Worldwide travel warning extended

and Christine Albert, volunteer

Lisa Weidner studied German and sociology and completed several journalistic internships. She is a volunteer at Hubert Burda Media Verlag and writes for the "Meine Familie und Ich" magazine and on nutrition and health topics.

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Christine Albert studied German linguistics and literature as well as Scandinavian studies at the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg. She is currently doing a traineeship at Hubert Burda Media and is writing, among other things, for

More about the experts All content is checked by medical journalists.

The federal government has extended travel warnings to more than 160 countries until mid-September. What does this mean for vacationers? And what do returnees now have to consider?

The corona pandemic continues to keep the world in suspense. And traveling outside of Europe will remain difficult at least until autumn. The federal government has extended the existing travel warning for more than 160 countries by two weeks until September 14th. What does this mean for travelers and returnees? Three scenarios at a glance:

Scenario 1: You are on site

Package holidaymakers who are already there will be brought back to Germany at the expense of their tour operator. That means: in case of doubt, an earlier departure is due. "Package holidaymakers should also use the return flight organized by the organizer" warns the lawyer Sabine Fischer-Volk from the Karimi law firm in Berlin. "Otherwise you will have to pay for your return journey later yourself."

Individual travelers who are already on site must arrange a return trip themselves and at their own expense. However, you are not forced to leave - a travel warning is not a travel ban. That means you can also take your booked return flight. However, you should check whether this continues to be offered as planned. It could be that airlines cut connections.

Anyone who returns from an affected region is considered a returnee from a risk area - with the corresponding obligations to a corona test and quarantine at home until a negative test result is available.

Scenario 2: You wanted to leave soon

Package holidaymakers who wanted to start their trip in the coming days now have bad cards: The travel warning is binding for German tour operators. Companies usually cancel their trips as soon as there is a warning. In this case, the guests get their down payments back. Holidaymakers who are about to start their journey can now also cancel their travel contract free of charge.

Individual travelers who want to start their trip soon should contact their airline if necessary. If the airline cancels the flight, it has to reimburse the money. However, if the flight goes as planned, no money will be given if the passenger lets the flight expire. Many airlines are currently accommodating when changing bookings. So it may be possible to postpone the flight free of charge.

Scenario 3: You want to leave in a few weeks

Package holidaymakers who have booked for the autumn vacation now have to be patient. It is unclear how long the travel warning will apply, the corona situation can change quickly.

Those who have booked for the autumn vacation cannot cancel their trip for free tomorrow, says Fischer-Volk. Because there are still a few weeks until the vacation. "Here I have to wait and see how the situation develops," explains the travel law expert. Anyone who cancels immediately now faces cancellation fees. "The best thing to do is to see what the situation looks like at the travel destination four weeks before you travel." Then a prognosis for the feasibility of the trip is more certain.

Rebooking for risk groups?

And: "Anyone who belongs to a risk group can ask the organizer to change their booking to a later date," says Fischer-Volk. This also applies to holidaymakers who already know for sure that they don't want to go to the Balearic Islands in autumn either. The major organizers are currently accommodating with the rebooking options.

Package holidaymakers who book now despite the travel warning take a certain risk. "If you still book despite the travel warning because you assume that it won't be bad again in autumn, you cannot cancel later free of charge because you have taken the risk," explains Fischer-Volk. A timely, free rebooking would then be an option. (lw / dpa)

Holidaymakers cannot use travel cancellation insurance in the event of a travel warning. According to the Association of Insureds (BdV), such warnings are not insured.

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