23. Mai 2025, 14:47 Uhr | Lesezeit: 7 Minuten
Popular travel destinations in Greece, Italy and Turkey have repeatedly been affected by earthquakes in the past few days and weeks. Sunnytrips shows what travelers need to pay attention to during earthquakes - and when they can cancel. A lawyer who specializes in travel law will provide information.
Crete, Naples, Istanbul, Bangkok: When the earth shakes in popular travel destinations, not only local people are affected, but also travelers. Especially if you are already there and experience the earthquake first hand. But even if the trip to the affected country is imminent, one reads such news with concern. In terms of travel law, things are not that easy, as cancellations due to fear of earthquakes can be expensive. Sunnytrips shows what travelers need to pay attention to and presents tips from an expert.
Overview
- Does the organizer have to provide information about earthquake risks?
- Can you cancel your vacation because of earthquake warnings?
- Vacation right after an earthquake?
- What happens if there is massive destruction?
- Multiple travel destinations in one country?
- What happens when you travel individually?
- Earthquake on vacation – what rights do I have?
Does the organizer have to provide information about earthquake risks?
Tour operators do not have to provide any information about whether the holiday destination is in an earthquake zone or not. This is what lawyer Kay Rodegra, who specializes in travel law, says. Theoretically, earthquakes could happen almost anywhere in the world and are therefore considered a “general risk to life”.
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Can you cancel your vacation because of earthquake warnings?
The vacation is about to begin and suddenly you hear in the news that the destination could be affected by an earthquake. Fear spreads, images of destruction appear before your inner eyes and the desire for the holiday disappears. Can I cancel my upcoming vacation free of charge due to fear of earthquakes? No, because fears and worries about an earthquake alone are not reason enough to withdraw from a package holiday free of charge. In such a case, you will have to pay any possible cancellation fees yourself.
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For example, this was the case in Istanbul when there was a violent earthquake there at the end of April. Some geologists saw this as a harbinger of an even more violent earthquake. Lawyer Rodegra, who specializes in travel law, says: “In some regions of the world, superquakes are expected, which could come tomorrow or in 1,000 years.” Fears alone are therefore not a reason to be able to withdraw from a booked trip free of charge. Instead, travelers must consider the earthquake risk on site before booking a trip.
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Vacation right after an earthquake?
When the earth shook several times in a very short space of time in Istanbul, the situation was initially unclear. Rodegra states that canceling an imminent trip is certainly possible in such a case. “If there is a trip the next day to an area where there was panic about an earthquake and the situation is not clarified, I can see the option to do so.” However, as soon as it became clear that the trip would not be affected and no major damage had occurred, this would no longer be possible.
Therefore, two pieces of advice apply in such cases:
- Contact tour operator. This person also monitors the situation closely and usually cancels planned trips if there are high risks or expected disruptions.
- Don't cancel hastily. At least if the trip isn’t due for a few days or weeks. If it then turns out that you can travel to the region without any problems, you will probably be stuck with the costs.
According to the expert Rodegra, this could be easily observed in the severe earthquakes in Myanmar and Thailand at the end of March. A high-rise building in Bangkok that was still being completed collapsed. Many people lost their lives. Nevertheless, other buildings including infrastructure in the Thai capital remained intact. And the popular holiday regions by the sea were not directly affected either. “There was no impairment or risk to a trip to Thailand,” says the expert. Anyone who had canceled a trip to Bangkok that was scheduled to take place in a few weeks immediately after the earthquake would have been stuck with the cancellation costs.
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What happens if there is massive destruction?
Collapsed houses, broken roads, damaged airports: If there is massive damage at the holiday destination or in its immediate vicinity, according to Rodegra, this is an unavoidable, exceptional circumstance. In such cases, it is possible to withdraw from a package holiday free of charge if significant impairments or dangers are to be expected.
If the tour operator does not accept this, those affected can argue with media reports about the extent of the destruction or with assessments from the Foreign Office - a travel warning from the ministry for a region, for example, is a strong indication of unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances.
But even here the following applies: don't cancel too early. If you are planning to travel to an affected area in six months, you should wait. Rodegra explains: “It must be certain or very likely at the time of cancellation that there will be significant disruptions or a dangerous situation at the destination of the trip or in the immediate vicinity that makes carrying out the trip unreasonable for the vacationer.” Therefore, in many cases, holidaymakers first have to wait and see how things develop in the country they are traveling to.
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Multiple travel destinations in one country?
In the case of round trips, the question of free cancellation depends on whether they can be carried out without any disruption. If only one of many places on the trip is affected by the earthquake and therefore cannot be visited, this is not a sufficient reason for a free cancellation of the travel contract. However, a canceled program item could result in a price reduction, according to the expert.
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What happens when you travel individually?
Unlike package travelers, those who have booked flights and hotels individually cannot rely on their organizer in the event of natural disasters. Instead, they have to deal with each individual contractual partner. This includes, for example, the airline, the hotel or the holiday home rental.
Rodegra gives an example of this in which it is assumed that the accommodation was so damaged by the earthquake that it is uninhabitable. However, the flight to the more distant airport in the country still takes place. “They then have to pay it, even if they may no longer use it because they no longer have accommodation.”
The following applies: If at least two travel services are combined and sold in one package, this is usually considered a package holiday. A classic is air package tours, which include flights and the hotel. But this can also include a combination of flight and rental car.
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Earthquake on vacation – what rights do I have?
If you are affected by an earthquake during your vacation, tour operators are obliged to inform you. For example, if the accommodation is no longer safe to live in, you must provide alternative accommodation.
“If it is no longer reasonable for holidaymakers to continue to stay in the area after a natural disaster, the organizer must arrange an earlier return flight and cover the entire additional costs,” says Rodegra. Provided that the flights were part of the package tour and were not booked by the travelers themselves.
If instead you booked everything yourself and without a tour operator, you are unfortunately also responsible for finding a replacement. German embassies and consulates can then act as a contact point in emergency situations.
(With material from dpa)
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