# Package Travel Regulations Checker: Is This a Package?

> Answer a few questions to see if a UK trip is a package, a linked travel arrangement or neither under the 2018 Regulations, with the duties that follow.

Work out whether a trip you are selling is a package, a linked travel arrangement or neither under the UK Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018. Answer the questions, then see the regulation that decides it and what it means for you as organiser, including insolvency protection, ATOL and information duties.

- Use the tool: https://globalluxagency.com/tools/package-travel-regulations-checker
- For: Travel advisors & agencies, Experience creators & DMCs
- Price: free, no sign-up; calculations run in the browser and nothing is stored
- Last updated: 2026-11-13
- Publisher: Luxury Travel Tools by Global Lux Agency (https://globalluxagency.com)

Guidance only, not advice. Tax and legal rules change and depend on your exact circumstances. This tool gives general guidance based on the information you provide and any published sources listed on this page. It is not tax, legal or financial advice. Check the figures and terms in your contract with your broker, supplier or a qualified adviser before relying on them.

## Frequently asked questions

### What makes a trip a package under the Package Travel Regulations?

At least two different types of travel service (transport, accommodation, vehicle hire and other tourist services) for the same trip, put together in one of the ways listed in regulation 2(5): combined by one trader before a single contract, bought from one point of sale before paying, sold at an inclusive or total price, advertised as a “package”, chosen from a gift-box-style selection, or booked through linked online booking processes where the traveller’s details are passed on within 24 hours.

### Does a hotel with an excursion or spa treatment count as a package?

Only if the excursion or treatment is a significant proportion of the value or is advertised as, or otherwise is, an essential feature of the trip (regulation 2(6)). Government guidance gives 25% or more of the value as a rule of thumb, but it is not a fixed threshold. It is not a package if the extra service is chosen and bought after the stay has started.

### What changes on 6 April 2027?

The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 abolish linked travel arrangements for contracts concluded on or after 6 April 2027. Where one trader lets the traveller select and pay for each service separately on a single visit or contact, that becomes a package (new regulation 2(5)(c)). Targeted links to another trader without passing on the traveller’s data drop out of the Regulations. Contracts concluded before that date keep the old rules, so it is the booking date that matters, not the travel date.

### Do the Regulations apply to business travel?

Yes, unless the trip is bought under a general agreement: a framework contract between a business and a travel provider for booking that business’s travel (regulation 3(2)(c)). Business travellers who book through ordinary consumer channels are protected like anyone else.

### Do I need ATOL or a bond for a package?

Every UK organiser of packages needs insolvency protection. A package that includes a flight is normally protected through ATOL, run by the Civil Aviation Authority. Packages without flights need a bond through an approved body, insurance or a trust account (regulations 19 to 24). Where services are added to an ATOL-protected flight in a single visit after 6 April 2027, the added services need non-flight protection as well.

### Can I avoid being an organiser by saying I am only an agent?

No. Regulation 30 says a declaration that you act only as an intermediary, or that a package is not a package, does not remove the organiser’s obligations. What counts is how the services were put together and sold.

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## Sources and default figures

- **The four types of travel service:** {"carriage":"Carriage of passengers","accommodation":"Accommodation that is not intrinsically part of the carriage of passengers and not for residential purposes","vehicleHire":"Rental of cars, other motor vehicles or motorcycles needing a category A licence","otherTourist":"Any other tourist service not intrinsically part of the three above"}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 2 (interpretation)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/2) (legislation.gov.uk); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **Definition of a package (two or more types of travel service for the same trip):** {"2(5)(a)":"Combined by one trader before a single contract on all services is concluded, including at the traveller’s request or selection","2(5)(b)(i)":"Purchased from a single point of sale and selected before the traveller agrees to pay","2(5)(b)(ii)":"Offered, sold or charged at an inclusive or total price","2(5)(b)(iii)":"Advertised or sold as a “package” or under a similar term","2(5)(b)(iv)":"Combined after a contract that lets the traveller choose among a selection of travel services (for example a gift box)","2(5)(b)(v)":"Bought from separate traders through linked online booking processes, where the traveller’s name, payment details and email are passed on and the second contract is concluded within 24 hours of the first booking being confirmed","2(5)(c)":"From 6 April 2027: separate contracts where one trader facilitated, on a single visit to or contact with its point of sale, the separate selection of and separate payment for each service"}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 2 (interpretation)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/2) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/455)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/455/made) (legislation.gov.uk, 2026-04-22); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **When an “other tourist service” counts towards a package:** {"notPackageIf":["it is not a significant proportion of the value of the combination and is not advertised as, and does not otherwise represent, an essential feature","it is selected and purchased after performance of the transport, accommodation or vehicle hire has started"]}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 2 (interpretation)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/2) (legislation.gov.uk).
- **“Significant proportion” rule of thumb for other tourist services:** 25% of the value of the combination. Confidence: medium; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **Definition of a linked travel arrangement (contracts concluded before 6 April 2027):** {"2(3)(a)":"On a single visit to or contact with a trader’s point of sale, the trader facilitates the separate selection and separate payment of each travel service","2(3)(b)":"The trader facilitates, in a targeted manner, the purchase of at least one additional travel service from another trader, with that contract concluded within 24 hours of confirmation of the first booking"}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 2 (interpretation)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/2) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/455)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/455/made) (legislation.gov.uk, 2026-04-22); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **Arrangements the Regulations do not apply to:** {"3(2)(a)":"Covering a period of less than 24 hours, unless overnight accommodation is included","3(2)(b)":"Offered occasionally, on a not-for-profit basis, to a limited group of travellers","3(2)(c)":"Purchased on the basis of a general agreement between a trader and another business for booking travel in connection with that business"}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 3 (application)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/3) (legislation.gov.uk); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **Commencement of the 2026 amendments (linked travel arrangements abolished):** 2027-04-06 date. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/455)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/455/made) (legislation.gov.uk, 2026-04-22); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **Main duties of a package organiser:** {"performance":"Liable for the performance of every travel service in the package, whoever provides it (regulation 15)","preContractInfo":"Schedule 1 information plus the standard information form in Schedule 2 or 3, or Schedule 4 for linked online bookings (regulation 5)","contract":"Contract containing Schedule 1 and Schedule 5 information, with a copy or confirmation on a durable medium (regulation 7)","insolvency":"Effective security for refunds and, where transport is included, repatriation (regulation 19)"}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 5 (pre-contractual information)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/5) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 7 (content of the package travel contract)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/7) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 15 (responsibility for performance)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/15) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 19 (insolvency protection for packages)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/19) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 30 (rights and obligations)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/30) (legislation.gov.uk); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28).
- **Flight packages are protected through ATOL:** ATOL. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 19 (insolvency protection for packages)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/19) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 26 (insolvency protection and information for linked travel arrangements)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/26) (legislation.gov.uk); [Package holidays: complying with regulations – guidance for businesses (updated for the 2026 amendments)](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/package-holidays-complying-with-regulations-guidance-for-businesses) (Department for Business and Trade, 2026-10-28); [ATOL protection](https://www.caa.co.uk/atol-protection/) (Civil Aviation Authority).
- **Duties of a trader facilitating a linked travel arrangement (before 6 April 2027):** {"insolvency":"Security for refunds of payments the trader receives, and repatriation if it is responsible for the carriage (regulation 26(1) to (5))","information":"Before the traveller is bound, state prominently that package rights do not apply and give the Schedule 6 to 10 form (regulation 26(7) to (9))","failure":"If the trader does not comply, package rights under regulations 9, 12 to 14 and Part 4 apply (regulation 26(11))"}. Confidence: high; last verified 2026-11-13. Source: [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/634), regulation 26 (insolvency protection and information for linked travel arrangements)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/634/regulation/26) (legislation.gov.uk); [The Package Travel and Linked Travel Arrangements (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/455)](https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2026/455/made) (legislation.gov.uk, 2026-04-22).