New EU Travel Package Directive 2025: What Every Walker Needs to Know

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Everything you need to know – with focus on professional guides and associations

In June 2025, the European Parliament approved amendments to Directive (EU) 2015/2302. The goal is to strengthen traveller rights, simplify regulations and close gaps that emerged during the pandemic and with the evolution of digital bookings.
Below you'll find a comprehensive guide of over 1,000 words covering:

1. The new definition of a travel package
2. Exceptions and cases where the directive does not apply
3. Obligations for agencies, freelance guides and associations
4. Refund rights, vouchers, assistance and insolvency protection
5. Penalties and practical steps to comply

1. What is a "travel package" today?

The updated directive defines a package as "any combination of at least two different travel services – transport, accommodation, vehicle rental or other travel services – purchased for the same trip or holiday" when just one of the following scenarios applies (Art. 3.2):

• Services are combined by a single operator before the contract;
• They are purchased at a single point of sale and selected before payment;
• They are booked within 24 hours because the traveller was actively invited to do so (e.g. "Book the hotel too within 24 hours and get a discount");
• They are sold at a total or "all-inclusive" price;
• They are advertised with the word "package" or similar;
• The traveller chooses between multiple services thanks to a voucher or credit issued by the same trader;
• Bookings occur on linked websites (customer data automatically transferred) within 24 hours.

In practice: from the classic "organised week" to a flight+hotel combo bought online in a single checkout or two clicks close together, everything now falls within the concept of a package.

2. When does the directive not apply?

Article 2 excludes only three scenarios, which must coexist simultaneously:

1. Duration less than 24 hours and with no overnight stay;
2. Occasional offer, non-profit;
3. Aimed at a limited group of travellers (e.g. members of a club only).

If even one of these requirements is missing, the full application of the regulations comes into play.

3. Who is considered an "organiser" (and why it matters for guides and associations)

The directive calls a "trader" any natural or legal person acting for professional purposes.
An organiser is the trader who combines and sells services as a package, directly or through other parties.

3.1 Professional guides

If a mountain or environmental guide:

• proposes a multi-day trek;
• includes overnight accommodation (mountain hut, B&B, hotel);
• adds any transport, meals or extra services;

they become an organiser in every respect. Simply calling yourself "just a guide" is not enough to avoid obligations: what matters is the combination of services. Guides must therefore:

• provide complete pre-contractual information;
• arrange insolvency guarantees;
• ensure refunds within 14 days if the trip is cancelled;
• have a complaints management system in place.

3.2 Sports, cultural or environmental associations

Many associations organise pilgrimages, yoga retreats or photography trips. If the event:

• lasts more than 24 hours or includes an overnight stay;
• is open to the public (social media promotion, newsletter);
• has a fee that covers costs and margins,

then the association becomes an organiser. The only way out is an occasional, non-profit offer for a truly limited group; otherwise all the obligations set out in the directive apply.

4. What obligations apply to agencies, guides and associations?

4.1 Transparent information

Before the contract, the client must receive a standard form with: destinations, duration, total price, deposits, cancellation rights, insolvency guarantee, etc.

4.2 Deposit limits

For packages booked more than 28 days before departure, the operator cannot request more than 25% as a deposit, unless documented costs are higher (new Art. 5a).

4.3 Quick refunds and regulated vouchers

• If the trip is cancelled or substantially modified (price increase of 8%, date changes, inaccessible destinations) the client can withdraw free of charge and receive a refund within 14 days.
• Vouchers are valid only with express consent, are valid for max 12 months and, if unused, must be automatically refunded (Art. 12a).

4.4 Assistance in case of difficulties

During the trip, the organiser must provide immediate support, including finding alternative solutions and possible repatriation.

4.5 Insolvency protection

Every organiser (including guides or associations) must guarantee a fund or insurance policy that covers client refunds and repatriation if the business fails.

4.6 Complaints system and ADR

A complaints management process with response within 30 days is mandatory, as is the indication of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) bodies.

5. When can the customer cancel without penalties?

The traveller has the right to cancel free of charge if "unavoidable and extraordinary circumstances" – wars, natural disasters, serious epidemics – significantly affect the trip. Official travel warnings are also among the elements to be considered.

6. Penalties and inspections

Member States must provide effective, proportionate and deterrent penalties: the draft mentions caps of up to 4% of turnover for serious violations. Claiming "we are not a tour operator" does not exempt you from responsibility: the directive expressly prohibits this.

7. Practical compliance checklist

Action	Who must do it	When
Assess whether your offer qualifies as a package	Agencies, guides, associations	Immediately
Arrange insolvency guarantee	All organisers	Before selling
Update terms and conditions + information forms	All	By end of 2025
Implement 14-day refund procedure	All	For new sales
Train team on complaints and ADR	Agencies/associations	Q1 2026
Review professional liability and assistance policies	Guides/guides-leaders	Q1 2026

8. Conclusions

The new EU Directive 2025 raises standards to protect travellers and requires everyone – from multinationals to non-profit organisations – to guarantee:

• Complete transparency pre-contract
• Economic security (insolvency fund)
• Quick refunds or truly optional vouchers
• Concrete assistance on the ground

For professional guides and associations, this means a paradigm shift: organising multi-service trips effectively transforms them into tour operators. Complying now is the only way to avoid penalties and, most importantly, to offer your clients the premium, safe and reliable travel experience that today's market demands.

Offering walking trips as a guide or association?

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