How to ensure safety when riots broke out abroad

Travel agencies do not want to cancel trips and reimburse tourists' travelling expenses, when in the country of your destination political unrest erupted. Tourists, who in this case, resigns from the trip must go to court.

Canceled trips and early returns from the countries stricken with political and economic unrest, cause conflicts between tourists and travel organizers concerning bills and payments. Problems involve also the tourists' claims to insurance and the lack of proper security for the travellers in case of riots.

Before leaving

Each tourist should take care of his/her safety before leaving. First of all, you must determine whether, there is no ongoing unrest in the country of your destination. Such information can be found in the media, online, by reading the recommendations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. When the Foreign Office warns against travelling to a country where the riots began, indicates the increased risk of crime, then many travel agencies suspend planned trips. In return for the already paid tour, they offer the trip in other time or different destination. Unfortunatelly, the announcement from the Foreign Office about the safety problems, does not give you any legal power to gain refund from a Travel Agency if you decide to cancel your trip.

Does the travel agancy have to propose other trip once the planned one is canceled?

In exchange for the canceled tour, the agency may propose to go to the same country at another time or to another country in the same or another time. The proposed trip should last as many days as the canceled one, and the tourist must have the same benefits and be accommodated at a hotel of the same standard and the number of stars.

When the visitor chooses a different trip, he/she is not entitled to additional compensation from the agency. In contrast, when the tourist refuses to go on the proposed trip and requests a refund, then the agency often makes various deductions. When the settlement of reimbursement is not suitable for the tourist, he/she may seek redress in court.

The tourist will not get a refund for the visa, which was paid for at the embassy of the country of the supposed destination. The Embassy charges a fee for a visa regardless of whether the tourists decided to go to the country.

Earlier return

When a tourist is already in the country of riots, the best beneficial option for her/him is when the travel agency offers the earlier return and organizes the transport. In such a case there are very often a dispute between the tourist and the agnet concerning the reimbursment of costs of the remaing part of the trip. The contract between the sides does not verify how the refund should look like in such a case. When the sides fail to reach agreement, the tourist has the right to go to court and thereby assert claims.

The tourist is in much worse situation, when the agency does not agree to the earlier return. It is also quite common that in such a case, the agency requires the torusits to sign a statement saying that they stay in the country on their own risk and they resign from any compensation. The tourist has a right to refuse to sign the statement and come back earlier. In such a case, he/she will have to pay on their own for the transport. Upon the return, however, he/she has the right to ask the office for reimbursement and compensation. The tourist must also pinpoint the damage he/she suffered. He/She has the right to demand compensation for the damage caused by earlier return.