If you are planning a holiday trip, you have many places to go these days. From travel agencies to classic tour operators and booking portals as well as holiday deal portals, there is a huge selection of options to find the next dream holiday.

With this article, we would like to introduce you to a still quite young, independent holiday deal portal. Urlaubsfritzen is a travel portal that searches for holiday deals with all well-known tour operators and presents the best ones on their website. When selecting deals, the portal focuses on
package tours
for hotels with good to very good ratings. Because all too often, cheap hotels are not necessarily the best and most beautiful hotels. Thanks to these criteria, holiday enthusiasts want to ensure that the next holiday will actually be a dream holiday.

The maxim of Urlaubsfritzen

For the selection of holiday deals for package tours, the portal proceeds according to the maxim “quality before quantity”. Therefore, all travel offers are hand-selected. The deal offer includes classic 3-, 4- and 5-star hotels with the usual catering packages such as breakfast, half and full board as well as all-inclusive hotels. In addition, the Urlaubsfritzen have developed their own data-based hotel rating score as a further quality feature. This serves as the basis for the so-called Urlaubsfritzen Hotelaward, which was presented for the first time in 2020 in the categories Diamond, Gold, Silver and Bronze.

The range of package tours

The portal has prepared its offer of package tours via a menu structure according to the classic travel countries in such a way that you can quickly and easily be inspired in your search for a holiday deal. The offer includes popular destinations on the Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, the Greek Islands, North Africa, the Caribbean and Asia. Almost all offers in the area of package tours also have a travel calendar, where the offer prices for the deal are displayed for all months in which the hotel can be booked. According to Urlaubsfritzen, this is updated regularly.

In addition, there is a helpful climate overview for each package tour presented at Urlaubsfritzen with the monthly temperatures, average hours of sunshine per day and the water temperatures, should the hotel be located by the sea.

Hotel search as an extended offer

In addition to the classic package tours, the Urlaubsfritzen also offer a hotel search on their portal. According to the portal, the hotel database currently includes about 11,000 selected hotels in Europe. As in the area of package tours, these hotels are selected on the basis of review data. In this way, the holiday enthusiasts want to make sure that you can book every hotel presented here without hesitation and have a nice hotel stay. A filter search makes it easier to find a hotel here.

Range of flights and cruises as well as last minute travel deals

On Urlaubsfritzen you will also find offers for cruises. However, this offer is currently still very limited, but according to the portal operators, it will be successively expanded. The aviation sector also has potential for expansion. In the area of last minute offers, the holiday fritzen are working on a new concept. It remains to be seen what this concept will look like and when it will be released.

Holiday Fritzen Conclusion

The range of package tours seems interesting and conclusive. According to the founders, there are some projects that will not only enhance the overall offer, but also expand it. We are curious to see how the holiday deal portal will continue.

When packing for a trip, contact lens wearers are often faced with the question of whether they should take their contact lenses or their glasses with them. After all, the smooth replacement requires a lot of effort and a certain standard of hygiene, which is not always so easy to guarantee on vacation. Both options have their own advantages and disadvantages, which should be weighed up depending on the destination, activities and personal preferences. We have looked at some of them and summarized them to help you decide.

Travelling with contact lenses

If you already use them, you already know what’s coming, because the advantages of contact lenses are obvious. They offer a natural and unrestricted view, as they rest directly on the surface of the eye and can be used in everyday life without hindrance. They also allow activities such as swimming, sports or outdoor adventures without restricting movement, thus guaranteeing planning with slightly fewer obstacles. Surfing or diving can also be done with contact lenses – particularly soft lenses work well here. However, they should be disposed of immediately after the water visit if water and the bacteria in it have cheated under the lens. If you’re on a winter holiday, you also benefit from not having to deal with fogged up lenses – and can wear snow protection goggles without any inconvenience.

However, as mentioned at the beginning, contact lenses require thorough hygiene. For example, if you don’t always have direct access to running water to guarantee clean hands, you risk infections in the worst case. Long flights, air-conditioned or heated environments, or dusty places can also cause dryness and irritation – especially if the lenses are worn for long periods of time. Something you certainly don’t want to have to struggle with on vacation. In addition to the more than enough spare lenses, contact lens fluid and storage containers in your luggage, there should also be drops of moisture.

The glasses with you on holiday

With their simple putting on and taking off, glasses require much less elaborate care and hygiene than contact lenses. As a natural barrier between the eyes and the environment, they also protect – which can be particularly beneficial in dry or dusty air and reduce eye irritation. And they are versatile! In changing light conditions, when reading or doing activities, they can be easily removed. In extremely sunny environments, prescription sunglasses also provide reliable vision from intense sunlight and protect against sunburn and possible photokeratitis (which is basically the equivalent of sunburn of the eyes!). In quite windy environments, on the other hand, they protect against the penetration of tiny particles such as sand or dust.

Compared to lenses, however, they offer a much more limited view – which can be annoying on vacation, especially with beautiful panoramic views. In addition, some activities are restricted. Especially during sports or outdoor activities, glasses can quickly become uncomfortable or slip. And: they are much more susceptible to loss or damage, which can quickly become problematic when traveling if replacements are not readily available.

Which visual aid is better when?

As is so often the case, the decision between contact lenses and glasses when traveling depends on individual needs. For those who are looking for clear vision without restrictions and can comply with the necessary hygiene measures, contact lenses are still worthwhile. However, glasses come up trumps with much less maintenance and can be the smart choice, especially for holidays in the countryside. They offer more protection and comfort in some situations, but the opposite in others due to slipping or fogging. It is always advisable to consider both options and choose based on the itinerary, desired activities and preferences. Either way, we recommend having both spare lenses and glasses as a backup in your luggage to be equipped for all eventualities. No matter which option is chosen, suddenly finding yourself without a clear view on vacation is catastrophic in both cases.

In this day and age, planning and booking a holiday has never been easier. With a few clicks, you can explore destinations, compare prices, and make reservations. However, the number of holiday scams is also increasing.

Unscrupulous individuals and organized scam gangs have found creative ways to exploit unsuspecting tourists. But there are ways you can protect yourself against it.

Possible travel scams and how to protect yourself against them

Fake booking websites

One of the most common forms of digital travel fraud is the creation of fake booking websites. These sites mimic real travel booking platforms, making it difficult for unsuspecting travelers to recognize them as fake.

Cybercriminals often lure their victims with attractive offers, heavily discounted prices, and tempting vacation packages. They manipulate you to the point that you make a payment, but do not deliver the promised reservations or accommodations; in the end, you are left without accommodation and without money.

To protect yourself, always check the authenticity of a website by clicking on secure connections (HTTPS; key symbol in front of the URL in the address bar). If it is a website that is previously unknown to you, read reviews beforehand and make sure that the website is affiliated with reputable travel associations or organizations .

In addition, you can use a VPN (Virtual Private Network), as some providers have integrated the function of warning you about malicious websites and blocking them.

In addition, you can send your IP address with an online VPN and your data encrypted through a VPN tunnel. A VPN is therefore a good, universal tool for more privacy and security on the net.

Phishing and identity theft

Phishing is a technique used by cybercriminals to obtain personal information such as credit card details and other sensitive data.

In the context of travel fraud, the cybercriminals can send emails or SMS pretending to be from well-known airlines, hotels, or travel agencies. These messages often ask users to update their personal information or make an immediate payment to secure their bookings.

If you become a victim of such an attack, it can lead to identity theft and financial losses.

Therefore, never open links or attachments in email or SMS that come from an unknown sender. Even with supposedly known senders, you should be extremely careful and, if in doubt, contact the company or person and find out whether the message is authentic.

Holiday rental scams

The advent of platforms like Airbnb, which connect travelers with vacation rental homeowners, has opened up new opportunities for scammers. Fraudulent advertisements, fake photos and non-existent accommodations are now the order of the day.

Unsuspecting travelers book these accommodations, only to find out at their destination that they have been scammed. Some scammers even pretend to be owners and demand advance payments.

How to protect yourself: Use reputable rental platforms with reliable verification procedures and user reviews. Avoid upfront payments in the sense of bank transfers or payments outside of a platform, and be wary of offers that seem too good to be true.

If in doubt, communicate directly with the owners or managers, ask for additional photos or information, and verify the existence of the property through independent sources.

Social media scams

Cybercriminals create fake social media accounts and lure users with dreamy vacation photos and enticing promotional offers. They require prepayment for exclusive offers or holiday packages and disappear once payment is made.

In addition, social media is also used to collect personal information about people’s travel plans, which can then be used for targeted scams or break-ins.

Research and verify the authenticity of social media accounts before engaging with them. Be careful when it comes to sharing detailed travel plans or personal information about yourself publicly.

We all need vacation at some point. Time out from the stress of everyday life, from the office and the hustle and bustle that surrounds us everywhere every day. And by everyone we really mean everyone: singles, couples and families with children. But not always the planning of the trip or the trip itself is crowned by relaxation. Usually, however, the stress does not start at the destination, but some time before: At home while planning your trip!

Here are some tips on how to get to your well-deserved holiday relaxed (and not ready for a holiday!).

Tip 1: Finding the right destination

Many people mean many different opinions and this can also be the case within the family. If you already know (your) holiday destination: wonderful, then nothing can go wrong!

But often we have no idea where our next (hopefully relaxing) vacation will take us. When choosing a destination, good advice can sometimes be quite expensive. Therefore, the following must first be explored:

What should our holiday look like?

Even if you don’t know a specific destination, you can weigh up in advance what kind of holiday it should be: do you want to spend a beach holiday by the sea, in a nice resort or apartment? Or should it be an active holiday in the mountains, where you can see and experience as much as possible? Or is the family drawn inland for sightseeing in different cities? Once this first hurdle has been cleared, then further planning will (almost) take place.

Another important question is:

How long can the arrival time be?

This question alone narrows down the potential travel destination very narrowly. If the travel hours do not matter, you are flexible and can consider distant places. But if you only want to be on the road for a certain maximum number of hours, it becomes more difficult. It is still important to consider: why travel far away when the good is so close?

Closely linked to the question of travel time is also this one:

How do you want to travel?

Do you want to go on holiday with your own car and be as flexible as possible on site or would you prefer to reach your destination by train or plane in a more relaxed way? When choosing the means of travel, you should always keep the needs of all travelers in mind, especially for families with children, either nerves can be extremely tense or a relaxed start to the vacation can take place.

Tip 2: Well packed is half the battle!

Once the destination is set, half the battle is already done. Now it’s time to adapt the luggage to the destination and the travel time. Various packing lists on the Internet can help here and significantly shorten the preparation time. But not only should you think about the right clothing, but also about the healthiest possible travel food for the whole family.

Tip 3: Plan (and book) joint activities on site

But not only the luggage should be well thought out and organized. A lot of stress can also be taken out of the destination itself if some destinations, for example sights in cities or attractive offers especially for families, etc., are planned before arrival and the tickets for them are booked in advance. So you can not only start your vacation free and drive to a foreign city without pressure, but usually you can also find the best combination offers of tickets for sights and public transport online. In Rome, for example, you can use the Rome Pass , it is definitely worth making an online comparison to see which ticket is best suited for the family.

Another valuable tip (especially for families with children):

When planning excursions, you should always have an alternative ready in case the weather conditions change unexpectedly.

Tip 4: Nothing is a must, everything is possible!

At home you are tense and constantly under pressure. This is not only due to the many to-do’s that you have and also burden yourself with – from household to family to work – but also to the constant accessibility that the age of information technology has given us. Yes, a smartphone can be a blessing and a curse at the same time, because no matter where you are, you can be found anywhere and thus contacted. But not only that: you yourself also very easily fall into the comparison trap! Quickly check the social media channels and you will see many beautiful pictures of fantastic vacation spots or accommodations of friends or just people you follow, and start drawing comparisons to your own life – usually these are not positive. In order to avoid all this and rule out another stress factor, you should actually do one thing on vacation: put your smartphone aside, turn it off and don’t let social media and other messages get carried away by comparisons of your own life with those of others. Just enjoy the newfound (smartphone-free) family time and get to know each other much better on a different and new level. Not only the psyche, but also your children will be grateful if you don’t constantly look at the small screen, but devote your full attention to them.

If you follow these tips, nothing stands in the way of a relaxing holiday with the whole family. We wish you a safe journey!