(March 2023 - Secondary School)

I would recommend using a different agency (March 2023 - Secondary School)

(March 2023 - Secondary School)

avoid at all costs (March 2023 - Secondary School)

(March 2023 - Secondary School)

Terrible company! Lots of issues and felt extremely isolated abroad. (March 2023 - Secondary School)

The trip itinerary, timings and coach company sources was great. Halsbury were great at tweaking our itinerary to suit us and responding to our requests. Their staff were helpful and cared about the quality of our visit. We had a few issues with communication this time. I think this was partly due to emails not coming through and also that Halsbury were very busy. Also, it would have been helpful if the final pack with vouchers came a week before, so that I had plenty of time to get them printed off. I would use Halsbury in future. (March 2023 - Secondary School)

(March 2023 - Secondary School)

(March 2023)

(March 2023 - Secondary School)

A fantastic and well organised trip that was full to the brim with experiences for our students. (March 2023 - Secondary School)

(March 2023 - Secondary School)

I think it would be fine for any group - clean, well equipped rooms; friendly staff who were amenable to changes. (March 2023 - Secondary School)

I think it would be fine for any group - clean, well equipped rooms; friendly staff who were amenable to changes. (March 2023 - Secondary School)

(March 2023 - Secondary School)

fairly poor and last minute organisation (March 2023 - Secondary School)

Great for practising the language. Also, a visits to the two main art galleries, Reina Sofia and Prado (February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Primary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

Ski Trip (February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

There was an issue with coaches which was a result of a late cancellation by Halsbury's supplier. (February 2023 - Secondary School)

The French in Normandy School was excellent, each session was well planned, great activities and confidence building. The Hotel was good in the main, certainly the updated rooms were lovely but the trip leader's room smelled of sewage and the other rooms that hadn't been updated were basic. It would have been good to have had access to the dining room in the evening for group meeting activities as there was no-where to meet. One of our activities was cancelled due to the demonstration and it was a shame the students never got to do a guided tour but the travel company did allow us to change plans. (February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

(February 2023 - Secondary School)

Very relaxed strong group of students that made the trip a success (February 2023 - Secondary School)

(January 2023 - Secondary School)

(January 2023 - Secondary School)

Halsbury communication was fine at the planning stage but got very slow as the trip got closer. Their comms whilst away were mediocre and the week wasn't run especially well, given they do it every year. Many other schools complained abut this as being a perennial problem. (January 2023 - Secondary School)

Really successful trip. All went well despite delays on outward & inward flights. Accommodation was very good. Halsbury service was very poor - feedback sent to Halsbury Travel. (January 2023 - Secondary School)

(January 2023 - Secondary School)

Generally Halsbury are an excellent provider. However, we are not happy with the double decker coach not having the correct satnav to plan routes properly, avoiding low bridges. We are in discussion with Halsbury about this (January 2023)

(January 2023)

(January 2023 - Secondary School)

Not happy with the admin and communication from Halsbury. (December 2022 - Secondary School)

We booked accommodation and flights and travel passes in Berlin through Halsbury - didn't sort the passes out which was a problem, and while flights and accommodation were booked, not faultlessly. Slightly disappointing (December 2022)

Halsbury provided what was agreed. Email communication was a bit slow - not enough staff on perhaps? (December 2022 - Secondary School)

(December 2022 - Secondary School)

(December 2022 - Secondary School)

(December 2022 - Secondary School)

(December 2022 - Secondary School)

(December 2022 - Secondary School)

(November 2022 - Secondary School)

(November 2022 - Secondary School)

Berlin is a great city and was fantastic for our GCSE German and History students to experience it all first-hand. (November 2022 - Secondary School)

(November 2022 - Secondary School)

(November 2022 - Secondary School)

(November 2022 - Secondary School)

Generally a very helpful and well-organised company with a good level of service and communication. One or two requests/messages were not responded two promptly, but overall I would certainly recommend this tour operator. (November 2022 - Secondary School)

Classics!! But you could do History and Agro tourism too (November 2022 - Secondary School)

(November 2022 - Secondary School)

I will probably contact the Language School directly next time as Halsbury didn't really offer any benefits and were no help when we were abroad. (October 2022 - Secondary School)

(October 2022)

Well organised on their end. They have a good working relationship with the school and I would use them again. (October 2022 - Secondary School)

Sarah was wonderful in supporting the transport/accommodation/meals for the trip, prior and during our stay. Her patience, availability and flexibility were greatly appreciated. (October 2022 - Secondary School)

(October 2022 - Secondary School)

(October 2022 - Secondary School)

Business (October 2022 - Secondary School)

Not everything ran smoothly, but Halsbury were available for contact and helped resolved. Some lovely venues to perform, friendly accommodation. (October 2022 - Secondary School)

Some aspects of the trip organisation by Halsbury were very good, and others were very disappointing. (October 2022 - Secondary School)

(October 2022 - Secondary School)

(September 2022 - Secondary School)

(September 2022 - Secondary School)

(September 2022 - Secondary School)

(August 2022)

(August 2022 - Secondary School)

(August 2022 - Secondary School)

Excellent service from Halsbury - lots of information and good itinerary. (July 2022 - Secondary School)

The venue was unsuitable for our young age group. Staff were not accommodated next to the majority of pupils. Rooms not secure overnight which was not explained on booking. One member of staff was in another B&B over the road. (July 2022 - Secondary School)

(July 2022)

(July 2022 - Secondary School)

(July 2022 - Secondary School)

(June 2022 - Secondary School)

(June 2022 - Secondary School)

(May 2022 - Secondary School)

(May 2022 - Secondary School)

(April 2022 - Secondary School)

(April 2022 - Secondary School)

They had coped with last minute changes to student numbers; kept us informed of changes in Covid requirements and changes to rooming although the later did present some last minute changes upon arrival at the hotel (April 2022 - Secondary School)

(April 2022 - Secondary School)

Generally helpful staff, good rep, but the hotel we were in (The Hotel Olympic Centre, San Sicario) was very poor. (March 2022)

Fantastic company who respond to and organise our every request (February 2022 - Secondary School)

Absolutely amazing, could not ask for better (July 2021 - Secondary School)
Provider Response: Thank you so much for your five-star review. We are delighted you were so happy with your trip. Kind regards, the Halsbury Team

Extremely helpful with all aspects of planning and organising the trip. (April 2020 - Secondary School)

Fantastic support and easy to contact. Fair with pricing and will do all they can to match other quotes. (April 2020 - Secondary School)

Very good communication. They really tried hard to get everything right for us. If I rang their office, someone was always there to help. Our agent Leonor was fantastic. (March 2020 - Secondary School)

Excellent organisation and assistance from Halsbury Travel. (March 2020 - Secondary School)

There were unnecessary maps and documents (Re Ypres) included - even in the title of the final itinerary ! - for a place we had never planned to visit. (March 2020 - Secondary School)

This is the second time I have used Halsbury and I was, once again, really pleased with the promptness with which emails were replied to, queries were dealt with and the almost instant feedback requested from Bev, which to me shows a very high level of customer service. This was my first trip to France at my current school, as well as the first ever residential trip where I have been the group leader, so there were a few things that I will know better next time, and which I also wanted to feed back to you and pass on to the hotels Food / dietary requirements. Breakfasts and packed lunches were all good, especially at the Ibis and from Flunch. I understand that there are cultural differences between the UK and France. As my mother is vegetarian, I should perhaps also have been better prepared for the French perception that vegetarians eat fish. I actually had to say to the hotel staff: “Le poisson est mort!” This was only a problem at the Campanile in Amiens where the Ibis Budget sent us for dinner and where an alternative wasn’t offered when the girls explained that vegetarians don’t eat fish. In future, when catering for British parties, the hotel really need to bear in mind that in the UK, vegetarians eat neither meat or fish. Les Pelouses offered an omelette to the vegetarians as a main course, which was fine. They (and some of the staff) were less impressed that the starter for them was simply a chopped tomato with dressing. To be honest, I have seen this offered as a “salad” in Spain, too, but once again I think there was some cultural misunderstanding here, and I think maybe some rocket or eggs might have made it look a bit more appetising to a picky 12 year-old! The MAJOR problem with the food at Les Pelouses was that at least three people found human hairs in their main course. I wasn’t really sure how to deal with this. The first two I didn’t actually see myself and thought it may have been a mistake. By the time a third hair was fished out, I had to go and tell the staff and, as the children had their phones at this point, and were very tired, this created hysteria amongst them which it took us a while to calm down. Accommodation The ibis in Amiens was very good indeed. Everyone was happy with it and we had plenty of time to settle in before dinner. Check-in was smooth as I had emailed them our rooming requirements in advance. They did send us to the nearby Campanile for dinner which it would have helped to know in advance. Although the staff worked extraordinarily hard there, I would not recommended Les Pelouses to anyone. In addition to the major issue with our meal, the hotel rooms were inconsistently-sized and some of the children really didn’t have enough space. I actually checked Halsbury’s information about the hotel and it says in your info that the capacity is 69, with no more than four per room, which would explain why quite a few children had to use camp beds in the smaller rooms where there were five or six of them in there. Obviously there were meant to be 83 of us staying in total. Although we were late arriving, I would say that aiming to have dinner at 6.30pm after checking in at 6.15pm was unrealistic even if we had made it on time. I had emailed the hotel in advance with our rooming requirements / names, but it would seem they did not receive it. Visits / Transport The driver was great. He arrived on time and allowed the children to eat on board. He also stopped off at some services for us at about 7.30am. The Canadians at Vimy / Newfoundland were really helpful and gave us all a tour. We could have done with more scheduled time for this with our large group, though, as the tours were half an hour and we had to split the children into three groups. Thiepval / Lochnager / Somme 1916 - fine Le Fournil / Becasuc / Pain show - utterly brilliant! The driver wasn’t able to park at the Ramparts coach park in Boulogne as neither he nor I could find it so we parked way down by the aquarium. This was a long walk back up to the old town for the boy on crutches. I would rather take the ferry across the channel in future as, although it takes longer, the bus had no windows and we were unable to switch on the air conditioning whilst on Le Shuttle. It was like a sauna! At least on the ferry you can move around (and see the White Cliffs of Dover!) (March 2020 - Secondary School)

(March 2020 - Secondary School)

Fantastic company, every request is met and the itinerary is flexible to meet our needs (March 2020 - Secondary School)

(February 2020 - Secondary School)

Excellent support throughout planning, fantastic communication and very clear requests sent through. The trip pack was great, containing all the information I needed. Support provided whilst on the trip was excellent. (February 2020 - Secondary School)

Halsbury were excellent from start to finish. There were very few problems and those that arose were dealt with swiftly. (February 2020 - Secondary School)

Wonderfully organised and planned with great support on the app and loads of resources and maps to help (February 2020 - Secondary School)

(February 2020 - Secondary School)

(February 2020 - Secondary School)

(January 2020 - Secondary School)

(January 2020 - Secondary School)

superb company - always provides a good service (January 2020 - Secondary School)

(January 2020 - Secondary School)

(January 2020 - Secondary School)

Very well organised and really good visits, especially the bakery (January 2020 - Secondary School)

Excellent organisation and help (December 2019 - Secondary School)

Halsbury Travel were very organised and helpful. I suggested that they liaise a little more closely with the hotel with regards to the food. (December 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2019 - Secondary School)

Well organised visit by both Halsbury and ISLA language school (December 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2019 - Secondary School)

Successful visit (December 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2019 - Secondary School)

Certain aspects very good. They dealt with issues whilst out there quickly and effectively. (November 2019 - Secondary School)

Very efficient admin. Answered emails quickly. (November 2019 - Secondary School)

(November 2019 - Secondary School)

(November 2019 - Secondary School)

Apart from a member of staff leaving 2 weeks before we were due to go on the trip, the staff at Halsbury were extremely helpful and willing to complete anything that I asked of them. We are using them for our next language trip in December. (November 2019 - Secondary School)

Provider was generally efficient and helpful. There was a mistake in the programme on arrival but it was unclear whether this was the fault of the provider or the language school. Basically all good. (October 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent trip - Halsbury was very helpful throughout (October 2019 - Secondary School)

(October 2019 - Secondary School)

Had to pay extra for Cathedral visit, didn't get a guide as there was a mix up so ended up been self-led. (October 2019 - Secondary School)

Efficient and helpful in planning and delivery. We didn't have an incidents which needed support while we were away. (October 2019 - Secondary School)

(October 2019 - Secondary School)

Family run firm, very supportive and easy to contact with queries and questions which were dealt with quickly. They did not advise us that passenger lists for the ferry crossing needed to be separated by coach - this caused some confusion at the port of Dover, but we dealt with it. (September 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent organisation and travel timings. (September 2019 - Secondary School)

(September 2019 - Secondary School)

This language trip was well organised. Halsbury were quick to respond to emails and they were helpful with any requests that were made. (September 2019 - Secondary School)

(September 2019 - Secondary School)

(July 2019 - Secondary School)

(July 2019 - Secondary School)

Accomodation okay and so were the drivers. Good communication times but often unclear. Terrible food. (July 2019 - Secondary School)

Very good accommodation with host families vetted by ISLA language school. Excellent language classes and excursions. MM organised 2 separate excursions whilst in Salamanca- going up the tower of the cathedral and visiting an Art Deco museum (Picasso, Miró and Dalí exhibition) with a guided tour in English. Coach transfer on return was delayed and we were 1.5 hours late arriving at school and MM has notified tour agent. (July 2019 - Secondary School)

(July 2019 - Secondary School)

Halsbury were excellent. I would use again and would recommend. (July 2019 - Secondary School)

(July 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent provider. Helpful when assistance required. All aspect of the itinerary were well planned and organised. (July 2019 - Secondary School)

An excellent trip with brilliant input from the bakers and from the snail farm. Very well organised and Halsbury Travel were excellent at replying to our queries as this was the first time we had used them. (June 2019 - Primary School)

Overall the company was very helpful and the planned itinerary was spot on for our students to enjoy and gain a fantastic cultural experience. There was a mess up with the hotel with rooms, but I have spoken personally to the travel company about this. (June 2019 - Secondary School)

(June 2019 - Secondary School)

Very good communication throughout, whether through e-mail or phone, and this included during the trip itself, where we had to phone them to ask for a booking to be pushed back an hour. (June 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent service (June 2019 - Secondary School)

(June 2019 - Primary School)

(June 2019 - Secondary School)

Halsbury were great to work with - they came and did a parent presentation that was really useful, they found us excellent flights and perfect accommodation, they were quick to answer our questions and queries and they were very supportive throughout. (May 2019 - Primary School)

Awesome Trip (May 2019 - Primary School)

(May 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent support from the provider from start to finish. The rep we had out in Spain was excellent too and assisted us at all times. We will definately be using them again for further trips. (May 2019 - Secondary School)

(May 2019)

Halsbury were very organised and patient, we got caught up in a protest and had troubles reaching the EuroTunnel. Everyone I spoke to was helpful and gave good advice on what to do. The driver we had was excellent also! (May 2019 - Secondary School)

(April 2019 - Secondary School)

The communication with Halsbury was good but there were issues with regards to the visit planning but these were quickly resolved by the company. We were happy with the accommodation and the transfers and everything went smoothly on the trip. (April 2019 - Secondary School)

Brilliant provision - would thoroughly recommend (April 2019 - Secondary School)

Using Halsbury makes my task much easier when we are in Berlin as they provide an excellent pack and make it very easy to visit the places we need to. The weather helped as it was perfect weather to spend time outside exploring Berlin and we were able to walk to more venues than usual, rather than use public transport. (April 2019 - Secondary School)

Halsbury are a wonderful company to use, this is the third time we have booked with them to tour Iceland and they created yet another amazing trip. There are still a few little bits to iron out but in general the trip was exactly what the students wanted. (April 2019 - Secondary School)

The company was very late with the handbook, they sent our tickets to the wrong school, however the driver was very good and we had a lovely coach (April 2019 - Secondary School)

(March 2019 - Secondary School)

Fantastic company that deal with everything from start to finish (March 2019 - Secondary School)

Generally good although some issues in build up, issues with beds and inexperienced rep meant perhaps not to the same standard as in previous years. (March 2019 - Secondary School)

First class communication and organisation throughout. (March 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent- efficient and helpful. (March 2019 - Secondary School)

(March 2019 - Secondary School)

(February 2019 - Secondary School)

(February 2019 - Secondary School)

Halsbury were very helpful during the lead up and also when we had issues during the trip (February 2019 - Secondary School)

(February 2019 - Secondary School)

Some small problems but these were dealt with efficiently and with good humour bu=y the company. The workshops were a really excellent standard and the trip was, overall, very well run. I would recommend Halsbury - a good price too. (February 2019 - Secondary School)

A very successful trip with any minor issues solved quickly and efficiently. (February 2019 - Secondary School)

(February 2019 - Secondary School)

(February 2019 - Secondary School)

(February 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent service and did everything we needed for making an excellent tour. (January 2019 - Secondary School)

The lead up to the tour and the support we received was excellent. The local arrangements in China were excellent for the students, the guides were very good. (January 2019 - Secondary School)

(January 2019 - Secondary School)

Excellent organisation, helpful, paperwork sent in advance (January 2019 - Secondary School)

the travel company were efficient and helpful. They provided excellent transport and accommodation that met expectations. (January 2019 - Secondary School)

(January 2019 - Secondary School)

The organization by Halsbury was excellent. Just a couple of minor issues on the itinerary, but on the whole, everything was as described and the trip ran smoothly. (January 2019 - Secondary School)

(December 2018 - Secondary School)

(December 2018 - Secondary School)

(December 2018 - Secondary School)

Helpful, accessible. No issues (December 2018 - Secondary School)

Restaurant for dinner wasn't good enough, the coach company not cooperative (December 2018 - Secondary School)

(December 2018 - Secondary School)

(December 2018 - Secondary School)

(December 2018 - Secondary School)

Excellent travel provider who sorted out flights after they had been cancelled. (November 2018 - Secondary School)

Halsbury always provide excellent support in the build up to our overseas visits and are on hand to offer advice and assistance for emergency situations during the trip. (November 2018 - Secondary School)

Very organised and a wonderful experience for the pupils (November 2018 - Secondary School)

Very organised and a wonderful experience for the pupils (November 2018 - Secondary School)

Very organised and a wonderful experience for the pupils (November 2018 - Secondary School)

(November 2018 - Secondary School)

Very detailed travel pack sent and supporting APP with all documents needed for the trip (October 2018 - Secondary School)

(October 2018 - Secondary School)

(October 2018 - Secondary School)

Generally very good - kept in good contact and were felxible and supportive. There were some issues with the itinerary as they had not run this specific trip before. (September 2018 - Secondary School)

(September 2018 - Secondary School)

We have been running this visit in conjunction with Halsbury for 7 years now and have built up an excellent working relationship. Staff are friendly and helpful and on the rare occasions something goes wrong they are always quick to act from the office through to the MD if necessary. (September 2018 - Secondary School)

(August 2018 - Secondary School)

Excellent service- efficient and always willing to help. (July 2018 - Secondary School)

Very organised and helpful. (July 2018 - Secondary School)

(July 2018 - Secondary School)

(July 2018 - Secondary School)

Some aspects of accommodation were not as agreed. (July 2018 - Secondary School)

While on the visit there was a near miss incident which has been reported to the travel company. Students had been sent to bed and staff were in the corridors until they quietened down. A group of year 7 girls opened their bedroom door and said that there were boys on the roof, that they could hear them and that they could see the flashes from their mobile phones where they were taking photos. They gave several names, staff went to check the rooms of the boys whose names we had been given. One boy was not in the room, I looked out of the window and he was laying on the roof next to the velux window. We asked students who else had been climbing out of the window onto the roof and they gave us 5 more names of students involved. Students had been told on the first evening not to climb out of the windows as they opened quite wide, nor to go on the roof as the bedrooms were on the third floor. (July 2018 - Secondary School)

(June 2018 - Secondary School)

Very well organised (June 2018 - Secondary School)

(June 2018 - Secondary School)

(June 2018 - Secondary School)

(May 2018 - Secondary School)

(May 2018 - Secondary School)

(May 2018 - Secondary School)

(May 2018 - Secondary School)

(April 2018 - Secondary School)

Always helpful and professional. (April 2018)

(March 2018 - Secondary School)

No problems with the information from Halbury. Very clear itineraries which were updated regularly as our venues changed. James Horsfield came into Northgate to speak to me directly too which was a nice touch. We had very good information packs and luggage tickets, although I would have preferred it if they came two weeks before, rather than one week before the visit, as it meant that I couldn't give out specific information to the students before our meeting. I downloaded their VAMOOS app but couldn't ever get the offline maps to download, despite trying 5 times on UK wifi. Overall, very good. (March 2018 - Secondary School)

(March 2018 - Secondary School)

(March 2018 - Secondary School)

Everything was efficiently organised. James Wylie was patient and always on hand to help with any question or issue that I had. (February 2018 - Secondary School)

(February 2018 - Secondary School)

(February 2018 - Secondary School)

Fantastic and trusted service (February 2018 - Secondary School)

(February 2018 - Secondary School)

(February 2018 - Secondary School)

(February 2018 - Secondary School)

Very helpful staff at Halsbury Coach driver employed had very limited knowledge and seemed quite inexperienced. (February 2018 - Secondary School)

(January 2018 - Secondary School)

Very helpful, well organised trip. (January 2018 - Secondary School)

A very professional company. Very well organised. (December 2017 - Secondary School)

(December 2017 - Secondary School)

As ever Halsbury Travel have been excellent and very supportive. (December 2017 - Secondary School)

(December 2017 - Secondary School)

(December 2017 - Secondary School)

well planned and excellent tour guide (December 2017 - Secondary School)