Caravan insurance

Those looking for holiday or on-site/static caravan insurance must first consider caravan security. This will be a requirement of any motor caravan insurance policy from any insurance company. Another consideration with touring caravans, of course - whether they are parked in a special site or located outside your house or in the drive, or covered and locked away in a shed or barn, wherever it may be, summer or winter - is that your parked or touring caravan is potentially mobile, and potentially easy to steal.

So it needs to be secured, as the insurance small print will also recommend. So the quote needs to be read carefully, when you get a quote or quotes, by telephone or online.

Devices your insurance quote/quotes may well require are: wheel-clamps and 'winter wheels', and a secure lock, or a post or something to tether the parked caravan to. The clamps may be better covered in some way too (tarpaulin is OK) as thieves cannot see what they are dealing with or make their plans to return with the right gear! If a wheel-clamp is specified in the policy you will need a clamp for your 'winter wheels' (you put these on rather than just leaving the caravan on its soft tyres which may get 'flat-spotted'). For inside, consider the kind of crystals which take moisture out of the atmosphere, to help avoid damp. To qualify for your home insurance policy any valuable you have will need to be in your home, not in the caravan!

Buying second-hand? Every caravan nowadays that is bought new in the UK is registered with the Caravan Registration and Identification Service (CRiS) [SIC]. Contact them first - they will tell you that legitimate caravans will have a 17-digit number stamped on the A-frame (the V-shaped metal frame at the front). If in doubt check that number with them. Call 01722-411430 for a CriS check.

Where to go for advice? The UK Caravan Storage Site Owners' Association, or Cassoa, has a list of members, and a website: www.cassoa.co.uk. Their aim is to ‘provide an official register of safe and secure storage sites, and to help site owners improve their security and services, to prevent caravan crime’. Some insurance companies offer up to 25% discount if you store or have your caravan parked in one of their sites, although you do not need massive security already lined up to get your caravan insurance quote, or better quotes, as you should get more than one.

Common sense about how you store and secure it is the main thing. A caravan park should really be one consideration, not just a local farmer's field with easy access to the road.

Ads for insurance companies are easy to find in the caravan magazines/websites which in Britain are associated with the Caravan Club and Camping and Caravan Club (www.caravanclub.co.uk, www.campingandcaravanclub.co.uk). Practical Caravan is another such long-established magazine with a website: www.practicalcaravan.com and an online forum. This is where you could buy and sell a touring or static caravan, too. You will find a wide range of useful information from sources such as these.

As mentioned, when it comes to motor caravan insurance it is wise to take reasonable precautions. Why not have some numbers / letters / logos out on the roof of the caravan (not your postcode obviously!) so, should the vehicle be stolen, it is easily identified from the air. The insurance company itself can tell you what security is required. They may specify that products you use to secure your caravan be 'sold secure', certified for insurance purposes in other words. You will see a range of these certified and widely recognised products at www.soldsecure.com.

Going overseas? You should ensure that you have breakdown and recovery insurance for your touring caravan, so also check on this with your car insurance. Your caravan may be your home away from home, or a way to take to the open road. The main thing, though, is to get out and about and use it. Getting the right insurance will give you the peace of mind to go ahead and enjoy your caravanning to the full.

Jonathan Packer is the author and editor of books about life and travel in many countries, such as Live and Work in Russia and Eastern Europe and A Straightforward Guide to Living and Working Abroad. He has contributed articles on many topics to publications such as The Times, Independent, Guardian and newspapers and magazines around the world.