Touring on the continent can be a great first trip for young travellers, but there are some things to consider if you’ve never organised your own holiday abroad before.
The travel insurance experts at Quotezone.co.uk have put together a list of tips for Gen Z before they set off in a caravan or motorhome.
Tiffany Mealiff, travel insurance expert at Quotezone.co.uk, said: “Travelling is confusing at the best of times, it’s tough to keep up with the changing dos and don’ts especially if you’re taking a gap year and travelling to multiple countries as part of one trip.
“We’ve compiled a handy list of essentials that all young travellers should be aware of before heading off.”
Know your EHIC and GHIC
With the NHS being free at the point of service in the UK, it’s very easy to forget that should you require medical assistance abroad it must be paid for.
You will need a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), or Global Health Insurance Card (GHIC) if the former has expired, to access healthcare at the same price as locals.
Claiming on your travel insurance should then reimburse you for the cost of any medical care required on your holiday.
Travel insurance trip lengths
Annual travel insurance may sound like the perfect solution if you’re heading off on a gap year or extended vanlife trip.
But usually these types of policy, while enabling you to take multiple trips over a 12-month period, have a maximum trip length.
This often means you can’t travel for more than 31 days at a time without returning home and may need a more specialist travel insurance policy instead.
Beware of boozing before activities
Apres ski is a well-known part of the winter holiday experience, but make sure that it remains after any adventures on the slopes.
Drinking alcohol before undertaking activities such as skiing or swimming can invalidate a claim should you get injured.
Keep the partying until you’ve finished any adventurous activities and your caravan or motorhome is pitched up for the night.
Don’t leave items unattended
It can be tempting to leave items outside of your caravan or motorhome when you head out for a day of exploring, but they won’t be covered by your travel insurance.
For example, camping furniture could be susceptible to theft and leaving it unattended would be considered not taking “reasonable care” of it in the eyes of your insurer.
Apply this rule to all of your belongings and beware that some of Europe’s most popular destinations have the highest levels of petty theft.
Photo credit: Unsplash/Daniel J. Schwarz
