With the holiday season coming up, you might want to hitch up your caravan, take it across the Channel, and enjoy the festive sights and sounds to be found in countless towns and villages across the continent. Our winter caravanning guide has tips to help you enjoy trips even when there’s a chill in the air.
So that everything goes smoothly, it’s worth a moment or two of homework to check that all your insurance and other documents are in good order for the trip.
European cover: check your policy first
These days, it might be easy to take for granted that your regular caravan insurance includes European cover as a standard feature. But that is not the case. Not all motor and caravan insurance policies extend cover to driving in Europe. So, check that you do, indeed, have that cover – you will need it! (At Cover4Caravans, our touring caravan insurance includes continental cover up to a maximum 240 days).
Bear in mind, too, that whatever your policy, there are typically limits on the duration of any trip, along with potential restrictions on the countries or destinations covered. So, make sure you have the necessary territorial cover before confirming ferry, accommodation, or camping site bookings.
Documents and post-Brexit requirements
In the same way that you might have taken for granted cover throughout Europe, you might also have grown accustomed to the fact that a so-called “Green Card” (proof of the relevant motor insurance) has been dropped by most European countries.
As the Motor Insurers Bureau (MIB) advises, a Green Card system is still used in countries including Albania, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Morocco, North Macedonia, Tunisia, Turkey, and Ukraine – but all of these now accept a digital version of the required proof of third-party insurance.
Wherever you are driving in Europe, therefore, typically you will still need to keep with you your certificate of insurance (and Green Card if necessary), passports, your driving licence, and V5C (or logbook as it’s also known).
Check with authoritative sites such as the RAC or AA about any further, specific safety equipment or driving accessories that might be required in specific countries. Give a final glance at the government’s official Foreign Travel Advice for any warnings about visits to the countries on your itinerary.
Theft, damage and security expectations
Whenever you are out and about with your caravan – here at home or abroad – remember that your insurer assumes the right to expect the trailer to remain under your control and that you take “reasonable care” to ensure its security and safeguard against any theft or damage.
What does that mean in practice? It means that you cannot simply pitch up at your campsite, leave the trailer there, and go off exploring for the next few days, staying at different accommodation for example. If your ‘van is left unattended overnight and loss or damage occurs (because of storms, vandalism, theft, or a break-in, for example), your insurer may be entitled to dismiss any claim on the grounds that you failed to adequately protect your caravan.
Conclusion
In short and with just a little preparation, there is nothing to put you off enjoying a winter break with your caravan across the Channel somewhere in Europe. Simply review your motor and caravan insurance cover, take the right documentation, and if you are unsure about any European travel requirements, ask your insurance provider.
Destination guides
Guide to caravanning in France
Guide to caravanning in the Channel Islands
Guide to caravanning in Germany