# Things to do when travelling abroad



## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

Hi there

So I'm thinking my to do list is:

1. Call insurance company and check I am insured if I travel to Europe - do I need any documents? What should they cost?

2. Call AA and ask whether I can expand breakdown recovery to Europe for the duration of my trip? What number will I need to call? How much will the cover cost?

3. I already have travel insurance through work - do I call them and what is or is not covered

4. Chloe's passport is fully up to date, but need a list of vets open 48-24 hours before I return back on May bank holiday at noon (ie must visit vet between noon Sat and noon Sun)

5. Anything else I have not thought of?

Any advice?


----------



## musicbus (May 1, 2005)

*things*

Hi

First check your insurance policy - many motorhome policies include euro breakdown coverage and should come with insurance certificate for EU wide coverage. My safeguard policy has this and travel insurance as well.

Always take a couple of photocopies of your passport as many campsites want to hold(law in some countries) your passport - give them a photocopy.

Dont forget your licence and credit/debit cards - evrything else can be bought if needed.

For me these are the essentials plus my tom tom fully loaded with POI's for aires campsites, supermarkets (for cheapest fuel and lpg. What else you travel with is entirely by personal choice. Mine is a list as long as your arm!!!

have fun

barry


----------



## StephandJohn (Sep 3, 2007)

Take photocopies of passports, driving licences, insurance docs etc. and leave one copy with someone at home. Take a spare copy well hidden with you or load them on a memory stick and hide it somewhere.


----------



## madontour (May 19, 2008)

in many european countries you need your v5, mot,and insurance docs with you at all times.


----------



## shirleydeputy (Jul 31, 2009)

Hi

Some credit card companies require you to notify them when you are travelling abroad so that they are forewarned about 'strange' transactions. 
I undestand that the Halifax clarity card for example is frequently declined unless you have notified them in advance. Luckily I have never had that hassle!
Have fun.
Shirley


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Overseas*

Hi

Many of what is on my list is covered above, but this is what I have in place...

1) European motor insurance 
2) European breakdown cover - (included in above)
3) All vehicle paperwork - log book (V5) and also original sales invoice (twice I have been asked if the vehicle was mine or hired, and then request was made for proof. Saying that, the V5 with name and address on should match passport name)
4) Passport
5) EHIC card
6) Is tax disc in date for entire duration of ferry trip
7) Ferry/tunnel crossing reference. 
8) Personal travel cover
9) 2 x photocopies of all those documents, plus a copy of each left in the UK
10) Phone bank and ensure cards will work overseas. (Some banks have an immediate block on foreign transactions - so check with your card issuer)
11) Just enough fuel at silly UK prices to get to Calais!
12) Check www.theaa.com for what other items are legally required - such as red warning triangle, first aid kit or high viz clothing.

You can research local vets by clicking on the Yellow Pages site for the country you require. For France, this is called pages jaunes.

Russell


----------



## loddy (Feb 12, 2007)

Reflective waistcoats
2x triangles
spare specs
bulb kit
tools to change bulb
all documents to hand
spare wheel

On and On


----------



## Pyranha (Jul 4, 2006)

Insurance - you are covered to the minimum legal requirement within the EU and certain other states, on your UK insurance policy (this is law) - many policies include the same cover abroad as you have here; some automatically, some you have to ask and some you have to tell them your travel dates. So, your UK insurance certificate should cover you for any legal checks, but check with your insurer to know your own level of cover.

Documents - I scan ours (passports, EHIC cards, insurance certs) and email the images to myself, using a webmail address (eg Hotmail, GMail) - the scanned copies are then easily available wherever you have a web connection.

Most of the rest has been covered above.


----------



## SpeedyDux (Jul 13, 2007)

Heather, I would add:

13. Headlamp beam converters / tape
14. Spare set of keys for vehicle
15. International distinguishing sign plate, or GB sticker displayed near registration plate.
16. Fire extinguisher (optional)
16. Smoke hoods in case of fire in long tunnels (just me, then!)

My vehicle insurance company also wants me to notify in advance the countries I will be visiting / traveling through. 

SD


----------



## Addie (Aug 5, 2008)

You will probably find a "single trip" policy with the AA very expensive. We have full EU cover (365 days) both breakdown and travel with Safeguard insurance which works out cheaper then what I could get the cover for on its own with the next cheapest provided that did not give recovery with their policy.

I've heard a lot of members say that ADAC (Germany) do a very competitive European cover so it might be worth searching the forum for that. I remember looking at the AA as an existing member for a "single trip" break down policy was something mad like £100!

I'm pretty sure everything has been covered here (I'm surprised teabags, bacon, milk and so forth haven't been mentioned sooner! *ducks*)


----------



## K1m (Mar 6, 2008)

Hi Heather

I would add a good Euro map, one of the Aires or Camperstop books and some change for the Tolls.

Have fun.

Kim


----------



## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

SpeedyDux said:


> 13. Headlamp beam converters / tape


Can anyone explain exactly how you do this? I've always been mystified.


----------



## Grizzly (May 9, 2005)

HeatherChloe said:


> SpeedyDux said:
> 
> 
> > 13. Headlamp beam converters / tape
> ...


We do it the easy way I'm afraid and, if you are going to be crossing to Europe a reasonable amount then this is the way I'd recommend.

We bought polycarbonate headlamp protectors ( From our Fiat agent) and these fit completely over the headlamp protecting it from flying stones. There are small marker lines on the plastic and we stick small pieces of black tape on the appropriate place: time taken each time we travel= 2 minutes.

Halfords- among other people- sell kits which are also easy to fit directly onto the headlamp itself. You will need the details of your van - make, model and year- before you buy and then you follow the instructions.

G


----------



## uncleswede (Apr 16, 2010)

HeatherChloe said:


> 4. Chloe's passport is fully up to date, but need a list of vets open 48-24 hours before I return back on May bank holiday at noon (ie must visit vet between noon Sat and noon Sun) ...


Try MHF list of vets Sep 2010


----------



## Rapide561 (Oct 1, 2005)

*Headlights*



HeatherChloe said:


> SpeedyDux said:
> 
> 
> > 13. Headlamp beam converters / tape
> ...


Hi

In Halfords and similar places you can buy a "kit". This will contain osme black sticky back plastic and some instructions. The instructions will tell you where to stick the black tape on your headlights.

If you look at this pic of my van, you will see I have put a circle around the black tape.

Russell


----------



## Rosbotham (May 4, 2008)

Don't bother faffing about with the type that Halfords sell. With modern clear headlights, they're nearly impossible to get in the correct location. Added to that, if you go anywhere hot & don't remove them immediately when you get back (like the previous owner of my van), you'll have severe difficulty getting them off....took me best part of an afternoon and I still ended up scratching the lens. Best to get the polycarbonate ones - no doubt main dealers will charge an arm & a leg, but you can get them from ebay (do a search if your van isn't an X/250).

It hadn't occurred to me that there'd be vets open on a Saturday afternoon...I booked our return crossing around seeing vet on a Friday, then working forward from that.

Paul


----------



## HeatherChloe (Oct 18, 2009)

Addie said:


> You will probably find a "single trip" policy with the AA very expensive. We have full EU cover (365 days) both breakdown and travel with Safeguard insurance which works out cheaper then what I could get the cover for on its own with the next cheapest provided that did not give recovery with their policy.
> 
> I've heard a lot of members say that ADAC (Germany) do a very competitive European cover so it might be worth searching the forum for that. I remember looking at the AA as an existing member for a "single trip" break down policy was something mad like £100!
> 
> I'm pretty sure everything has been covered here (I'm surprised teabags, bacon, milk and so forth haven't been mentioned sooner! *ducks*)


I'm off tomorrow.

And oh whoops, I didn't read this one properly and indeed I have paid the AA over £100 for a two week trip to cover for me breakdown.......

You're right - if my annual policy in the UK is about £50, how come it costs twice as much for 1/25th of the time, in Europe - are French breakdown vehicles horribly expensive?

Anyway, what's done is done.


----------

