Cancelling the contract

A customer has the right to terminate a package travel contract at any time before the start of the journey. However, be prepared to pay the cancellation fee. When booking a trip, it is a good idea to take out a travel insurance policy that also covers cancellation costs, at least in case of illness. As before, the passenger has the right to cancel the journey without a cancellation fee if something exceptional happens at the destination, such as a natural disaster.

During the COVID era, many tour operators have made their cancellation conditions more flexible. However, remember to always familiarise yourself with the travel conditions before booking a trip.

If you wish to cancel the contract because of a price change or a change in key terms, or if the organiser cancels the trip, you can either participate in a trip of equivalent or better quality, if the organiser or intermediary can offer a replacement package, or get the money you have paid back as soon as possible.

Where the replacement package offered is of lower quality than the original package, the organiser must reimburse the difference. If no replacement journey is arranged, you can claim compensation under national law for non-performance of the contract. Compensation cannot be obtained if the cancellation is due, for example, to the fact that a minimum number of participants required for the journey have not signed up and you have been informed in writing of the cancellation within a certain period of time.