Safety

Safety on Tour

Wherever you stay, however you travel and whatever you do on tour, you can be sure we’ve checked that it meets our high safety standards.

As you’d expect from the leading sports tour operator, we take the health and safety of everyone on our tours very seriously. That’s why we take a systematic approach that firstly, helps to get trips approved by senior management and local authorities. Then while you are away, it allows your group to focus on excelling on the sports field and enjoying exciting excursions in the knowledge that we have made safety checks wherever possible. We listen to customer feedback and use it to continually maintain and improve safety standards.

Safety Management System

Teamlink (part of Gullivers Sports Travel) operates within a framework of a documented Safety Management System (’SMS’). This document forms a crucial part of our pro-active approach to managing any risks to our customers’ safety during their tour. The key is in identifying and managing risks then setting out consistent standards and processes to be adopted by all members of staff, suppliers or third parties who provide any part of your tour.

Through this method, we ensure that every single aspect of our product has been consistently checked and audited. The training we provide covers our crisis communication and incident management plans, which means that in the unlikely event of an incident occurring during a tour, we are well positioned to handle and carefully manage the situation. Details of this document can be found here.

Foreign Office

The Foreign Office provides the latest travel advice by country including safety and security, entry requirements, travel warnings and health. We recommend you visit the Foreign Office website for up to date information regarding any countries which you plan to travel to.

Accommodation & Transport

All accommodation and transport suppliers we work with must hold valid licenses and insurance, and comply with the requirements of the appropriate governing bodies and regulatory licensing authorities. We also require them to complete our own safety checklists to meet high standards. For accommodation, these cover fire safety, food management, swimming pools and security. For transport suppliers, we assess driver hours, driver recruitment, vehicle maintenance and emergency procedures.

Excursions & Activities

From zip lining in the forest canopy to riding a jet boat around Sydney Harbour, we assess all the activities and excursions on our tours for your safety. We use our own internal guidelines and require suppliers to complete relevant safety checklist paperwork based on the activity’s level of risk.

Risk Assessments

Completing a risk assessment of your tour is vital in protecting the health and safety of your group, as well as getting the trip approved and signed off. The potential risks for every group are different, so we are unable to do your risk assessment for you, however we’re always on-hand to offer expert advice and help. You can follow our Step-by-step guide to risk assessment, which takes the hard work out of the task with a simple, methodical approach.

Help with paperwork

Local education authorities and senior management often require specific documentation from school groups before they will approve their trip. With years of experience, we know the type of information they need and give you expert advice on making this process as straightforward as possible.

Round the clock assistance

If you have any queries or emergencies while on tour, we guarantee that an experienced member of staff will be on hand to help you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Our dedicated team have the skills and worldwide knowledge to respond to incidents and assist you with anything you may need. Our emergency 24-hour contact number can be found within the Tour Manager's final documentation pack.

Financial Security

Teamlink Sports Tours (part of Gullivers Sports Travel) can offer the highest level of financial protection. All of our tours are IATA, ATOL and ABTA bonded, protecting your group against unforeseen events. We have public liability insurance up to £10,000,000 and are a member of the Federation of Tour Operators (FTO). All tour members are required to hold adequate and valid travel insurance, which we can provide.

Inspection visits

We’re happy to help you carry out an inspection trip before your tour, for example to carry out risk assessments. We provide services at cost price and help with your travel planning. If you join one of our group familiarisation tours, you can even have the price of the visit refunded against your upcoming group tour. Familiarisation Tours are escorted by top Gullivers managers and allow Tour Leaders to get to know the destination and try excursions in advance of the main group tour.