Privacy Policy
Last updated: August 2026
Who We Are
Sandalwood Escapes is an independent travel consultancy based in Peterborough, specialising in tailor-made travel. We are an affiliate member of the Hays Travel Independence Group and our website is powered by Holidaysplease, which is part of the Hays Travel group.
Legal entity name: Sandalwood Escapes
Registered office address: 4 Hansel Close, Peterborough PE2 9SR
Sandalwood Escapes acts as the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.
Data protection contact: hello@sandalwoodescapes.co.uk
Personal Information We Collect
We may collect personal information that is relevant to your enquiry, booking or our relationship with you. This may include:
- Identity and contact information, such as your name, address, telephone number, email address and date of birth
- Booking and travel information, such as destinations, travel dates, itineraries, passenger details, travel preferences and budget information
- Passport and other travel document information where required to arrange your travel
- Health, accessibility, dietary or assistance information where this is relevant to your travel arrangements
- Payment and transaction information, such as payment status, transaction references, billing and refund details. Full card details are not retained where payments are processed directly by an authorised payment provider
- Travel insurance information where relevant
- Marketing preferences and consent records
- Correspondence, complaint and customer service records
- Technical information collected when you use our website, including IP address, browser type, device and cookie information
How We Collect Your Information
We collect personal information when you contact us, complete an enquiry form, make a booking, request information, sign up to receive updates, use our website, or communicate with us by email, telephone, social media or other channels. We may also collect information automatically when you use our website, such as your IP address, browser type, device information and how you interact with the site, using cookies or similar technologies.
We may also receive information about other people included in your booking from travel suppliers, insurers or payment providers where this is necessary to provide the services you have requested.
How We Use Your Information
We may use your information to:
- Respond to enquiries and prepare quotations
- Arrange, manage and administer travel bookings and related services
- Communicate with you about your booking and related services
- Process payments, refunds and other related financial records
- Arrange assistance, accessibility, dietary or other travel requirements when requested
- Manage complaints, disputes and other customer service matters
- Comply with legal, regulatory and accounting obligations
- Protect against fraud, misuse or other unlawful activity
- Improve my services and business operations
- Send marketing communications where permitted by law
Lawful basis for processing
We process personal information only where we have a lawful basis to do so. The basis depends on the information concerned and the purpose for which it is used.
| Processing activity |
Main data items |
Purpose |
Lawful basis |
Retention |
| Enquiries and bookings |
Identity and contact details; passenger details; travel dates, destinations and preferences |
Respond to enquiries, prepare quotations and arrange travel |
Contract; Legitimate interests |
Duration of relationship plus 7 years |
| Travel documents |
Passport and other travel document information |
Provide details to suppliers and authorities to arrange travel |
Contract; Legal obligation |
Deleted on expiry of the passport |
| Health, accessibility and dietary |
Health, mobility, accessibility, assistance and dietary information |
Arrange requested assistance or travel services |
Legitimate interests; Health and care information |
Duration of active client relationship |
| Payments and financial records |
Payment status, transaction references, billing and refund information |
Take payment, process refunds and maintain financial records |
Contract; Legal obligation |
7 years |
| Customer service and complaints |
Correspondence, booking history, complaint and investigation records |
Manage customer relationships, complaints, disputes and legal claims |
Contract; Legitimate interests; Legal obligation |
7 years after closure |
| Marketing and website |
Marketing preferences, consent and opt-out records; IP address, device, browser and cookie data |
Send permitted marketing communications and operate and improve the website |
Consent; Legitimate interests |
Until consent is withdrawn, plus 7 years for consent evidence |
Legal Hold
Where records are relevant to actual or anticipated litigation, regulatory investigations, complaints, audits or other matters requiring preservation, normal retention periods are suspended until the matter is formally resolved.
Marketing Communications
We will only send marketing communications where you have requested them, consented to receive them, or where permitted by applicable law. You can opt out at any time by using the unsubscribe option in any communication or by contacting us at hello@sandalwoodescapes.co.uk
Who We Share Your Data With
We do not sell personal data.
Where necessary for the purposes described in this policy, we may share your information with third parties such as travel suppliers, airlines, accommodation providers, transfer companies, insurers, payment providers, professional advisers, regulators or law enforcement authorities where required. We only share information that is necessary for the relevant purpose, in line with the principle of data minimisation.
Booking Systems, CRM and Service Providers
Client booking records, including passport details and health or dietary information, are held securely within the Holiday Franchise Company's booking system (CMC). As a member of the Hays Travel Independence Group, we also share relevant client data with Hays Travel where this is necessary for purposes such as supplier payments and related services.
Where third-party providers process personal information on our behalf, we require them to handle that information in line with UK data protection law.
International Transfers
Some travel suppliers may be located outside the United Kingdom. Where international transfers occur, we take appropriate steps to ensure the transfer is lawful and that suitable safeguards, such as Standard Contractual Clauses, are in place in accordance with UK data protection legislation.
Security
We maintain appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure. We regularly review these measures and take reasonable steps to ensure that access to personal information is limited to those who need it.
Disposal of Data
Personal data that is no longer needed is securely disposed of. This may include permanently deleting or anonymising electronic records. Where data exists within backup systems, deletion may occur through scheduled backup lifecycle management rather than immediate removal, provided the data remains protected and is not restored except where necessary.
Your Rights
Under UK data protection law, you may have the following rights:
- The right to access personal information we hold about you
- The right to ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information
- The right to ask us to erase your personal information in certain circumstances
- The right to ask us to restrict how we process your personal information in certain circumstances
- The right to object to processing
- The right to data portability and to receive your data in a commonly used, machine-readable format
- The right to withdraw consent at any time where we rely on consent as our lawful basis
To exercise any of these rights, contact us at hello@sandalwoodescapes.co.uk or write to the address above. We will respond within one month.
Data Protection Complaints
If you have a concern about how we have handled your personal data, please contact us in the first instance at hello@sandalwoodescapes.co.uk. We will acknowledge your complaint within 30 days, investigate the matter and aim to provide a response without undue delay. Where we need additional information to investigate your complaint, we may contact you to request this. We would welcome the opportunity to address your concerns directly.
If you remain dissatisfied after contacting us, you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.
Cookies
Our website uses cookies and similar technologies. For full details of the cookies in use, how consent is managed, and how to change your preferences at any time, please see our Cookie Policy
Changes to This Policy
We review this policy periodically and will update it wherever there are significant changes to legislation, regulation, systems or business processes. The latest version will always be available on this page. This policy was last updated in August 2026.
