What options do travelers have in times of the Delta variant?

Those who come from vacation want to be deeply relaxed - and not have to worry about quarantine at home.

But with the spread of the delta variant, there are many questions.

It still looks like a relatively carefree summer travel.

But the delta variant of the corona virus is currently spreading faster than expected in Europe.

And with it the concern of new corona restrictions for vacationers.

So Portugal was declared a virus variant area without further ado *.

The result: tough 14 days quarantine after returning home without exception and free days.

Anyone who has booked a trip abroad this year cannot be sure which travel regulations will ultimately apply due to the continuing dynamic infection rate.

What to do?

Delta variant in Europe: wait and see

Despite concerns about the delta variant,

no tightening of the entry regulations is planned for the time being

.

Those wishing to travel can hope that the travel regulations, which have recently been significantly relaxed, will not change by the time they start their vacation.

Many countries are no longer risk areas.

And the general travel warning for high-risk areas will no longer apply as of July 1st.

Traveling to these countries is again possible without major hurdles: To return home, a negative corona test, proof of vaccination or a proof of recovery are required in order to avoid quarantine.

If you return home by plane, you will need this proof when you take off.

Important for families: The proof and quarantine regulations apply to all immigrants who have reached the age of six.

Classification as virus variant area: An unpleasant surprise with consequences

"Worst case" is the sudden

classification as a virus variant area

.

The example of Portugal has shown what then threatens holidaymakers: It was only during the trip that those affected learned that they had to be quarantined at home for 14 days.

With unplanned consequences: You are then not allowed to leave your house or apartment.

This can cause a lot of problems in work and personal life.

Even if employers pay some kind of compensation for the wages during this time.

Portugal and Great Britain were downgraded to high incidence areas again following an announcement by the federal government.

This applies if the proportions of the more contagious Delta variant are comparable to those in Germany.

But the

same

applies

to

high-incidence areas

: Anyone who has not been fully vaccinated or recovered must first be quarantined for ten days after returning to Germany.

And that can be ended after five days at the earliest with a negative test.

With a view to the coming months, it is therefore unpredictable whether a high-risk area will become a high-risk area and then quarantine again.

At least for travelers without full vaccination protection.

In addition, new virus variants can appear in individual countries.

Then the classification as a virus variant area threatens with all its consequences.

Also interesting

: be careful with flexible prices with tour operators: you have to pay attention to this detail.

Rebook to later or another travel destination

If a travel destination is declared a virus variant area or high-risk area before departure, package travelers do not automatically have the right to free cancellation.

It has not been decided by the supreme court whether these classifications are still to be assessed as an “exceptional circumstance” after more than a year of pandemic.

However, it is very likely that an organizer, at least in the case of a virus variant area, will cancel the trip on its own initiative and reimburse the money paid.

"If the RKI classifies a country as a virus variant area, the tour operators start contacting the guests on site and offer them an

early departure

," says Kerstin Heinen, spokeswoman for the German Travel Association (DRV).

The organizers bear the costs for this.

“After that, the guests who have booked in the near future will be contacted.” They will be offered a free rebooking to a different time or a different holiday destination - or a free cancellation.

The classification as a virus variant area is initially valid for 14 days.

"How long trips to the corresponding destination are canceled is at the tour operator's discretion," says Heinen.

If you want to postpone your package tour even if the destination country is not a virus variant or high-risk area, you have to look at the contract conditions to see what it costs.

With a flex tariff, postponement is often free of charge up to 14 days before departure.

Thanks to

the airlines' accommodating rebooking rules,

individual travelers have

the opportunity

to

rebook

their flight without additional fees.

With many airlines such as Lufthansa and Eurowings, this is possible at short notice until check-in of the original flight.

A reimbursement is only available if the airline cancels the flight itself.

If the flight takes place, there is no money back.

Delta variant: Canceling out of fear can be expensive

Those who no longer want to travel for fear of the delta variant must expect cancellation fees in low-risk countries and simple risk areas.

Package holidaymakers should be familiar with the organizers' cancellation scales: They show up to what point in time before the start of the journey which amount is due.

Once

again, package

travelers

who have booked

a slightly

more expensive flex tariff

have the

advantage

: If the period of 14 days before the start of the trip has not yet started, the trip can also be canceled without cancellation fees.

Individual travelers must check whether they selected a

short-term cancellation option

when booking

.

For example, an offer such as: "Free cancellation up to one day before departure".

If this is not the case, there are usually cancellation costs.

"In the case of individually booked accommodation abroad, I cannot directly derive the right to free cancellation from the classification of the virus variant area of ​​my travel country by the federal government," says Karolina Wojtal from the European Consumer Center Germany.

Not even if there is a travel warning for the country.

The decisive factor is whether there is a right to cancellation due to the corona situation under national law and what is stated in the terms and conditions.

“The law in Portugal, for example, does not provide for a cancellation option due to the corona pandemic.” It depends solely on the specifically agreed terms and conditions and cancellation conditions.

(dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.

Also read

: Rebooking a trip: How often can I postpone my package tour? 

You should urgently avoid these mistakes in travel cancellation insurance

You should urgently avoid these mistakes in travel cancellation insurance