cancellation
Travel experts give tips on vacation planning
The longing for vacation travel is unbroken.
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In Corona times, flexibility is required when booking travel – from customers and tour operators. Experts give tips about cancellation and co.
Traveling has never been as much planning as it is now. If you have finally decided on a booking, it can happen that your vacation suddenly falls through the water. The big question: will I get my money back? This is what the travel experts advise when planning a vacation in the Corona crisis.
Many tour operators have adapted to the adverse circumstances and have become a lot more accommodating when it comes to cancellations and rebookings. Nevertheless, customers should have a certain amount of flexibility. In general, vacationers always have the right to cancel their booked trip, explains Vinzenz Greger, Managing Director at "HolidayCheck" when asked by spot on news. Whether and how high the fees are depends on the organizer. "The closer the vacationer cancels to the actual departure date, the higher the cancellation fees," says Greger. If you are on very short notice, this can even be up to 90 percent, he warns.
When do I have to pay cancellation fees?
In order to avoid such unpleasant surprises, travel experts recommend taking advantage of flexible, cancellable offers and taking out comprehensive travel protection. "Travel cancellation insurance pays in the event of illness and, depending on the type of policy, covers up to 100 percent of the cancellation costs," says Gabriela Mendoza, Country Manager at the travel portal "weg.de". Anyone who has booked a package tour that has been canceled due to Corona has a higher chance of a refund than individual travelers.
If there are "exceptional circumstances that were not foreseeable at the time of booking", customers may receive their down payment back, explains Greger: "There are no cancellation costs here either. The decision, however, lies with the organizer." A classification as a risk area does not automatically mean that a trip can be canceled free of charge.
Important: "If the customer cancels the trip because of their own corona infection, they are not entitled to a refund," warns Tobias Knaut, travel expert at "Urlaubspiraten". But even here, the costs incurred can be covered by travel cancellation insurance, which can usually be taken out even after booking, Knaut knows.
Who pays the costs if I have to be quarantined on vacation?
Opinions are also divided in the case of a corona illness while on vacation. Whether and to what extent the costs are covered depends on the travel destination. Some countries advertise that they will bear the costs, while other countries make it clear that they will not pay in such cases. For visitors entering the United Kingdom, for example, there is currently a ten-day hotel quarantine requirement, which must be booked in advance and costs GBP 1,750, as the German diplomatic mission informs. The Federal Foreign Office's "Safe Travel" app also offers help with travel preparations.