEA unless (1) the country to which it is transferred is one which the European Commission considers to provide an adequate level of data protection or (2) the personal data is transferred to a company which is required by our contract with them only to deal with the data in accordance with our instructions and to maintain appropriate security to protect the personal data which we are satisfied they have or (3) we are obliged to provide the personal data to a government/public authority in order to provide your holiday.
Controlling your personal data
As previously stated, we will not sell or distribute your personal information or data to third parties, unless we have your permission or are required to do so by law.
You may contact us at any time if you wish to receive access to or rectify your data. You may choose to restrict the collection or use of your personal data in the following ways:
• You can unsubscribe using the links on our marketing emails or you may contact us to be removed from any or all marketing activity via email on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• You can update and request details of any personal information which we hold about you by contacting our team at any time on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• You may ask us to erase personal data or information that we have collected in certain circumstances, for example where you have withdrawn your consent to further marketing material where the data in question has only been processed for this purpose. We must, however, keep data as necessary to fulfil our agreement with you and to comply with the law or on request from authorities. However, this is not always the case. Please see the above paragraph “How long will we store your data?”
If you are concerned that we may be holding data that is either incorrect, incomplete or inappropriate, we ask that you contact us as we may be able to provide you with answers and to correct potential misunderstandings.
Images and Reviews
You have the option to send photographs to The Artisan Travel Company Ltd via email or your online account. We will not use images or reviews provided without consent, however, they may be used for product development purposes.
If consent is given, material will be used for promotional purposes. This may include images and reviews being displayed on our websites or social media channels.
Artisan Travel Company employees or employees of partner companies that provide services to Artisan Travel Company may see your photos even if they are not published on the website as a result of carrying out maintenance on the website or correcting problems with your account.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies. There are small files that have a unique number that is placed on your device. This helps us to improve the way our website works, for example; by making sure users are finding what they need easily. The cookies we use also allow us to distinguish you from other users of the website which helps us to provide you with the best experience when you browse and search for trips on our website.
Cookies are important to use because it helps us make sure the site is working at its very best to give you the best service.
For more information on how we use cookies, please click here.
Updating of our Privacy Policy
We reserve the right to change this Privacy Policy to meet the requirements of our business or changes in the Data Protection Laws. If changes are made to the policy, the updated policy will be listed here on our website along with a revision date. This policy is effective from 25th May 2018.
What should I do if I have a complaint
If you have any complaint about the way in which your personal data has been dealt with, please let us know by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. We will investigate and respond to you as soon as we reasonably can. If you remain dissatisfied, you may complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office. For further details, see www.ico.org.uk
Contact information
If you would like to get in touch with Artisan Travel Company Ltd you can contact us here or by post at Maling Exchange, Hoults Yard, Walker Road, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, NE6 1AB.
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