Privacy notice

  1. Introduction
  2. What we mean by personal data
  3. When we collect your personal data
  4. The type of personal information we collect and keep
  5. The legal bases we use for handling your personal information
  6. When we send marketing communications and how to unsubscribe
  7. How we store and keep your personal data safe
  8. How long we retain your personal data
  9. Who we share your personal data with
  10. Correcting inaccurate personal data
  11. Right to erase your personal data or to stop processing your personal information
  12. Obtaining a copy of your personal data
  13. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data

  1. Introduction

    This privacy notice explains in detail the types of personal data Simpson Travel may collect about you when you interact with us. It also explains how we collect it, what we use it for, how we store it, who we share it with, and how we keep it safe.

    We want you to be fully informed about your rights and hope the following sections answer any questions you may have but, if not, please do get in touch with us. Our contact details are at the bottom of this notice.

    We may need to update this privacy notice from time to time, but we will notify you of any significant changes.

  2. What we mean by personal data

    Personal data means information which identifies you or could be used to identify you, such as your name and contact details, your travel arrangements or your booking history. It may also include information about how you use our website.

  3. When we collect your personal data

    • When you make a booking on our website
    • When you update your details on the My Account section of our website
    • When you request a brochure on our website
    • When you search for a holiday on our website
    • When you obtain a holiday quote from us over the telephone
    • When you book a holiday with us over the telephone
    • When you engage with us on social media
    • When you enter a competition
    • When you download or install our app
    • When you are on holiday with us and discuss your preferences with our staff locally
    • When you are on holiday at a property that has CCTV
    • When you contact us, for example with a query or a complaint
    • When you choose to complete customer service questionnaires we send you
       

  4. The type of personal information we collect and keep

    When you call us…
    We record all incoming and outgoing calls to our sales, pre-departure, and customer service teams. When we make or receive a call to/from you, we collect a recording of the conversation and your phone number. Call recordings are used to assist in quality monitoring of our staff, for training purposes with our staff and to investigate and resolve a complaint. We do not share this call recording with any third parties. You may request that your call is not recorded, in this instance we will usually ask that you send us an email instead. Call recordings are kept for 12 months.

    When you ask us for a holiday quote…
    We will take and retain your title, gender, name, email address, home address, contact numbers and the ages of any children or babies. This allows us to send you all the relevant information you need and keep in contact with you about your holiday plans.

    When you go on to make a booking with us…
    We take the title, gender, name and date of birth of all travellers from the lead passenger. We also take and retain passport details and insurance policy details for everyone travelling. We take and retain driving licence information for those hiring a vehicle, and next-of-kin details for the lead passenger only. We may also take and retain information relating to your personal preferences to provide you with a tailored holiday experience, for example dietary requirements.

    We assume the lead passenger has the authority of other travellers in the party to act on their behalf.

    Why do we keep the information that you share with us when you ask for a quote or book a holiday?
    Any information we keep in these circumstances allows us to fulfil our contract to you. After your holiday, we retain this data so we have a better understanding of your holiday needs the next time you contact us. By saving your passport, driving licence and other information on our reservation system, we are also able to provide you with a quicker, more efficient service in the future. We will ask your permission to retain your data at the time of collecting it.

    When you make a payment…
    We process your credit/debit card via a secure payment system and these details are never retained by us.

    When you book airport parking with us…
    We take your car registration number which we pass on to the provider of this service.

    When you use our website…
    To deliver the best possible website experience, we collect technical information about your internet connection and browser, as well as the country and telephone code where your computer is located, the web pages viewed during your visit, the advertisements you clicked on, and any search terms you entered.

    Our website uses Google AdWords & Facebook remarketing service to advertise on third party websites to previous visitors to our site. It could mean that we advertise to previous visitors who haven’t completed a task on our site, for example using the contact form to make an enquiry. This could be in the form of an advertisement on the Google search results page, a site in the Google Display Network, or somewhere on Facebook. Third-party vendors, including Google and Facebook, use cookies to serve ads based on someone’s past visits to the Simpson Travel website. Of course, any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy, as well as Google and Facebook privacy policies.

    You can opt-out of remarketing by visiting the links below:

    For Google 

    For Facebook

    For more information on the data we collect and how we use it, please view our cookie policy.

    When you interact with us on social media…
    We use your social media username to allow us to respond to your comments, questions or feedback.

    When you respond to our customer service questionnaires…
    We use your comments to improve our services.

    During your holiday…
    We may take and retain information relating to your personal preferences to provide you with a more tailored holiday experience.

    If you are staying at one our properties with CCTV…
    Your image may be captured in the footage recorded.

    If you have an accident or make a complaint…
    We take and retain information relating to the incident.

    If you choose to provide comments on your holiday for our website reviews…
    We will display your surname as well as the month and year of travel alongside the property or destination you stayed in.

    Sensitive personal data
    Certain categories of personal information, such as race, ethnicity, religion, health, or sexuality are special categories of data requiring additional protection under the law and are referred to as “sensitive personal data”. If you choose to share this type of information with us, we will only use it to improve your holiday experience and we will retain it securely after your holiday so that we can continue to provide you with the right services if you choose to travel with us again. For example, you may request wheelchair assistance. We will pass this information on to the airline you are travelling with and also notify our overseas representatives.

    You may request a special meal or inform us of a dietary requirement that is not classified as sensitive personal data, but may indicate your religious beliefs or a health condition. We will treat these requests in the same way as we would sensitive personal data.

  5. The law on data protection sets out a number of different legal bases under which a company can collect and use someone’s personal data. Simpson Travel uses three legal bases: contract, consent and legitimate interests.

    Contract
    We need your personal information so that we can provide you with the correct quote for your proposed holiday and fulfil our contractual obligations to you to provide you with your chosen holiday.

    Consent
    We will ask for your consent before emailing you Simpson Travel holiday offers, news and promotions that we think you might be interested in. We never sell our mailing list and you will only hear from Simpson Travel.

    In order to further personalise the information we send you and ensure that it’s relevant, we may look at your enquiry and/or booking history, or people with a similar demographic profile.

    Legitimate Interests
    If you have interacted with us previously, we will mail and email Simpson Travel holiday offers, news and promotions that we think you might be interested in. We never sell our mailing list and you will only hear from Simpson Travel.

    In order to further personalise the information we send you and ensure that it’s relevant, we may look at your enquiry and/or booking history, or people with a similar demographic profile.

  6. When we send marketing communications and how to unsubscribe

    At the time of collecting your personal information…
    We will ask for your consent to email you Simpson Travel holiday offers and news. If you say no, we will make a note of this on your profile and, unless you notify us to the contrary at a later date, only send you information relating directly to your holiday quote or booking.

    If you say yes, you can change your mind at any stage by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our promotional emails. If you prefer, you can email your request to enquiries@simpsontravel.com, call us on 020 8392 5858 or write to the Privacy Officer at Simpson Travel, Oriel House, 26 The Quadrant, Richmond, London, TW9 1DL.

    You can also object to receiving direct marketing at any time, for example brochures that we may post to you.

    Simpson Travel does not sell its mailing list and you will only ever hear from us.

  7. How we store and keep your personal data safe

    We are committed to keeping your personal data safe and secure. Your information is stored in our computerised reservation system, which is hosted by ATCORE Technology Group Ltd. Traverse Associates Ltd assist us in database management and Force24 with marketing communications.

    We secure access to the transactional areas of our website using ‘https’ technology. We work with data processors who do the same.

    Card payments are made through a secured site hosted by Realex Payments.

    We have engaged a dedicated IT service provider who makes it possible for us to monitor our systems continually for possible vulnerabilities.

  8. How long we retain your personal data

    If you have booked with us, we will retain all your personal data indefinitely. This allows us to operate our Loyalty Club effectively, which is based on lifetime spend. Further information regarding Loyalty Club membership can found on our website here.

    If you have enquired with us, we will retain your personal data for six years.

    At the end of the retention period, your data will either be deleted completely or anonymised, for example by aggregation with other data so that it can be used in a non-identifiable way for business planning.

  9. Who we share your personal data with

    Far & Wide Ltd trading as Simpson Travel acts as the data controller. We share your personal data with companies known as data processors who handle your data on our behalf. These are ATCORE Technology Group Ltd, Force24, GB Group plc, Realex Payments, Hubspot and Qualtrics.

    Qualtrics hosts data in the USA and complies with the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield framework.

    We also share your data with third parties who help us fulfil your holiday requirements, namely credit and charge card companies, airlines, flight aggregators, car hire and transfer companies, boat operators and property owners or their appointed representatives.

    If you are travelling to Turkey, we need to send your personal data to our own staff and third parties outside of the UK and European Economic Area so that we can provide you with your holiday.

    In some countries, the law requires passport details to be lodged with the local police. In some instances, we will share them directly with the police, in others we may be required to transmit them to the property owner or their appointed representative to pass on to the police.

    If you have raised a complaint, we may share your data with ABTA or legal bodies.

  10. Correcting inaccurate personal data

    We endeavour to keep your personal information up to date. If you find that the information we hold on you is incorrect, or if there has been a change, please let us know so that we can update our records and those of any other parties who have received the inaccurate information.

  11. Right to erase your personal data or to stop processing your personal information

    If, at any time, you wish to erase your personal data from our records, known as ‘the right to be forgotten’, please send your request to us at enquiries@simpsontravel.com, call us on 020 8392 5858 or write to the Privacy Officer at Simpson Travel, Oriel House, 26 The Quadrant, Richmond, London, TW9 1DL.

    Similarly, if you wish us to stop processing your personal information, please let us know. For example if you want to limit the way we use your data, we will do this as long as we are able to fulfil our contractual obligations to you.

  12. Obtaining a copy of your personal data

    You have the right to obtain a copy of your own personal data free of charge. To do so, please write to the Privacy Officer at Simpson Travel, Oriel House, 26 The Quadrant, Richmond, London, TW9 1DL. We will provide you with this as soon as we can, but at the latest within one month of receipt of your request.

  13. If you are unhappy with how we have handled your personal data

    We are working hard to put the systems and processes in place that are required to look after your personal data and these are under continual review. If you are unhappy in any way at all, please contact us so that we can put matters right.

    Email: enquiries@simpsontravel.com

    Tel: 020 8392 5858

    Privacy Officer
    Simpson Travel
    Oriel House,
    26 The Quadrant,
    Richmond, London, TW9 1DL.

    If you remain dissatisfied, you have the right to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO).

Last updated June 2023