Tips for Travelling Abroad in your Motorhome or Campervan

A road trip abroad in your motorhome is an exciting opportunity, but before you set off here are some helpful tips and safety advice to consider for your journey.

 

Research

Before you travel remember research is crucial! Here is a helpful checklist of things to research before your journey:

Local laws and customs:

• Look up the local laws and customs of the country you are visiting, you’ll likely be able to find many comprehensive tourist guides online.
• Check if there are any public holidays, days of rest, siestas, or early closes occurring while you’re travelling to anticipate closures and plan accordingly.

Tolls and Emission zone/City Charges:

• Research the routes you are planning on travelling to check for any tolls or emission zones that will require payments.
• Make sure you understand if payments need to be made online or in person.
• Explore if there are alternative routes that won’t take you through restricted pay areas.

Road signs and driving regulations:

• When you’re driving your motorhome or campervan abroad, it’s critical that you understand the rules of the road of the country you’re travelling in.
• Make sure you’re familiar with road signs, speed limits, and driving rules, and ensure you have any necessary items (e.g. a reflective hi-vis and warning triangles) you may need with you.

Emergency numbers:

• Make sure you have the numbers for the emergency services for the country you are in while you’re travelling.
• Additionally, it’s wise to have your insurance details and numbers handy in case of a claim or breakdown.

Currency:

• To make sure you aren’t taken advantage of or overcharged abroad, make sure you have a clear understanding of the exchange rates for the country you are visiting.
• Research the preferred method of payment for the country you are visiting, as commonly not all places will take card payments.
• Inform your bank of your travel plans and make sure your bank card works abroad to avoid any issues with using your card while you’re away.
• Don’t carry too much cash at a time as it could make you a target for theft.

 

Have the right documents

When driving abroad having the right documents is essential! This includes your passport, driving license, insurance documents, logbook, and any other necessary visas or permits required for the countries you plan to visit. This can be an overwhelming topic to wrap your head around, but if you need a more comprehensive guide on what you need to drive in Europe, check out our blog here!

Pro tip: In case of emergencies, it’s always a good idea to have both a physical and a digital version of your documents.

Vehicle Insurance

Motorhome & Campervan Insurance

Before setting off on your journey it’s vital to make sure your insurance covers the countries that you are travelling to. When driving your motorhome or campervan in the EU by law you must have insurance that provides a minimum of third-party cover, although to make sure you are fully protected, we recommend having fully comprehensive cover.

 

With our Motorhome and Campervan insurance policies, you’ll be comprehensively covered for the following countries:

Great Britain, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man, the Republic of Ireland, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France (including Monaco), Germany, Gibraltar, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy (including San Marino and the Vatican City), Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland (including Liechtenstein).

If you’d like to learn more about our policies or get a quote you can contact a member of our team on 0208 984 0777 – we’re experts in our field!

 

Breakdown cover

Alongside your vehicle insurance, it’s also strongly advisable to get breakdown cover. In the event of a worst-case situation, you’ll want to make sure you have a good breakdown policy. Without it you could be left paying thousands out of pocket on repairs or if a repatriation is needed.

Beware of scammers and thieves

Unfortunately, along with travelling come scammers and thieves looking to take advantage of tourists. Here are some tips to help you stay vigilant and safe when travelling:

Advice for avoiding theft:

• Pickpockets will often operate in high-traffic tourist spots so be wary of your belongings like your phone, passport, and wallet when in these areas.
• To avoid having anything stolen from your backpack it’s a good idea to get an anti-theft bag or a bag lock (this is a lock that secures two zips together, so the inside of your bag is not accessible unless unlocked.)
• Make sure you are always keeping an eye on your belongings, never leaving them unattended.
• It’s also a good idea to avoid flashing any expensive items like jewellery and watches as this could draw unwanted attention making you a target for theft.

Phone thieves:

• Phone theft is a crime on the rise not just in the UK but everywhere! Phone thieves often operate on mopeds or bikes and will snatch the phone from the unsuspecting victim’s hand and then speed off with it.
• When you have your phone out in public, stay alert and be cautious keeping it close to you.
• You should also consider buying a phone strap, this is a strap that goes around your wrist securing the phone with the band around your arm.

 

Avoiding Scams:

• Similar to thieves, scammers will also frequently operate in high-traffic tourist areas.
• To savvy up on common scams it’s a good idea to search the place you are visiting online and look up frequent tourist scams e.g. “Tourist scams in Paris.”
• You should be able to find different lists and overviews of common scams so that you can recognise and avoid them when travelling.

Vehicle safety

You probably know all too well that motorhomes and campervans are expensive; they are often the owner’s most valuable asset apart from their home. So, when travelling abroad it’s important to take precautions to keep your vehicle safe.

Keeping valuable items safe:

• Don’t leave valuable items in your van, if you can’t take them out with you ensure they are hidden away out of site.
• Draw blinds/curtains so no one can see into your motorhome when it’s unattended.
• Always keep your passport on your person.

Parking:

• Only park in well-lit secure areas with CCTV.
• Park at official sites rather than in undesignated spots.
• Park nose first to prevent vehicle towing.

Keeping your Motorhome safe:

• Always make sure all windows and doors are locked and secured.
• Add additional security to protect your vehicle and deter thieves. The following are effective security to look into: steering wheel locks, tyre locks, alarm and immobiliser systems, and trackers.
• Keep your keys close to you and in a safe place, especially in busy locations.

Keep Track of the Duration of Your Stay

You must keep track of the duration of your stay when travelling abroad and ensure that you are adhering to the rules of the country or area you are visiting. For example, in the European Schengen Zone, UK residents can travel for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, anything beyond this you will require a visa.

In the same vein, you must also check the length of time that your vehicle insurance allows you to travel for to make sure you’re appropriately covered.

 

Helpful Tech for Travel

Navigating and communicating in a country you are not familiar with can be difficult and sometimes pose challenges. Here is some useful tech that will assist you for smoother travel:

• International Sim: If your current phone plan does cover you for international roaming consider purchasing an international sim for reliable means of communication and internet accessibility.
• Power bank & charger: A power bank and charger are also a must have for travel to keep your device charged while you are on days out.
• Translation apps: Translation apps are an amazing way to bridge the language barrier and communicate when travelling abroad, as well as helping you learn basic phrases of a local language.
• Maps: Use your phone for reliable navigation while travelling and adventuring on foot, most map apps also give you an option to download and save maps to view offline. (Remember if using a mobile sat nav when driving a larger vehicle check to see if there’s an option to add the height, weight, and width of your vehicle so you are taken down appropriate routes. If this option isn’t available it may be worth looking into a motorhome-specific sat-nav.)
• Earphones: Earphones aren’t just for music, they’re great if you want to use maps with voice navigation! When travelling abroad voice navigation is a great accessibility feature that can save your phone from potentially being stolen when you have it out looking at maps, letting you listen to the route instead. When purchasing earphones, it is best to opt for a cheap non-flashy, or discreet pair as expensive-looking items can make you a target for thieves. You should also avoid noise cancelling earphones so you can still be aware of your surroundings.

 

Travel Insurance

While travelling abroad in your motorhome is a fun and exhilarating experience, travel comes with its own set of risks and uncertainties. To make sure you’re protected in case of medical emergencies or unexpected situations you should consider travel insurance so you can travel with peace of mind and fully embrace your van life adventure!