Privacy Policy

Section 01

Who this policy covers

This policy applies to information we collect through our website at canterburypilgrimages.com, through our online booking and traveler account system, by telephone or email, and in the course of arranging and operating pilgrimages.

Section 02

What we collect

Information you give us

When you inquire about or book a pilgrimage, we collect your name, postal address, email address, telephone numbers, date of birth, and payment information. For international travel we also collect passport details, including passport number, issuing country, and expiration date.

Travel-related information

Dietary requirements, mobility or accessibility needs, room-sharing preferences, emergency contact details, and travel insurance information.

Information collected automatically

When you visit our website we collect your IP address, browser type, device information, pages viewed, time spent on pages, and the site that referred you. We use cookies and similar technologies to do this. The specific services involved are listed under Cookies, analytics and advertising.

Information from third parties

Group leaders and parish organizers who register participants may provide us with your contact details and travel preferences. Payment processors provide us with transaction confirmations. Our advertising and analytics providers may provide us with aggregated information about how visitors reach our site.

Section 03

Sensitive information

Some of what we handle is more sensitive than ordinary contact details, and we want to be direct about it.

Health, mobility and dietary information

Where you tell us about a medical condition, mobility limitation, or dietary restriction so that we can accommodate it, we use that information only for that purpose and share it only with the suppliers who need it to make the accommodation — a hotel arranging an accessible room, or a restaurant preparing a meal.

Religious affiliation

Our pilgrimages are religious journeys, and many are organized through parishes, dioceses, and faith communities. The fact that you have booked a particular pilgrimage, or that you were registered through a named parish or church group, may reveal information about your religious beliefs. We use this information only to organize and operate the pilgrimage you have booked and to communicate with you about it. We do not use it for advertising, and we do not disclose it beyond the suppliers, group leaders, and clergy involved in your pilgrimage.

Identity documents

Passport copies and other identity documents contain a photograph and other sensitive details. Please send these through the secure method we provide rather than by ordinary email. We use them only to make and confirm travel arrangements and share them only with the suppliers and authorities who require them. Because many pilgrims travel with us more than once, we keep them while your passport remains valid and delete them when it expires — see How long we keep it.

Section 04

Your online account

Our website offers a traveler login. If you create or are given an account, we store your profile details, the pilgrimages you are booked on, your itinerary and travel documents, your payment and balance history, and your registration and accommodation preferences. Your account is protected by a password, which is stored in encrypted form and which our staff cannot read.

You can update most of your profile information from within your account, and you can ask us to close your account at any time by contacting us. Closing an account does not delete booking records we are required to keep — see How long we keep it.

Section 05

How we use your information

We use your information to:

• Arrange and operate your pilgrimage, including bookings with airlines, hotels, ground operators, and guides
• Process payments and issue refunds
• Maintain your traveler account and give you access to your itinerary and travel documents
• Communicate with you about your booking, including itineraries, travel documents, schedule changes, and safety information
• Provide customer support and respond to inquiries
• Offer and administer travel insurance where you request it
• Protect our website and forms against spam, fraud, and abuse
• Understand how our website is used so that we can improve it
• Comply with legal, tax, and regulatory obligations
• Send you information about future pilgrimages, where you have asked to receive it or where permitted by law

Section 06

Our legal bases

Where the UK GDPR or EU GDPR applies to our handling of your information, we rely on the following legal bases.

Section 07

Who we share it with

We share your information only as needed to deliver the services you have booked, and with parties who are required to protect it.

• Travel suppliers — airlines, hotels, ground transportation companies, local operators, and guides. International travel requires us to transmit passport and identity details to these suppliers and, where applicable, to government and border authorities.
• Payment processors — to process card and bank transactions. We do not store full card numbers on our systems.
• Allianz Travel Insurance — where you purchase travel insurance through us, we pass the details needed to issue and administer your policy.
• Group leaders and parish organizers — participant lists for the pilgrimage you are traveling on, limited to what is necessary to organize the group.
• Technology and service providers — the companies that host our website, run our booking and email systems, and provide the analytics, advertising, and security services listed below.
• Messaging platforms — if you choose to contact us on Telegram, your message and account details are handled by that platform under its own privacy policy.
• Professional advisors and authorities — where required by law, regulation, or legal process.

We do not sell your personal information for money, and we do not share it with third parties for their own independent marketing purposes.

Section 08

Cookies, analytics and advertising

Our website uses the following third-party services. Each receives some information about your visit, such as your IP address, device and browser details, and the pages you view.

You can also manage your choices at any time using the cookie preferences button on our site, or through your browser settings, though some parts of the site may not function correctly if you disable cookies.

Section 09

Text messages and mobile information

We do not share or sell mobile telephone numbers with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Mobile numbers collected for the purpose of sending text messages are used only for the communications described here.

Where you have consented to receive text messages from us, message frequency varies depending on your booking and the nature of the communication. Message and data rates may apply.

You may opt out of text messages at any time by replying STOP to any message. Reply HELP for assistance, or contact us at hello@canterburypilgrimages.com or (800) 653-0017.

Canterbury also operates internal notification systems that send operational alerts by text message to its own staff and officers. These messages go only to company-owned or staff-provided numbers, are not sent to customers or any external list, and are subject to the same non-sharing commitment stated above.

Section 10

Photographs and images

Photographs taken during pilgrimages

Our guides, group leaders, and staff take photographs and video during pilgrimages. We may use these images to promote Canterbury Pilgrimages, including on our website, in brochures and email, and on our social media accounts. Images of travelers are not sold or licensed to third parties.

If you prefer not to appear in photographs used for promotion, tell your group leader or contact us before or during the pilgrimage and we will do our best to accommodate you. If an image of you has already been published and you would like it removed, contact us and we will remove it from material we control. We cannot remove copies that others have already shared or reposted.

Where a minor appears in a photograph we use for promotion, we rely on the consent of that child’s parent or legal guardian, which we collect on the registration form. A group leader cannot give that consent on a parent’s behalf.

Photographs you send us

If you send us photographs of your pilgrimage, or submit them with a testimonial or review, we take that as permission to use them in the context you provided them for. Tell us if you would rather we did not.

Testimonials and reviews

When we publish a testimonial or review, we normally show your first name, last initial, and the pilgrimage you traveled on. Tell us if you would prefer we publish it without your name, or ask us at any time to take it down.

Section 11

International transfers

Our pilgrimages travel outside the United States, which means your information will be transferred to and processed by suppliers in the countries you are traveling to, including countries in Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. Data protection laws in those countries may differ from those in the United States. We share only what is necessary for your travel arrangements.

Where we transfer information out of the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, we rely on the transfer being necessary for the performance of your travel contract, or on standard contractual clauses with the provider concerned. You can ask us which applies to a particular supplier.

Section 12

How long we keep it

We keep booking and accounting records as long-term business records. Sensitive material is treated differently. Many of our pilgrims travel with us year after year, so we keep your passport details for as long as that passport is valid rather than asking you to submit them again each time — and we delete them once it expires, or once you have not traveled with us for four years. Medical details you give us for a particular pilgrimage are deleted after that trip. We do this whether or not you ask us to, and you can ask us to delete anything sooner — see Your choices and rights.

Section 13

Security

We maintain administrative, technical, and physical safeguards designed to protect personal information against loss, misuse, and unauthorized access. No method of transmission or storage is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Section 14

Your choices and rights

Wherever you live, you may:

• Ask what personal information we hold about you, and request a copy
• Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete
• Ask us to delete information, subject to our legal and contractual obligations
• Opt out of marketing emails using the unsubscribe link, or by contacting us
• Opt out of text messages by replying STOP
• Withdraw consent you have given us to handle sensitive information

To exercise any of these rights, contact us using the details at the end of this page. We will verify your identity before acting on a request, and we will respond within the time your local law allows. We will not discriminate against you for exercising your rights.

Section 15

US state privacy rights

If you live in California, Virginia, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, or another state with a comprehensive privacy law, you have the rights listed above and, in addition, the right to:

• Know the categories of personal information we have collected, the sources, the purposes, and the categories of third parties we disclose it to
• Opt out of the sharing of your personal information for cross-context behavioral advertising — see Cookies, analytics and advertising
• Limit our use of sensitive personal information to what is necessary to provide the services you have requested
• Appeal a decision we make about your request, where your state provides for an appeal

You may use an authorized agent to submit a request on your behalf. We will ask for written proof of their authority and may ask you to confirm the request directly.

Section 16

UK and European rights

If you are in the United Kingdom or the European Economic Area, you also have the right to object to processing based on our legitimate interests, the right to ask us to restrict processing, and the right to receive certain information in a portable format.

If you are unhappy with how we have handled your information, you may complain to your national data protection authority. In the United Kingdom this is the Information Commissioner’s Office (ico.org.uk). We would appreciate the chance to address your concern first.

Section 17

Children

Our services are directed to adults. Where a minor travels on a pilgrimage, we collect their information from a parent or legal guardian, or from a group leader acting with that parent or guardian’s authority. We do not knowingly collect information directly from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us information directly, contact us and we will delete it.

Section 18

Other websites

Our site links to websites operated by others, including our suppliers, insurance provider, and social media accounts. We are not responsible for their privacy practices, and we encourage you to read their policies.

Section 19

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy from time to time. The date at the top of this page shows when it was last revised. Material changes will be posted on this page, and where required we will notify you directly.

Section 20

Contact us

To ask a question about this policy, or to exercise any of the rights described above: