Insurance, breakdown and keeping the van safe
The paperwork questions. Who insures us, what happens outside Europe, and the boring precautions that save a trip.
Which insurance do you use?
Sterling Insurance, who sponsor the channel, so take the disclosure as read. They cover the UK and the European countries we routinely drive through, including runs like Morocco and Bosnia. One honest caveat from our own experience: Sterling do not cover Turkey, so when we drove through Turkey in summer 2024 we arranged separate cover for that leg. Whoever you insure with, check the country list against your actual route before you sail, not after.
Do modifications invalidate your motorhome insurance?
They can if you keep quiet about them, which is the whole trap. The safe pattern is the one we follow: have modifications done properly, and declare them to your insurer so they are on the policy. A declared, professionally installed modification is routine. An undeclared one is an argument waiting to happen at exactly the moment you can least afford it. The phone call costs nothing; make it before the work, not after the claim.
What do you do about losing the van keys while away?
Plan for it before it happens, because a modern motorhome key is not something a local locksmith conjures up on a Saturday abroad. Carry a spare, and keep it separated from the main set: different person, different pocket, never both in the beach bag. It is the cheapest insurance in this whole section, and the one trip where you need it, it saves the holiday.
What should I look for in breakdown cover?
Read the weight and length limits before anything else, because plenty of standard policies quietly cap out at 3.5 tonnes or a certain length, and a big coachbuilt needs recovery kit an ordinary patrol van does not carry. Then check the European specifics: repatriation of the vehicle, onward travel for the whole family, and whether the cover matches the countries on your route. The cheap policy that cannot actually recover your van is worth exactly nothing.