Resources

The Association of Bonded Travel Organisers Trust Limited (ABTOT) provides financial protection under The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 for MSG Tours Ltd, and in the event of their insolvency, protection is provided for:

· Non-flight packages

ABTOT cover provides for a refund in the event you have not yet travelled or repatriation if transportation was included in your package. Please note that bookings made outside the UK are only protected by ABTOT when purchased directly with MSG Tours Ltd.

In the unlikely event that you require assistance whilst abroad due to our financial failure, please call our 24/7 helpline on 01702 811397 and advise you are a customer of an ABTOT protected travel company.

You can access The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 here:

https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/contents/made

You can find out more about ABTOT here: https://www.abtot.com/

All the flights and flight-inclusive holidays on this website are financially protected by the ATOL scheme. When you pay you will be supplied with an ATOL Certificate from MSG Tours LTD, #11101. Please ask for it and check to ensure that everything you booked (flights, hotels and other services) is listed. Please see our booking conditions for further information, or for more information about financial protection and the ATOL Certificate click here.

MSG Tours is an STF (School Travel Forum) Assured Member. To be an assured member, we are audited by independent experts each year to ensure our compliance with safety management systems, financial protection requirements and fair-trading policies. Booking with MSG Tours comes with the highest level of confidence that due diligence throughout the whole process takes place to deliver the unexpected.

Learning Outside the Classroom certified, MSG Tours sets a benchmark that outlines and fulfills the six quality indicators needed to proudly represent this badge. Resulting in teachers, local authorities, and parents identifying MSG Tours offers LOtC activities which benefit the learning of young people alongside maintaining their safety.

You can book with MSG Tours with complete trust and confidence, knowing the safety of your tour is paramount. As members of the School Travel Forum, MSG Tours Ltd commits to delivering exceptional travel experiences for children through adherence to our Safety Management System (which can form part of your risk assessment).

We’ve also been awarded the Quality Badge by the Council for Learning Outside the Classroom (LOtC), deeming MSG a verified provider of school trip experiences.



Risk Assessments:

Every touring group must complete their own risk assessments, covering all aspects of the tour, from collection point to arrival point, in line with their educational needs. A template for this can be found at Teacher’s Toolkit. Schools can refer to the Department for Education for current guidance on educational travel.

We can assist you, but we cannot complete a risk assessment on your behalf. When completing a risk assessment, consider the specific needs of the individuals in your party. We don’t know these individuals and therefore cannot accurately assess the risks posed to them.

Any existing generic risk assessments can be used, but please ensure you assess the risk posed to the individuals in this group with appropriate control measures implemented.

Coaching

A majority of tours need coaching or transport in some way. Our Health and Safety models for this remain the same, which includes a comprehensive audit every 3 years of all transport providers. In addition to this we have also added the following measure:

All coaching providers will be required to complete our internal audit form (if completed already, it is valid for 3 years). Any concerns and protocols will be presented to the group leader for review as part of their risk assessment.

Accommodation

Regardless of whether you are staying in a 5* Hotel or a Youth Hostel, every hotel must meet our exacting standards. We endeavour to visit hotels ourselves and get a deep dive into their safety operations, and where this is not possible, extensive checks are conducted remotely.

All Accommodation providers will be required to complete our internal audit form (if completed already, it is valid for 3 years).

Activities and Excursions

All excursions and activities we use as part of our school groups are graded from the lowest ‘Look and See’ to the highest ‘Adventurous Activities’. These grades dictate the level of auditing and checks that an excursion receives. The highest Adventurous Activities are subject to a full external audit from a technical advisor, whilst museums and galleries provide a Health and Safety summary.

Sports

We are experts in placing competitive teams against each other and delivering a safe and enjoyable experience, from training to tournaments. Every facility we use undergoes an assessment of suitability as standard. In addition to this, following government guidelines and our own diligence, we also make the following suggestions when arranging a sports tour.



Sporting matches and training will be provided in line with local and national restrictions.

We will continue to carry out risk assessments on the facilities where the sport will take place and return our findings to the group leader for consideration within the group’s own assessment.

Outdoor sports, where formally organised by us, can be performed without gathering limits. Indoor Sports are exempt where the facility follows national guidelines for indoor sports, and are subject to changing guidelines.

We will assess every group on an individual basis, and support the operation of your tour and make suggestions to improve safety at all times. The above is a guideline, and will be changeable based upon local restrictions, travel advice and Department for Education guidelines.

As we are an Assured Member of the School Travel Forum (STF) you can be secure that we have passed a detailed audit of our operating systems, particularly focusing on safety management and education facilitation. 

STF have created their own Teachers Toolkit, ensuring that you can have all your questions answered and travel with confidence. 

You can find your Teachers Toolkit HERE 

Foreign Office advice: Click here for the latest travel advice from the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.  

Health advice for travellers 

• Travel vaccinations – click here 
• Assistance for British nationals overseas 
• Apply for an EHIC card 

Passports and travel documentation: 

Ensure that you have a full and valid passport prior to travelling to your selected destination(s). It is your responsibility to ensure that you hold the correct valid travel documents for the country(ies) you are visiting and obtain the necessary health vaccinations (please consult your doctor to obtain up to date information). Please note, we cannot be held liable for any delays or costs resulting from your failure to meet the necessary requirements to tour. 

We believe that safety and enjoyment are equally important when booking a tour with MSG Tours Ltd. It is therefore a condition of booking that you have obtained adequate and valid specialist school group travel insurance for the entire duration of your trip. 

MSG Tours Ltd partner with Howden’s Insurance to offer a group travel insurance policy that covers a variety of unforeseen risks.  



The group policy has been arranged for the benefit of persons travelling on a trip (the beneficiary/beneficiaries) with MSG Tours Ltd (the group policyholder).  

For insurance product information, please click HERE.

For statement of insurance, please click HERE for ski tours, and HERE for sport and study tours.

Bring your tour to digital life with your very own bespoke Travel App included as part of your package. Everything you need for your tour can now be in the palm of your hands. 



Our aim is to make your personalised tour package easily accessible at all times and thanks to We Travel, we are able to do exactly that.

Our preferred sports touring kit partner is L4 Teamwear. In the past they have provided backpacks and kits for our military groups. You can find out more about them HERE.

Our skiing adventures require their own kit list, the list is as follows: 

• Thermal top and bottoms (recommended x2 sets in case one gets wet) 
• Ski Socks (x4 pairs one for each day of skiing) 
• Ski Gloves (normal gloves may be worn when out and about on evening activities) 
• All pupils will be permitted to wear ski helmets. Hats can be worn underneath if it is very cold. If pupils have their own personal helmets that is absolutely fine. 
• Snow boots or appropriate alternatives. 
• Micro fleece/hoody/warm jumper to wear under ski jacket. 
• Ski Jacket (must be waterproof) 
• Salopettes or equivalent (must be waterproof) 
•  Ski goggles (sunglasses can be worn if conditions suit) 
• Scarf or snood 
• Sun Cream 
• Lip Balm (SPF)