Urlaubsguru
Urlaubsguru is a German online travel platform founded in 2012 that aggregates package holidays, hotels, and vacation rentals from 47+ tour operators for DACH leisure travelers, monetizing via commissions and affiliate referrals across web and mobile channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersHolzwickede, Germany
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Urlaubsguru does
Urlaubsguru GmbH is a German online travel agency and metasearch platform founded in 2012 and headquartered in Holzwickede, Germany, serving German-speaking leisure travelers (DACH market) with package holidays, hotels, and vacation rentals. The core platform at urlaubsguru.de aggregates inventory from more than 47 tour operators — including DERTOUR, TUI, schauinsland reisen, alltours, ITS, and Coral travel — alongside the proprietary 'Urlaubsguru Touristik' tour operator brand, and routes transactions through a dedicated booking engine at buchen.urlaubsguru.de and a vacation rental portal at fewo.urlaubsguru.de powered by Holidu integration. Product categories span all-inclusive, last-minute, early-booking, package holidays, self-drive, cruises, city breaks, long-haul, ski trips, wellness weekends, and a distinctive Blind Booking / Blookery mystery-travel offering.
The underlying technology is a web-based booking and comparison platform with search and filtering across operators, supplemented by native iOS and Android applications and an extensive Reisemagazin content library that drives SEO and top-of-funnel acquisition. The company monetizes primarily through commission economics from tour operators on package holiday transactions, plus affiliate/referral fees from vacation rental bookings routed to partner platforms. The go-to-market is product-led and direct-to-consumer, with a 365-day customer service operation, email newsletters, mobile apps, and a claimed position as Germany's largest social media travel community providing organic reach.
Customer segmentation is broad and consumer-only, spanning families, couples, budget travelers, individual travelers, and luxury travelers. Urlaubsguru operates as a private, bootstrapped entity with no disclosed external funding, no parent company, and a lean 11–50 employee headcount, with extended partnerships including GetYourGuide for activities and the Slovenian Tourist Board for destination content.
Urlaubsguru firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Urlaubsguru
- Legal name
- Urlaubsguru GmbH
- Website
- https://urlaubsguru.de
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Urlaubsguru is a German online travel platform founded in 2012 that aggregates package holidays, hotels, and vacation rentals from 47+ tour operators for DACH leisure travelers, monetizing via commissions and affiliate referrals across web and mobile channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Urlaubsguru industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Travel Agency
- NAICS
- Travel Agencies (561510), Tour Operators (56152)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Private/Customized Multi-Day Tour Operators (THAKADAC)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Luxury Travel Agencies (THAKAFAA)
Keywords
Where Urlaubsguru is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Holzwickede
- HQ country
- Germany
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Urlaubsguru business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Operations, Others
Revenue model
- Package Holiday Commissions: Commissions earned from travel operators (Veranstalter) when customers book package holidays through the platform. The platform aggregates offers from 47+ tour operators including DERTOUR, TUI, schauinsland reisen, alltours, ITS, and Coral travel.
- Vacation Rental Referrals: Referral fees from vacation rental bookings through partner platforms (fewo.urlaubsguru.de), directing customers to external booking systems for ferienwohnungen (vacation apartments) and ferienhäuser (vacation homes).
- Tour Operator Partnerships: Commercial partnerships with tour operators for booking integration and featured placement of their travel packages on the platform.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Package holidays (Pauschalreisen) with flight, hotel, and transfers |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Urlaubsguru product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Urlaubsguru operates a German online travel booking platform (urlaubsguru.de) that aggregates package holidays, hotels, and vacation rentals from 47+ tour operators including DERTOUR, TUI, schauinsland reisen, alltours, ITS, and Coral travel. Customers use the self-service website and mobile apps to search, compare, and book all-inclusive holidays, last-minute deals, early-bird offers, cruises, city breaks, wellness weekends, and mystery Blind Bookings. The company earns commissions on bookings and referral fees from partner tour operators, and also operates its own tour operator brand (Urlaubsguru Touristik).
Product overview
Urlaubsguru is a German online travel booking platform operating as a metasearch and direct booking service. The core offering consists of the main booking platform (urlaubsguru.de), a dedicated booking engine (buchen.urlaubsguru.de), and a specialized holiday apartment service (fewo.urlaubsguru.de). The platform aggregates package holidays from over 47 tour operators including DERTOUR, TUI, schauinsland reisen, alltours, ITS, and Coral travel. Product categories include All Inclusive holidays, Last Minute deals, early booking discounts, package holidays, cruises, city breaks, ski trips, wellness getaways, and long-haul travel. The platform also features a travel magazine for destination inspiration and a Blind Booking surprise travel feature. Mobile apps for iOS and Android extend the booking capabilities to mobile users.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Urlaubsguru.de Booking Platform Main online travel booking platform offering search and comparison functionality for package holidays, all-inclusive deals, hotels, cruises, and vacation rentals. Customers can filter by destination, departure airport, dates, meals, room type, sea view, and hotel category, then book directly through the integrated booking engine.
- Urlaubsguru Buchungsstrecke (Booking Engine) Dedicated booking engine for completing travel bookings including flights, hotels, and package holidays sourced from partner tour operators.
- Urlaubsguru Ferienwohnungen (Vacation Rental Portal) Specialized portal for booking holiday apartments (Ferienwohnungen) and vacation homes (Ferienhäuser) across Germany and Europe. Directs customers to external partner booking systems to complete reservations.
- Urlaubsguru Mobile App Mobile applications for iOS and Android enabling on-the-go search and booking of package holidays and hotels. Available on Google Play Store (id: de.trimexa.urlaubsguru) and Apple App Store (id: 692735087).
- Blind Booking (Blookery) Mystery travel booking service where customers select travel parameters such as departure airport, travel month, and travel type, and receive surprise destination and hotel offers.
- All Inclusive Holidays Curated all-inclusive holiday packages to destinations including Turkey, Mallorca, Greece, Egypt, and Canary Islands, with bundled flights, accommodation, transfers, meals, and drinks.
- Last Minute Travel Last-minute travel deals and spontaneous holiday bookings for travelers with flexible dates seeking discounted package holidays.
- Frühbucher (Early Booking) Holidays Early-bird discounted package holidays for advance reservations, rewarding customers who plan and book their vacations well in advance.
- Cruise Holidays (Kreuzfahrten) Cruise holiday packages and bookings offered through the platform, covering multiple cruise lines and itineraries.
- City Breaks (Städtereisen) Short city break packages to urban destinations including Vienna, London, New York, Rome, Barcelona, and Budapest, combining flights and accommodation.
- Wellness Weekends Relaxation-focused weekend getaway packages featuring spa treatments, wellness amenities, and half-board or full-board dining options at partner hotels.
Companies that use Urlaubsguru
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles1 record
Urlaubsguru technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Urlaubsguru partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- DERTOURcoreMajor German tour operator whose package holiday offerings are featured on Urlaubsguru's booking platform. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- TUIcoreGlobal tour operator and travel company whose travel packages are available through Urlaubsguru's platform. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- schauinsland reisencoreGerman tour operator specializing in package holidays, integrated on Urlaubsguru's booking platform. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- alltourscoreGerman tour operator whose holiday packages are featured on Urlaubsguru's platform. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- ITScoreGerman tour operator integrated on Urlaubsguru's platform for package holiday bookings. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- Coral travelcoreInternational tour operator whose travel packages are available through Urlaubsguru's platform. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- Urlaubsguru TouristikcoreOwn tour operator brand of Urlaubsguru providing proprietary package holiday offerings. One of 47+ tour operators integrated on the platform.
- HoliduminorVacation rental metasearch partner providing ferienhäuser (vacation home) listings referenced in Denmark travel content.
- GetYourGuideminorTours and activities partner powering activity recommendations in Slovenia destination content.
- Slowenische Tourismuszentrale (Slovenian Tourist Board)minorOfficial tourism board partnership for Slovenia destination marketing content, providing photography and destination information.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Urlaubsguru competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- HolidayCheck Group: German-speaking online travel platform combining hotel reviews, package booking, and meta-search. Directly comparable to Urlaubsguru as a DACH OTA focused on package holidays and hotel bookings.
- Check24: Germany's leading price-comparison portal, with travel (flights, hotels, packages) as a major vertical alongside insurance, finance, and energy. Comparable to Urlaubsguru as a comparison/booking destination for German travel consumers.
- ab-in-den-urlaub.de: German online travel agency offering package holidays from major tour operators at discounted prices. Closely comparable in product (Pauschalreisen, last-minute, all-inclusive) and target market (German leisure travelers).
- Travelcircus: German OTA specializing in curated travel deals and short-trip packages. Comparable as a deal-driven DACH OTA targeting the same leisure traveler segment with package-style offerings.
- weg.de: German online travel agency (part of REWE Group) offering package holidays, hotels, and flights. Comparable in core product mix, target market, and distribution through tour operator partnerships.
Broad incumbents
- Booking.com: Global OTA leader with massive hotel, vacation rental, flight, and attraction inventory. Competes with Urlaubsguru for German traveler bookings, particularly in accommodation and package segments, but at vastly larger scale and brand.
- Expedia Group: Global OTA conglomerate (Expedia, Hotels.com, Vrbo) operating across the full travel stack. Competes with Urlaubsguru on the German package holiday consumer with broader supply and technology investment.
- TUI: Europe's largest integrated tour operator and a key supply partner of Urlaubsguru. Comparable as a major source of package holiday inventory in the DACH market and a competitor for direct package bookings via tui.com.
Emerging players
- Secret Escapes: Members-only travel deals club offering discounted luxury hotel and package offers. Comparable to Urlaubsguru's deal-driven model, particularly in the luxury and discount segments, though focused on premium hotels.
Regional players
- lastminute.com: European last-minute and package holiday OTA with a strong presence in Germany (lastminute.de). Comparable in product categories (last-minute deals, package holidays) and German consumer target, though headquartered and operated pan-European.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Urlaubsguru social profiles
Digital presenceUrlaubsguru financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Urlaubsguru leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Urlaubsguru funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Urlaubsguru M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Urlaubsguru
What does Urlaubsguru do?
Urlaubsguru operates a German online travel booking platform (urlaubsguru.de) that aggregates package holidays, hotels, and vacation rentals from 47+ tour operators including DERTOUR, TUI, schauinsland reisen, alltours, ITS, and Coral travel. Customers use the self-service website and mobile apps to search, compare, and book all-inclusive holidays, last-minute deals, early-bird offers, cruises, city breaks, wellness weekends, and mystery Blind Bookings. The company earns commissions on bookings and referral fees from partner tour operators, and also operates its own tour operator brand (Urlaubsguru Touristik).
Is Urlaubsguru a public or private company?
Urlaubsguru is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Urlaubsguru founded?
Urlaubsguru was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Urlaubsguru based?
Urlaubsguru is headquartered in Holzwickede, Germany, in the Europe region.
How does Urlaubsguru make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Package Holiday Commissions are the primary driver. The others are vacation Rental Referrals and tour Operator Partnerships.
Who are Urlaubsguru's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are HolidayCheck Group, Check24, ab-in-den-urlaub.de, Travelcircus and weg.de. Broad incumbents are Booking.com, Expedia Group and TUI. Secret Escapes is listed as an emerging player. lastminute.com is listed as a regional player.
Does Urlaubsguru have an API?
No public API is recorded for Urlaubsguru.
What industry is Urlaubsguru in?
Urlaubsguru's product category is Online Travel Agency. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAKADAC, Private/Customized Multi-Day Tour Operators, with a secondary code of THAKAFAA, Luxury Travel Agencies. Its NAICS code is 561510.