UK Insurance and Finance Articles

Thinking ahead about caravan travel insurance

Posted: May 30th, 2010 | Author: George | Filed under: Caravan Insurance | Tags:

Some forms of caravans are, by definition, mobile. Therefore if you insure them (and it may be very risky not to do so) they will have a form of caravan travel insurance.

The overall position though may be a little more complicated.

Travel definitions

Typically only touring caravans, motorhomes and trailer tents are considered to be mobile.

As part of your original caravan insurance for one of these types, you may have indicated your typical usage patterns at that time. Those patterns may have influenced your selection of policy or any advice you took relating to what caravan cover was required.

Therefore, if your travel usage changes, it might be prudent to check your caravan travel insurance carefully for things such as:

  • if you’re going abroad, does your insurance cover offer protection outside of the UK with continental cover;
  • if your insurance does provide cover for overseas driving, is this limited to EU countries (remembering that Switzerland and some countries in Eastern Europe are not in the European Union):
  • if your cover is valid only for the UK, is this the UK mainland only or does it also cover islands and Northern Ireland/Eire;
  • does your existing policy have an annual maximum mileage cap and if yes, will a long tour around overseas push you well past the limit;
  • are any specific components of your insurance such as contents cover, only valid while the vehicle is in the UK?

There is no definitive answer to these as individual caravan insurance providers will have different conditions and clauses in their policies governing travel within and outside of the UK. It is a question of checking.

Need to change?

If you find that your current policy does not provide you with the cover you need, then typically a first point of call is your insurance provider who may be able to offer extra cover – probably for an additional payment.

It may though be necessary to shop around to see what options for (e.g) European cover are offered by alternative providers such as one of the caravan insurance specialists.

Caravan travel insurance is important because if your caravan can’t travel where you want it to and when you want it, then it’s not really fulfilling its primary role in life!