First Time Touring

The holiday of a lifetime is out there waiting for you. But don’t spoil it by ignoring a few basic rules.

Here areour Top 10 Tips for Touring!

- Make plans early. What do you really want from your holiday? Who’s going to drive? And don’t forget that, whilst most continental roads are excellent, you should never underestimate how long your journey could take.

- Check your passports. Are they valid for the full duration of your holiday?

- Don’t forget to get a free EHIC form from the Post Office. This will cover you, to a degree, for primary health care throughout many parts of Europe. Check the current terms for full details.

- But do take out proper travel insurance. The EHIC is NOT a substitute for insurance and provides, at best, only partial cover. Alan Rogers offers competitively priced insurance specially designed for camping and caravanning on the continent.

-Check your car insurance – don’t forget your green card (check your requirements with your insurance company), or you may find that you only have third party cover.

- Be sure to take good maps. Detailed AA and Michelin maps are particularly recommended.

- An international Camping Carnet can be useful as proof of identity (and obviating the need to leave your passport at the campsite reception). We can provide a carnet for just £6 as an attachment to one of our personal insurance policies, or free-of-charge if you take one of our ‘plus’ policies.

- Have your car / motor caravan and / or caravan properly serviced. Don’t forget a warning triangle – compulsory when towing and for vehicles without hazard warning lights. Check the legal requirements of the countries you plan to visit. All drivers should take their driver’s licences, vehicle registration and insurance documents, as well as a test certificate, if appropriate.

- It’s worth buying a continental hook-up adaptor which will enable you to connect directly to the site supply.

- Lastly it may well be advisable to fill your tank once on the continent – savings can mount up!

See also: First Time Touring | View the Guides | About Alan Rogers