Travel warnings: How to protect your money in case of cancellations!

Travel warnings: How to protect your money in case of cancellations!

The legal framework for travel cancellations is an important issue for holidaymakers, particularly given the recent exceptional circumstances affecting many destinations. Full reimbursement of travel costs is possible under certain conditions, which applies to both package tours and individual services. Loud HolidayCheck Travelers have the right to request a full refund if there are exceptional circumstances.

Extraordinary circumstances could include unrest in a country you are traveling to or official travel warnings from the Foreign Office. These warnings can relate to specific situations such as pandemics, such as the Corona crisis. The situation is particularly relevant when cancellations in an affected area occur due to such a travel warning; in this case, tour operators are obliged to reimburse the costs in full. The traveler usually has the right to demand the money back within 14 days of cancellation by the organizer and does not have to accept vouchers.

Legal claims in the event of changes

In addition, travelers also have the right to cancel without penalty if the circumstances of their trip change significantly. This includes, for example, staying in a lower-quality hotel or significantly changing flight times. Furthermore, a price increase of more than 8 percent means that the traveler can cancel their booking free of charge.

Many regions in southern Europe are currently struggling with catastrophic conditions that are considered exceptional circumstances. According to the Lower Saxony Consumer Center Areas such as Turkey, northern Greece, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania and parts of southern Italy, especially Sardinia, are affected by devastating fires. These developments have forced many travelers to rethink their vacation plans and are forced to cancel or cancel trips.

Exceptions and court decisions

A notable aspect of exceptional circumstances is that they are not under the traveler's control and cannot be avoided even with reasonable precautions. Courts have historically recognized various situations that are considered exceptional circumstances. These include wars, civil unrest, terrorist attacks, epidemics and natural disasters that are temporally and spatially relevant to the travel destination. Strikes can also be classified as exceptional circumstances, especially if they occur randomly and cannot be influenced by the tour operator.

Travelers should inform themselves well before booking and pay attention to the current travel warnings from the Foreign Office. This helps to better understand possible options and legal claims in the event of civil unrest or other exceptional circumstances.