YAT Reisen

What YAT Reisen does

YAT Reisen GmbH is a Paderborn-based German tour operator (Reiseveranstalter) founded in 2003 that organizes accompanied group travel packages for people with physical, intellectual, and multiple disabilities. The company serves children and youth aged 6-20 as well as adults up to 99 years old, with distinct product lines covering children/youth travel, adults with intellectual disabilities, adults with physical disabilities, themed travel (beach, city, active, wellness), a discount Spartipp line, and trial Probe-Wochenenden. Pricing is structured around four support tiers (A through D) ranging from approximately €599 to over €4,600 per trip, with a 25% deposit on booking and final balance four weeks before travel. Approximately 70% of travelers finance their assistance costs through German statutory health insurance (Krankenkasse) using Verhinderungspflege and Entlastungsbetrag budgets, supported by a direct billing service that carries a €30 fee.

The operating platform is a standard WordPress-based web presence with a proprietary online trip search tool (Reisekonfigurator) that filters by season, duration, age group, activity type, and required support type. Core technology is commodity: Google Analytics, Borlabs Cookie for GDPR compliance, Cloudflare Turnstile for bot protection, and Zoom for digital info evenings. The company's primary differentiator is not technology but its human-capital infrastructure: a network of over 400 trained volunteer travel companions developed and maintained through its long-standing partner Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. (FoB), which trains all companions in a recognized curriculum. The company also operates a proprietary three-dimensional accommodation rating system assessing comfort, accessibility level, and on-site facilities.

Commercially, YAT runs a direct-to-consumer, consultation-led go-to-market. The 25-person core Paderborn team handles inbound via website callback appointments, phone hotline, WhatsApp, email, free digital info evenings on Zoom, and print/digital catalogs. Distribution is exclusively direct, with no third-party resellers. The company is privately held by managing directors Dominik Nolte and Alexander Nolte, has no external investors or parent company disclosed, and has not raised any funding rounds. Revenue streams include group package fees, a direct-billing service fee, travel insurance distribution commissions from partner Union Reiseversicherung AG (URV), equipment and aid rental, and optional add-ons such as single-room supplements and home-visit fees for high-care situations.

Name

YAT Reisen

Legal name

YAT Reisen GmbH

Website

https://yat-reisen.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2003

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

YAT Reisen is a German tour operator founded in 2003 that organizes accompanied group travel packages for people with physical, intellectual, and multiple disabilities across Germany and Europe, supported by 400+ trained volunteer companions and direct health insurance billing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Accessible Group Travel / Disability Tourism Services

NAICS

Tour Operators (56152), Tour Operators (561520)

akta.pro primary industry

Accessible & Special-Needs Itinerary Planning (THAKAOAH)

Keywords

• Accessible group travel
• Disability travel services
• Accompanied group tours
• Care travel packages
• Barrier-free vacations

Headquarters

HQ city

Paderborn

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Group Package Travel Fees: Revenue from selling escorted group travel packages for people with disabilities. Prices vary by destination, duration, and support package level (A, B, C, D), with prices ranging from approximately €599 to over €4,600. YAT acts as a tour operator (Reiseveranstalter) under German law.
2. Direct Insurance Billing Service: For customers unable to prepay full amounts, YAT bills health insurance providers directly (Krankenkasse) for reimbursement through care budgets. A service fee of €30 is charged for this service due to increased administrative effort.
3. Travel Insurance Distribution: YAT acts as a non-licensable travel annex distributor (erlaubnisfreier Reiseannexvertrieb gem. §34d Abs. 8 Nr. 1 GewO) for travel insurance products through partner Union Reiseversicherung AG (URV), earning commissions on each policy sold.
4. Equipment and Aid Rental: Customers can rent mobility and care aids (lifters, shower/toilet chairs, nursing beds) for the duration of their trip. Most aids can be reimbursed through health insurance. Additional fees apply.
5. Optional Upgrades and Add-ons: Optional single-room supplements, personalized travel accompaniment (personal meeting with travel companion), and home-visit fees for intensive care situations are charged as add-ons to the base package.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YAT Reisen is a German tour operator that organizes accompanied group travel packages for children, youth, and adults with physical, intellectual, and multiple disabilities. Trips are staffed by over 400 trained volunteer travel companions and offer tiered support packages (A through D) ranging from basic accessibility to intensive care. The company serves customers across Germany with destinations spanning Germany and multiple European countries.

Product overview

YAT Reisen is a German travel operator specializing in accompanied group travel for people with disabilities. The company operates a platform-plus-services model offering distinct travel product categories: Kinder- und Jugendreisen (children/youth), Reisen für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung (intellectual disabilities), Reisen für Menschen mit körperlicher Behinderung (physical disabilities), Themenreisen (themed travel), YAT-Spartipp Reisen (budget), and Probe-Wochenenden (trial weekends). The core service is supported by service modules including qualified Reisebegleitung (travel accompaniment from trained volunteers), Reisefinanzierung (health insurance billing), Versicherungen (insurance products), Hilfsmittelverleih (medical equipment rental), Reisekataloge (catalogs), and a YAT-Blog (content hub). The company also runs a charitable initiative 'Urlaubsträume erfüllen' and partners with organizations including Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V., wünschdirwas e.V., and Union Reiseversicherung AG. All trips include a Reisekonfigurator (online search tool) for trip selection.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Accompanied Group Travel for People with Disabilities (Kinder- und Jugendreisen / Reisen für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung / Reisen für Menschen mit körperlicher Behinderung) All-inclusive escorted group travel packages for children aged 6+, teenagers aged 13-20, and adults aged 20-99 with physical, intellectual, or multiple disabilities. Includes qualified travel companions, support packages A–D ranging from low support to intensive care, and destinations across Germany and Europe. For travelers with disabilities and their families/caregivers.
• Themed Travel (Themenreisen) Curated themed travel packages covering beach holidays, city trips, active vacations, adventure travel, wellness, cruises, pilgrimages, and farm stays for travelers with disabilities. Includes accompaniment and care matched to traveler needs.
• YAT-Spartipp Discounted Travel Discounted travel packages to destinations in Germany and Europe with savings up to 33%. Lower-priced option within the YAT portfolio designed for budget-conscious travelers with disabilities. Prices range from approximately €599 (Goslar, 3 nights) to €3,242+ (Neuharlingersiel, 10 nights).
• Trial Weekends (Probe-Wochenenden) Short trial weekend trips that allow prospective travelers with disabilities and their families to experience YAT's accompanied group travel model before committing to a longer vacation. Designed to lower the entry barrier for first-time customers.
• Travel Companionship Service (Reisebegleitung) Personalized travel accompaniment service delivered by trained volunteer companions (400+ network) from partner Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. Each traveler is matched with a personal companion selected based on individual requirements, providing care, assistance, and support throughout the trip.
• Travel Insurance Products (Versicherungen) Optional travel insurance products including cancellation insurance offered through partner Union Reiseversicherung AG (URV). Two options: (1) with deductible – 80% cancellation cost coverage, €25 minimum deductible; (2) without deductible – 100% coverage. Premium is due with deposit. YAT earns commission on each policy sold.
• Medical Equipment Rental (Hilfsmittelverleih) Rental service for medical and care aids for the duration of the trip, including patient lifts, shower/toilet chairs, and care beds. Most aids are reimbursable through health insurance. Additional fees apply.
• Direct Health Insurance Billing Service Administrative service allowing customers to bill German health insurance providers (Krankenkasse) directly for reimbursement through respite care (Verhinderungspflege) and relief benefits (Entlastungsbetrag) care budgets. A €30 service fee is charged for this option. 70% of YAT travelers use this channel to fund trips with out-of-pocket cost typically under €1,500.
• Travel Catalogs (Reisekataloge) Printed and digital annual travel catalogs containing detailed destination descriptions, pricing information, and travel offerings for the upcoming year. Free of charge, orderable via website, email, or phone.

Quantifiable outcome

• 70% of YAT travelers successfully bill their assistance costs through their health insurance, with an out-of-pocket cost typically under €1,500
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• wünschdirwas e.V.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025New cooperation announced in 2025 between FoB and wünschdirwas e.V., a nonprofit that has fulfilled over 10,000 wishes for seriously and chronically ill children and adolescents over 36 years. wünschdirwas provides financial support for children and adolescents (ages 3-17) with physical or intellectual disabilities to undertake group trips with YAT when families cannot afford the costs. Families submit travel wishes via FoB, which then applies to wünschdirwas for partial or full funding.
• Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. (FoB)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2003Long-standing strategic partnership with Freizeit ohne Barrieren e.V. (FoB), based in Paderborn. FoB trains and further educates all volunteer travel companions in its recognized training system. Each YAT traveler is matched with a personal companion selected based on individual requirements. The partnership also includes the 'Initiative – Urlaubsträume erfüllen', a fundraising initiative through which FoB covers additional travel costs for people with disabilities who cannot obtain health insurance or integration assistance funding.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Booking.com: Largest OTA with extensive accessibility filters and accessibility-property data; offers booking infrastructure rather than accompaniment, but increasingly captures the discovery and information layer of accessible travel.
• Expedia: Global OTA with accessibility property filters and packaged accessible vacation offerings; broad incumbent whose growing accessibility content reduces the information moat that specialist operators historically held.
• TUI: Europe's largest tour operator with growing accessible travel offerings across its hotel and cruise portfolios; competes only at the margins on accessibility but represents a broad-incumbent threat to specialist positioning.

Emerging players

• Sage Traveling: US-based accessible travel agency offering accessible group tours and individualized accessible itineraries; comparable in concept but smaller scale and operating in a different geography.

Direct peers

• Special Needs Group (SNG): International provider of accessible travel services and mobility equipment rentals for travelers with disabilities, overlapping with YAT's medical aid rental and accessible-trip offerings.
• Runa Reisen: German accessible travel specialist offering accompanied group trips for travelers with disabilities; competes directly with YAT on the same customer base, destinations, and accompaniment-led service model.
• Lebenshilfe Reisen: Accessible travel brand affiliated with the Lebenshilfe network in Germany, offering group travel for people with intellectual and multiple disabilities — directly overlapping with YAT's core segments.
• Mosaik Reisen: German tour operator specializing in accompanied group travel for people with disabilities, offering comparable escorted packages and trained-companion services in Germany and Europe.

Regional players

• Can Be Done: Dutch accessible travel agency arranging customized trips for travelers with mobility, visual, or other disabilities; comparable service model but focused on the Netherlands market rather than Germany.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/yatreisen
• Instagraminstagram.com/yat_reisen
• TikToktiktok.com/@yat_reisen

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YAT Reisen