Travel FAQs

A package holiday is sold at an inclusive price and includes at least two different types of travel services, covers at least 24 hours or includes an overnight stay and is bought from the same provider. Travel services can include:

• Transport
• Accommodation
• Car or other vehicle hire
• Other tourist activities that are a significant part of the package (for example, guided tours)

A package holiday can be ready-made or customised (sometimes called ‘dynamic’). A customised package holiday is one where you select different parts, such as flights and accommodation, but buy them together from a single point of sale (for example, a travel operator’s website) and at an inclusive price.

To be classified as a package, there must be either a single contract for all parts of the holiday or separate contracts with one inclusive price, with all parts chosen before you pay.

If the organiser makes a significant change to your holiday (other than the price) or cancels the trip, you must be offered one of the following:

• A replacement holiday of equivalent or superior quality, if available
• A lower grade holiday, with a refund of the difference in price, if available
• A full refund A ‘significant change’ includes changes to the dates of travel, a shortening of your trip or changes to the quality of accommodation provided.

The organiser has the right to cancel a package holiday because of factors beyond their control. If this happens, you are still entitled to a refund or a replacement package as set out above. It is up to you to negotiate with the organiser which option you would prefer.

You can find more information on your consumer rights in our package holidays section.

If your holiday falls within the definition of a package holiday, you have rights if your holiday organiser significantly changes or cancels your holiday before your departure date. If this happens, they must offer you one of the following:

• A replacement holiday of equivalent or superior quality, if they can provide this
• A lower grade holiday, with a refund of the difference in price, if they can provide this
• A full refund

The organiser has the right to cancel a package holiday because of factors beyond their control. If this happens, you are still entitled to a refund or a replacement package. You can negotiate with the organiser for the option you would prefer.

Suggested next steps

• Contact your travel agent/holiday organiser
• If you cannot resolve the issue, you can write to them to complain formally. Include your booking details with your concerns about the changes/cancellation
• If you took out travel insurance or have annual insurance, check the terms and conditions of the policy so see if your situation is covered. Contact the insurance provider if you need clarity on the cover
• If the travel agent / holiday organiser does not resolve your issue, and the cost is less than €2,000, you may wish to consider taking a case against the travel agent/holiday organiser at small claims procedure.

If your holiday falls within the definition of a package holiday you have rights and the travel agent / holiday organiser is responsible for the full performance of it.  They must put things right if anything goes wrong with the parts of your booking while on holiday.

You must report any issue to the organiser or their local representative, once the problem arises.

The organiser should make suitable alternative arrangements if you find that significant parts of your holiday are not as you agreed. These must be at no extra cost to you and if it is possible to provide them.

In some circumstances, you may be able to terminate your contract. For example, if the problem hugely affects your holiday and is not resolved within a reasonable time.

Suggested next steps and further actions you can take:

• Make a formal complaint in writing to the holiday organiser / travel agent, now you have returned home.
• You must do this within 28 days of your return. Include your booking details with any evidence - photos/videos of the problem from your holiday.
• Set out clearly the remediation/compensation that you are looking for from them.
• If you took out travel insurance for the package or have annual insurance, check the terms and conditions of the policy to see if your situation is covered. Contact the insurance provider if you need clarity on the cover.
• You may wish to consider taking a case against the holiday organiser through the small claims procedure.

You may be entitled to a full refund without a cancellation fee if there are extraordinary circumstances with your package. These may include:

• If there is an extraordinary issue occurring at your holiday destination that significantly affects the organiser being able to provide your holiday. For example, if there is a heatwave at your destination resort that results in the resort being closed on your booking dates.
  
  or
  
  
• If there is an extraordinary issue that affects your travel to your holiday destination. For example, if travel/flights to your destination country or city have been suspended due to war or unrest, or health and safety reasons.
  

To be covered by the legislation and to be able to get a refund, any extraordinary circumstances would need to be unavoidable by the organiser when trying to provide your holiday package.

Suggested next steps and further actions you can take:

• Check the Department of Foreign Affairs travel advice page on their website
• Make a  formal complaint in writing to your travel agent / holiday organiser, including all booking details, and outline the remedy you expect.
• If you took out travel insurance for the package holiday, check the policy and terms and conditions to see if your situation is covered. 
• You may wish to consider taking a case against the travel agent/holiday organiser through the small claims procedure. 

If your flight is cancelled, you can choose to get a refund or take a different flight (re-routing).

Refunds

If you have connecting flights, any refund must cover the full journey, including a return flight to your starting airport if needed. If you accept a refund but need another flight to complete your journey, you can also claim back any extra costs if your new ticket is more expensive.

Taking a different flight

If you accept a different flight, you might be entitled to compensation. This depends on when the airline told you about the cancellation. While you wait for your new flight, the airline should give you food, drinks and somewhere to stay if needed.

If the re-routing is to a different airport in the same city, the airline must pay for your transport to the original airport or another place you agree on.

For more information, visit our flights section.

You are entitled to compensation if you arrive at your destination at least three hours later than scheduled. The amount of compensation depends on whether the flight is short haul, medium haul or long haul. More information about how to calculate the length of your flight and the amount of compensation is available on the Irish Aviation Authority website. 

When you check in a bag, your airline is responsible if something happens to it. If it lost you can claim compensation from the airline.

If your bag has not turned up at the airport when you land, report the problem straight away to your airline in the airport baggage hall and fill in a Property Irregularity Report (PIR). Keep your boarding card and baggage tag number and ask for a copy of the PIR so you have a record that you notified the airline. You may also need to provide receipts for anything you are claiming for.

You may also be entitled to claim compensation for delayed bags. For more information visit our flights section.

Your accommodation must be as described when you booked it. You should be provided with accurate information before booking so you can make an informed decision. 

If you accommodation is not what you expected based on the information you were provided, first raise the issue with the accommodation provider. If you used a booking intermediary, you should inform them that the accommodation is not as described, as you may need to resolve the issue through them. For accommodation as part of a package holiday, the package holiday company is responsible for making sure your accommodation is as described. 

If your accommodation is not as was described and paid for, then you are entitled to be moved to accommodation of a similar or better standard, or to a partial refund. for more information visit our accommodation section.

Cancellation policies for accommodation bookings vary so it is very important to carefully check the terms and conditions of the booking. Check if there is a date you need to cancel by to get a full refund, or if the booking will refund deposits in the event of a cancellation. 

If you book through a booking intermediary or package holiday provider, check their terms and conditions as well as the terms and conditions of the hotel or host of your accommodation.  

If you have travel insurance, check your policy to see if it covers you for any money lost if you need to cancel an accommodation booking.

If your booking is cancelled due to overbooking or operational issues, the hotel should offer you alternative accommodation. This must be of similar or higher standard to what you originally booked. If the accommodation is of lower standard, you are entitled to a partial refund.

This applies whether you booked directly or with a booking intermediary. If you booked a package holiday, the package holiday provider is responsible for providing you with alternative accommodation.

If you need to cancel your holiday before departure, check the terms and conditions of your travel insurance policy. You must meet the policy conditions before you can claim, so consider this when buying insurance.

Before booking, check that your tour operator is a fully bonded company licensed by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). If a fully bonded company licensed by the IAA goes out of business, the regulator can act. Learn more about the IAA Consumer Protection Scheme.

They will assess your claim for a refund or arrange to get you home if you are stranded or experience significant delays. Find more information in our travel section.

You may also have cover if you book your trip on your credit card. Check your credit card’s terms and conditions.

Yes, you still need travel insurance even if you have private health insurance. While private insurance covers medical expenses, it does not cover crucial, non-medical costs like trip cancellation, lost/stolen baggage, or medical repatriation (flying you home).