Does trip cancellation insurance pay for a wildfire at the holiday destination?
In short
Usually not. Trip cancellation insurance (Reiserücktrittsversicherung) pays for a wildfire at the holiday destination only if your policy expressly lists a natural event at the destination; many terms exclude natural disasters. For a package holiday you often do not need it: if the fire seriously affects the trip, section 651h BGB lets you cancel without a fee.
Published prices for trip cancellation insurance in Germany, as of 2026.
Example
Typical range
Policy for one trip, share of the trip price
usually 3 to 8 percent
Annual policy, one person, trip value up to EUR 3,000
about EUR 100 to 140 a year
Annual policy, family, trip value up to EUR 3,000
about EUR 102 to 149 a year
Deductible in policies with an excess
20 percent, at least EUR 25 per person
Guide values as of October 2026 from published tariff examples.
Whether a natural event at the destination is covered is only stated in the terms of each policy.
The amounts in the worked example are a guide value from quoting practice.
Worked example
Holiday home in a wildfire region, booked separately
A family booked a holiday home for EUR 2,400, with 100 percent cancellation from 30 days before arrival. A week before, a fire burns twenty kilometres away; the village itself is open.
Cancellation fee under the contract
EUR 2,400
Policy without natural events at the destination
EUR 0 refund
Policy with natural events, 20 percent deductible
about EUR 1,920 refund
Accommodation closed due to evacuation
no payment due for the service not provided
Without a suitable policy the family loses EUR 2,400 as long as the house can be used. A cancellable rate would have helped more here than any trip cancellation insurance.
Why a wildfire is rarely an insured reason
Trip cancellation insurance pays cancellation fees when you personally cannot travel: serious illness, an accident, the death of a close relative, losing your job. The list of reasons is in the policy terms and is final. A wildfire at the holiday destination affects every traveller in the region at once.
Some product sheets expressly exclude natural disasters unless a benefit names them. Other policies list a natural event at the destination (Elementarereignis am Urlaubsort) as a separate reason. Search your terms for these words. If they are missing, the insurer does not pay for the wildfire.
Situation
Who helps
Package holiday, fire hits the resort or hotel
tour operator, cancellation without a fee
Package holiday, fire far away
normal cancellation scale of the operator
Separate booking, accommodation closed
accommodation, no payment for a service not provided
Policy lists a natural event at the destination
trip cancellation insurance
Fire damages your own home
trip cancellation insurance as damage to property
Package holiday: cancel without a fee
Under section 651h (3) of the German Civil Code (BGB), the tour operator may not charge a fee if unavoidable, extraordinary circumstances occur at or near the destination that seriously affect the holiday or getting there. A wildfire that reaches the resort, the hotel or the access road can be such a circumstance.
What counts is the situation on the day you cancel. If the fire is far away and the resort can be reached normally, there is usually no serious effect. Save official notices, road closures and evacuation orders with the date before you cancel.
Flights and accommodation booked separately
For flights, hotels and holiday homes you booked yourself, section 651h BGB does not apply. If the airline cancels, you get the fare back. If it flies, its fare rules apply. If the accommodation cannot be provided at all because of the wildfire, German law usually frees you from paying for it as well, section 326 (1) BGB.
If you booked directly abroad, the law of that country may apply. For regions with a fire season, a rate with free cancellation is often simpler protection than trip cancellation insurance, because it covers exactly the case many policies exclude.
If your own home is damaged
It is different if a fire seriously damages your own house or flat and you cannot travel because of it. Many policies list damage to your property by fire, storm or explosion as an insured reason. The insurer then pays the cancellation fees, usually minus the agreed deductible.
If the wildfire breaks out during the holiday
On a package holiday the operator must give you prompt assistance, for example information about local authorities and help finding other ways home, section 651q BGB. If the return trip is impossible because of the fire, the operator pays for accommodation for up to three nights, section 651k (4) BGB.
If you booked separately, you depend on trip interruption cover (Reiseabbruchversicherung). Some policies pay extra costs if a natural event at the destination extends your stay or forces you to leave. Again, only if the terms say so.
When you do not need extra cover
On a package holiday the law usually protects you better against a wildfire at the holiday destination than any trip cancellation insurance. An expensive policy just for the fire risk rarely pays off. A policy with natural events at the destination makes sense mainly for costly separate bookings, such as a holiday home with a large deposit that cannot be cancelled free.
Step by step
Record the situation at the destination with the date: official notices, closures, evacuations.
Check whether you have a package holiday or separate bookings.
For a package holiday, write to the operator and cancel under section 651h (3) BGB.
For separate bookings, ask the airline and the accommodation whether they cancel or rebook.
Search your policy terms for natural events at the destination.
Do not cancel early yourself while the provider is still deciding whether to cancel.
Checklist
Policy terms checked for natural events and natural disasters
Evidence of the situation at the destination saved
Cancellation declared in writing with the date
Cancellation deadlines of the accommodation noted
Cancellable rates chosen for wildfire regions
Common mistakes
Cancelling early out of fear and paying the full fee, although the trip would have been cancelled anyway
Assuming trip cancellation insurance covers every natural disaster
Paying the fee on a package holiday instead of relying on section 651h BGB
Not saving evidence of the situation at the destination
Questions and answers
Frequently asked
Does a wildfire count as an extraordinary circumstance?
It can if it affects the destination or its immediate surroundings and seriously disrupts the trip.
A fire far away is usually not enough.
Do I need a travel warning?
No.
The law does not require a travel warning (Reisewarnung), only a serious effect at the destination.
Official closures and evacuations are good evidence.
Does the insurance pay if the smoke makes me ill?
Only if you fall seriously and unexpectedly ill and a doctor confirms it.
Worry about smoke is not an insured reason.
When does the operator refund me?
After cancelling because of extraordinary circumstances,
the operator must refund the trip price within 14 days.
Does credit card travel cover help?
Only if its terms name a natural event at the destination.
Usually it is ordinary trip cancellation cover with the same limits.
