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Blog post del 03/01/2022

Covid-19: Information on the current situation

Last update: 16/11/2022

Dear customers,

In a holiday home you can travel more safely than in any other form of holiday, as distance and hygiene rules can be easily implemented and for many holidaymakers the holiday home itself is usually the focus of the holiday.

Please refer to the websites of the local tourism authorities of your destination or the Foreign Office in your home country for information on any requirements that may apply to your holiday home stay. The website reopen.europa.eu also provides a good overview.

We have summarized answers to frequently asked questions regarding COVID-19 below. Answers to to non COVID-related frequently asked questions can be found in our FAQ.

If you have any further questions, please contact our customer service on +49 211 668878-130 (Mon to Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m, Sat 9 a.m. to 1 .p.m.). You can also send us an email to customerservice@atraveo.com. If you have a query about a current booking, please do not forget your inquiry or booking number in the subject line of the e-mail. This means that your message can be assigned directly to the correct process, which makes processing much easier for us.

Your questions – Our answers

How safe is a holiday home / apartment?

Vacation in a holiday home is one of the safest forms of travel. Since all travellers are among themselves in the holiday home and have not much contact with other holidaymakers, social distancing and the observance of hygiene measures are possible without any problems. When you are on holiday in a holiday home or apartment, you are just as safe as in your own home. It is not traveling itself that carries the risk of infecting yourself or others, but your own behaviour - and that applies to both at home and on vacation.

Is my travel destination safe? Can I travel?

Regulations in travel destinations and entry requirements for countries are very different and can change from day to day. It is therefore imperative that you inform yourself about any requirements and regulations that may apply at your travel destination.

The websites of the local tourist offices are a good place to go for up-to-date information. We also recommend the official travel information website of the European Union (https://reopen.europa.eu).

It can also be helpful to send an inquiry to your provider/landlord (contractual partner) or local contact person. You will receive the contact details with the travel documents, which will be sent to you by email prior to arrival.

What are the main informations regarding cancellations in the context of the corona pandemic?

The regulations for cancellations during the corona pandemic are determined individually by each provider/landlord who is the contractual partner for each booking on the basis of official orders and national or regional regulations. The decisive factor are always the regulations in the country or region in which the holiday home is located.

Holiday home stays are individual tourist services for which a free cancellation or reimbursement is based on whether or not the accommodation can be provided by the provider (contractual partner) in accordance with the contract. This case occurs e.g. in the case of an official ban on accommodation at the holiday destination. It does not occur if you are prevented from traveling yourself for a variety of reasons.

For example, holiday home providers are not obliged to cancel or rebook a booked stay free of charge because the home country of the guests warns against traveling to the destination area, flights are cancelled, there are restrictions, there are  obligations to quarantine uppon arrival or when returning or r a proof of vaccination is required for the journey and you and / or fellow travellers are not vaccinated.

Please also note: As an agent for holiday homes and apartments, we are unfortunately unable to make any goodwill decisions, as we are bound by our contracts with the individual providers ourselves. We can, however, forward goodwill inquiries to the provider/landlord for you.

What are the cancellation conditions or general terms and conditions?

The amount of cancellation costs differs from provider to provider and can also vary depending on the time of cancellation (number of days until arrival).
The cancellation conditions and cancellation cost scales applicable to your booked holiday home can be found in the general terms and conditions of the provider (contractual partner), which we sent to you with the booking confirmation.

Alternatively, you can find the general terms and conditions in the property description on our website. Simply enter the property number of your holiday home in the search field to access it.

If you are not sure or have further questions about the cancellation policy, our customer service will of course be happy to help.

What are the cancellation costs?

The amount of cancellation costs differs from provider to provider and can also vary depending on the time of cancellation (number of days until arrival).
The cancellation conditions and cancellation cost scales applicable to your booked holiday home can be found in the general terms and conditions of the provider (contractual partner), which we sent to you with the booking confirmation. Alternatively, you can find the general terms and conditions in the property description on our website. Simply enter the property number of your holiday home in the search field to access it.

If you are not sure or have further questions about the cancellation policy, our customer service will of course be happy to help.

What about a ban on accommodation?

If there is a ban on accommodation in the region where your booked holiday home is located and for the booked travel period, the booking can be cancelled free of charge. We will proactively inform you in these cases.

This only applies to bookings where the booked holiday home is in the designated region and the journey is in the relevant period. Bookings outside of this period and trips in other regions are usually possible without any problems. These bookings can therefore only be cancelled for a fee in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the provider/landlord (contractual partner).

What about a travel warning?

A travel warning (e. g. code yellow, code orange, code red in some countries), the obligation to present a negative test on arrival and / or return, as well as possible quarantine regulations in your home country, are not a sufficient reason for a free cancellation.

Holiday home stays are individual tourist services for which a free cancellation or reimbursement is based on whether or not the accommodation itself can be provided by the provider/landlord who is the contractual partner for each booking. This case occurs e.g. in the case of an official ban on accommodation at the holiday destination. It does not occur if you are advised not to travel by regulations in your home country, as travelling in general in this case still is possible. 

In the event of a travel warning, stays can only be cancelled for a fee in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the provider/landlord (contractual partner).

What about restrictions due to applicable regulations at the travel destination?

Unless there is an official ban on accommodation at your travel destination there is no sufficient reason for a free cancellation.

Local regulations, such as carrying out a COVID-19 test on arrival, the central registration of all fellow travellers, quarantine regulations, a ban on going out or recreational facilities that are only partially or not open on site, etc. are not considered to be an obstacle to making the trip.

The same applies if only a certain number of people and / or households are allowed to stay in the same accommodation at the same time at the travel destination - but you are planning to travel with a larger number of people and have registered this when booking. In this case, the stay can still take place, as the holiday home as such can still be provided and you can reduce the number of fellow travellers to the required minimum.

In the event of restrictions due to applicable regulations at the travel destination, stays can only be cancelled for a fee in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the provider / landlord (contractual partner).

What if the means of transport (flight, ferry) to the holiday home has been cancelled?

If there are no official regulations that prevent the stay from being carried out, the booking of the holiday home or holiday apartment will remain in effect. In contrast to a package tour, holiday home bookings are individual tourist services.

In the case of cancelled means of transport, stays can only be cancelled for a fee in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the provider / landlord (contractual partner), as the provider bears no liability for failed means of transport. Please contact the transport provider for help / assistance.

How can I cancel my trip?

Cancellations in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the provider / landlord (contractual partner) should be sent to our customer service by email.
For the calculation of the amount of the cancellation costs according to the general terms and conditions of the provider, the date of receipt of your e-mail with the clear cancellation request is used as a basis.

Exception: If the provider of your booking is one of the following, please contact the provider directly, as payment processing and travel arrangements are carried out directly by the respective provider:

Belvilla, TUI Ferienhaus, Novasol, Dancenter, SECRA bookings, Destination Solutions GmbH, Frosch Ferienhäuser, InterChalet, Interhome, Interholiday, Center Parcs, Zugvogel Reisen

Do I still have to make my final payment even if it is uncertain whether I can travel?

In any case, your final payment must be made by the specified date. Should there be a cancellation in accordance with the provider's general terms and conditions, we will of course reimburse you for the difference or the payments made.

What rebooking options are there?

Even in times of the corona pandemic, there are no generally applicable rules for rebooking. These must always be requested individually from the provider / landlord (contractual partner).

Is it possible to reimburse cancellation costs at a later date?

If there was no official order on an accommodation ban at the time of cancellation, subsequent reimbursement of the cancellation costs is not possible.

In such cases, stays can only be cancelled for a fee in accordance with the general terms and conditions of the provider / landlord (contractual partner).

When will payments already made be reimbursed after a cancellation?

Refunds will be processed as quickly as possible by the respective provider (contractual partner). Please note, however, that due to the current situation and the resulting large workload, there may be delays of up to 2-3 weeks.

Can I get travel insurance?

In cooperation with our partner HanseMerkur, we offer you special travel insurance packages that apply to the entire rental property and include all fellow travellers. We recommend checking the benefits of travel cancellation insurance in the current situation. There is no general pandemic protection, but within the scope of travel cancellation and travel health insurance, you are also covered in the event of COVID-19 illness. Travel insurance can be taken out within 30 days of booking. Please contact our customer service for more information.

Does travel insurance reimburse cancellation costs during the corona pandemic?

In the event of a pandemic, the travel insurance usually does not reimburse cancellation costs. The general insurance conditions continue to apply.

However, if you have taken out travel cancellation insurance or travel health insurance from our partner HanseMerkur with us, you are also covered in the event of COVID-19 illness as part of the travel cancellation and travel health insurance. For detailed information about your insurance cover, please check the insurance documents that we sent you after booking.

How do I redeem my atraveo voucher / atraveo travel credit for a new booking?

To redeem a TUI Villas voucher code issued by Wolters Reisen GmbH / atraveo GmbH, first book the desired holiday accommodation* as normal on our website and enter the code in the comment field when booking. The booking then goes to our customer service and we check the validity of the code before we forward the booking to the provider / landlord for confirmation. For accounting reasons, the voucher amount will be offset retrospectively when the booking confirmation is issued. If your account or credit card is charged with the full rental price in the meantime, you will receive the voucher amount from us as a refund as soon as possible.

* Please note: There are restrictions on some vouchers, so that, for example, only the accommodations of a certain provider can be booked. Please check the conditions listed on your travel voucher and, if in doubt, ask our customer service department before booking. This will also help you to search specifically for the offers of a certain provider.

On this page we will keep you informed about current changes. Further information on developments and the measures taken to prevent further spread of the coronavirus can be found on the websites of the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Union.

Stay healthy!

Your atraveo team