Have a van, will travel abroad? If so, does your van insurance cover overseas’ trips? There is often the need to have more than just a phrase book to hand!

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office offers the following tips to those thinking of driving abroad.

Cover for abroad?:

Breakdown cover:

Insurance extras:

Before leaving the country, an idea might be to consider other insurance requirements for when driving overseas - for example health insurance. What, if any, medical expenses would be covered in the event of an accident on foreign roads? If valuable equipment is being carried in the van is this also insured?

Ones for the road checklist:

• Is a Green Card needed for the destination country?
• Does the vehicle comply with foreign regulations?
• Is an International Driving Permit needed?
• Are you familiar with overseas’ driving laws, including local speed limits and which side of the road to drive on?!
• Has the vehicle been serviced before leaving the UK?
• Do you have to hand important phone numbers that may be needed in the event of an accident or breakdown?

Preparing the van:

When taking a van out of the country, a GB sticker is usually required. This should be clearly visible on the back of the van (if the number plate doesn’t include this information). Headlamp converters are usually required when driving on the right-hand side of the road.

Page source: Foreign and Commonwealth Office Jan 6, 2011.