Touring Caravan Insurance

Touring caravans are much loved across the British Isles, and many can recall the great holidays they had in their youth on caravan sites across the country. Thankfully, caravans have seen a recent surge in popularity with younger generations too; caravan site holidays are now called "staycations" and they're all the rage! If you own a tourer, it's likely you'll see it as an investment. With this in mind, it helps to find the best touring caravan insurance policy that you can ...

If you own a tourer, you'll be fully aware of the risks that your caravan comes face to face with. Unlike its static cousins (static caravans and park homes) the tourer regularly experiences life on British roads, and they're not always a pretty place! On the road caravans are at risk of collision with other cars as well as the trials and tribulations of being towed by a vehicle -- snaking and tire blowouts are both included in the risks that caravan insurers must consider.

However, with careful planning and execution you don't need to fall victim to an accident in your touring caravan.

So what do I need to know about touring caravan insurance?

Touring caravan insurance shouldn't be as hard to deal with as a U-turn in a Cornish side road -- these little tips will help:

Security

Security is a huge factor in the touring caravan insurance world, and can make a huge difference to the price of your premium. It's an unfortunate fact of life that due to their design, touring caravans are very susceptible to theft.

However, there are ways to prevent this:

• Hitch Lock: This is a simple product and costs very little money -- some insurers even demand that you purchase one for their own peace of mind. It fits into your caravan's hitch and stops anyone from being able to two your caravan away unexpectedly.

• Wheel Clamp:Another simple product that can help cut the cost of your touring caravan insurance. The wheel clamp does exactly what you'd think -- it stops anyone being able to tow your caravan due to the inhibited wheel. Many of the more recent models also prevent the wheel being removed from the caravan.

Of course, there are many other security additions for your caravan. Tracking devices can help your vehicle be found in the case of a theft and will help to lower the cost of your insurance cover. Theft alarms, will also help deter potential thieves.

Storage

Another factor that will affect your premium is the way you store you caravan, this also ties in with security. For example, a caravan on your driveway may be off the road, but it is still visible to passers by and thus still at risk of theft. The best protection available to your caravan is in a CaSSOA registered storage compound. In a site such as this caravans can be stored safely until you're ready for your next caravan holiday. When that time comes, you can pick up your tourer from the site and hit the road. Storing your tourer in a site like this will help to keep your insurance costs down.

Caravan clubs

Yep, as they say strength comes in numbers ... In this case that strength is the power of cheaper touring caravan insurance! By joining a caravan club insurers can see that you're passionate about your tourer and fully immersed in the camping and caravan world. Not only that, but if you've joined a caravan club you're likely to be well-read in how to tow your tourer correctly, and visit caravan sites endorsed and recommended by the clubs themselves.

Towing Course

In fact, whilst we're on the topic of caravan clubs, both the The Caravan Club and Camping and Caravanning Club offer towing courses for caravan owners who feel a little uncomfortable with taking their tourer on the road. If you have taken one of these courses, let your broker know -- they may even offer you a discount.

Additional Cover

Sometimes a standard Third Party Only policy won't offer the protection you're after for your caravan. If that's the case, why not speak to your broker about additional cover options:

New For Old

New for old cover means that you and your insurer will agree a pay out cost should you experience a total loss. This is a great option for people that have spent a lot of money improving their caravan and making it superior to the tourer they originally purchased. This will not always be possible, and different brokers will only agree these values for tourers of a certain age.

Liability cover

When you're towing a tourer it's easy to make the occasional mistake. Sadly a mistake can sometimes lead to injury or property damage to a third party. With towing liability you can be protected from any claims made against you for accidental damage whilst towing. It makes sense really!

EU Cover

There are lots of great campsite across the UK. However, if you've exhausted Britain, why not head abroad? Camping in France, Holland or Germany is great fun and can add variation to your touring trips. It's really important to make sure that you're insured to tow in foreign countries -- not all comprehensive policies offer this feature.

Anything else?

This page covers most the things you will need to know about touring caravan insurance. Generally brokers will want to know a bit about yourself (date of birth, how long you've held your driving license, years of no claims bonus), as well as about your tourer itself, most likely the make, model, year of manufacture and the size of the caravan. There are also many more security items available that we've not mentioned in this article, when you speak to your broker, make sure to mention any additional protection you've bought for your tourer -- every little helps!