The higher regional court (OLG) Celle ruled in a on 12.

Also note the differences between the providers. A price comparison for parking at the airport often pays off. "If you park your own car at the airport for the duration of your holiday, you should find out about the parking fees there beforehand" also advises the ADAC. The official website of the respective airport is the first point of contact for precise price information. It is recommended that you book your parking space in advance in order to take advantage of early bird discounts.

Online booking also often offers price advantages compared to a telephone reservation. For example, if you book a parking space online at Cologne-Bonn Airport four weeks before departure, you can save up to 30 euros on your first week of parking, depending on the parking garage. Package tours from tour operators often include an airport parking space as part of the offer.

Price comparisons and alternative options

In order not to fall into the cost trap, you can also use various parking exchanges and price comparison portals to search online for alternatives to the airport’s official parking spaces. Often times you will find private or independent parking lots and multi-storey car parks nearby. You should always keep an eye on whether a free shuttle bus is included in the price, as the distances with these alternative providers are usually longer.

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Anyone willing to do without their car should find out more about the “Rail and Fly” offers of Deutsche Bahn. In cooperation with partner airlines, this offers you package prices for the journey with comfortable seats in the ICE to the airport of your choice. A train ride can be a practical and, compared to renting a parking space, an inexpensive alternative for the transfer to the airport.

Time and again there are legal disputes with package tours. These are subject to so-called travel contract law.

Beware of hidden travel expenses

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Package holidaymakers should exercise their rights

For millions of Germans, the best weeks of the year mostly go according to plan. A certain percentage has to accept compromises for unforeseen reasons: a flight is sometimes canceled. In other cases, there is a lively construction site in front of the hotel. It may also be that certain on-site offers such as recreational sports or gastronomic services are missing.

If the customer wants to exercise his rights, he must turn to an expert in travel contract law – often also referred to as passenger law. This right obliges a tour operator to carry out a package tour offered by him as it was advertised in the catalog. The basis of this obligation is the travel contract, which is usually concluded between the tour operator and the traveler. 

Travel contract law regulates compensation

If the service provided at the end deviates from the agreement, you can and should insist on your rights. It is very important that you submit a complaint / notification of defects as quickly as possible to the tour operator’s representative at the travel destination. If, on the other hand, you only want to complain after the trip, the chances of compensation are significantly lower.

It is helpful to document deficiencies such as hygiene conditions with photos or videos. If the tour operator cannot be reached, you can also contact the respective hotel. The hotel is not your direct contractual partner, but according to EU legislation it is a vicarious agent of the tour operator and therefore also a contact person.

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The next step is an examination and – if the complaint proves to be correct – a compensation according to the provisions of travel contract law. In the case of delayed or non-operated flights, there are clear guidelines in the EU with regard to the travel price reduction. In the event of defects such as dirty or noisy hotels, the organizer has more leeway. 

You have booked your trip and suddenly the tour operator announces that the flight will only leave a few hours later or several hours earlier. Mostly to the annoyance of travelers who had planned their travel itinerary differently. So far, this has been legal, because the tour operators had warned in the small print of changes in flight times. A court ruling now puts a stop to this.

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Clauses in the small print invalid

After a court ruling in the small print of their general terms and conditions, tour operators may no longer reserve the right to change flight times in the future. The Higher Regional Court (OLG) Celle decided in a judgment published on February 12, 2013 that such clauses are ineffective. The 11th civil senate of the OLG, which is responsible for travel law, granted a request for an omission by the Federal Association of Consumer Centers against non-binding flight times.

Good reasons are necessary

The clauses in question express to travelers that flight times could be changed at any time without cute japaneese teen justification. However, new flight times lead to a change in the contractual service and should at least be manageable for justified reasons specifically described above. In addition, according to the judgment, tour operators are no longer allowed to designate information about flight times provided by travel agencies in package travel contracts as non-binding (Az 11 U 82/12).

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Half board is a frequently booked meal option for package tours. It usually includes two main meals.

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Two main meals included

In principle, the interpretation can vary from country to country and from hotel to hotel, as the term “half board” is not protected. However, if you read the abbreviation “HP” in a German travel catalog, you can usually assume breakfast and dinner (often) or breakfast and lunch (rarely). The drinks are usually not included and must always be billed as in the restaurant. Half-board is accompanied by the need to dine out at least once a day or in the hotel for a surcharge. Before booking a trip, every holidaymaker should ask himself whether three main meals a day are really necessary: ​​In view of the sumptuous buffets that are offered at most western hotels, hunger is often limited around noon.

Full board is more comfortable

If the tourist infrastructure at the destination is well developed, you can stop for a snack in the local gastronomy if necessary. Also keep in mind that you will often go on excursions at lunchtime or lie on the beach. If you have booked full board (all three main meals), you may feel compelled to return to the hotel every day at noon. On the other hand, full board is of course also a comfort factor that many package travelers appreciate not by chance: If your stomach growls, you don’t necessarily have to go into the city – this is especially true if you live a little secluded.

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Price difference varies significantly

The price difference between half and full board also varies significantly. With an average four-star hotel in Turkey or Spain, the difference is usually limited. With this in mind, especially when traveling with the family, you have to consider whether you will really save money by taking a package tour with half board or end up spending even more by going to a restaurant. 

Who actually says that the ski holiday only has to take place at the end or the beginning of the year? In distant New Zealand the ski slopes are in season during our summer months. Far away from that, you will get to know a truly wonderful country.

Spend an unforgettable ski vacation

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Ski vacation in midsummer

The geographically isolated and therefore often forgotten island state of New Zealand has been a dream travel destination for many people since the fantasy epic “The Lord of the Rings” at the latest: In Australia’s “neighbor”, which has only 4.4 million inhabitants, you will find beautiful, natural and, above all, varied landscapes .

What many travelers don’t know: New Zealand is also a popular destination for skiing holidays. Due to the location in the southern hemisphere, however, the season takes place exactly opposite to the European winter. So when we sweat, the New Zealanders and also many Australians who have traveled here roar down the white slopes.

South Island offers a particularly large selection

The North Island of New Zealand has two major commercial ski resorts: Whakapapa and Turoa. Both are on Mount Ruapehu. Much more choice awaits you on the South Island, where, according to various trade magazines, some of the most beautiful winter sports areas on earth are located: The so-called Southern Alps of New Zealand open up a magnificent mountain backdrop and a diverse range of slopes of all levels of difficulty.

Queenstown and the Wanaka region are particularly popular destinations for winter sports enthusiasts. The pronounced après-ski culture with numerous huts, bars and clubs attracts people of all ages here. The Cardrona, Treble Cone and Coronet Peak ski areas, which also offer extensive routes for cross-country skiers, are highly recommended.

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A total of 25 ski areas await you in New Zealand. The high season culminates in July and August. The average temperatures are eight degrees Celsius in July and ten degrees Celsius in August. In the interior of the South Island, the temperatures drop to minus ten degrees. From October it will be increasingly warmer with 12 to 14 degrees. Since the journey to New Zealand is very tedious, you should definitely take the opportunity before or after your ski holiday and pay a visit to the local metropolises of Wellington (North Island), Christchurch and Dunedin (both South Island).

Millions of Germans go on package tours every year. But very few holidaymakers know the story of its inventor, Thomas Cook.

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Thomas Cook was the inventor of the package tour

Thomas Cook – isn’t that the name of this airline? Right.