AI-generated summary
The beginning of school holidays in several northern German federal states traditionally results in a high volume of travel.
Hamburg Airport is expecting a particularly large number of travelers this weekend and next. The operating company of Helmut Schmidt Airport is expecting passengers primarily from Schleswig-Holstein this weekend. In this state, as in Lower Saxony and Bremen, schools close for two weeks on the Friday after classes end.
In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, October 15th is the first day of vacation. The Hamburg students have their day off a week later than the Schleswig-Holstein students. As in the previous year, the airport expects a peak of more than 55,000 travelers on a single day.
The airport recommends arriving at least two hours before departure. In particular, travelers who have to go through passport control are asked to arrive early. The terminals open from 3:15 a.m. until the end of October. Security checkpoints are open from 3:30 a.m.
ADAC warns of traffic jams
The ADAC expects the streets to be full at the start of the school holidays in Schleswig-Holstein, Lower Saxony and Bremen. The ADAC warns of traffic jams on the A7, A1 and A24 and advises drivers to avoid Hamburg or plan more travel time.
In autumn 2025, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania recorded over 700,000 guest arrivals and 2.8 million overnight stays in October, an increase of eleven percent in arrivals and ten percent in overnight stays compared to the last ten years. The booking situation on Usedom is described as 'good to very good', although there is still free capacity available.

Bhutan, the long-isolated Himalayan kingdom, is slowly opening up to tourism. While the king is revered as a modest star and gross national happiness is the state's guiding principle, modern influences such as smartphones and television have been moving into the country since 1999. At the same time, mountaineering above 6,000 meters remains prohibited, Gangkhar Puensum remains the highest unclimbed mountain in the world, and the Snowmen Trek is considered one of the most difficult trails in the world.
The autumn holidays in Hesse begin on Friday, with the ADAC Hessen-Thuringia warning of increased traffic volumes and possible traffic jams on the A3, A5 and A7 motorways as well as around metropolitan areas such as Frankfurt. In addition, around 3.5 million passengers are expected at Frankfurt Airport between October 2nd and 18th, with longer waiting times at border controls due to the Entry Exit System (EES) for travelers from non-EU countries.

Due to heavy volcanic ash emissions from Mount Etna, Catania Airport in Sicily will remain closed to air traffic until Sunday midnight. The red warning level was declared because the ash cloud reached a height of up to four kilometers.
Due to large amounts of volcanic ash escaping from Mount Etna, Catania Airport in Sicily was temporarily closed to all air traffic. Takeoffs and landings canceled until 4 p.m.
Deutsche Bahn is closing the Rhine Valley Railway between Freiburg and Basel at the beginning of October due to construction work. Travelers on long-distance and regional transport must be prepared for train cancellations, diversions and rail replacement services with buses.