European road trips are always incredibly exciting. With stunning scenery, the wind in your hair and the chance to explore foreign lands, there’s so much to see and do. However, before embarking on a European tour, there’s a lot of preparation work that you must do. Let’s take a look at an essential checklist you have to complete before you engage the ignition.
Correct Insurance
Before you leave the drive you’ll need to check whether you’re covered by your insurance. If you’re not, the trip is a complete non-starter.
Admittedly, most insurance policies do cover European trips as long as you inform your provider. However, some do not, so it’s well worth checking. You don’t want to end up in a nasty accident just to find out that you weren’t insured as you hadn’t informed your provider. Be certain not sorry.
Breakdown Cover
Most breakdown cover policies only cover you for the UK. As a result, it’s likely you’ll need specialist cover like the policies offered by Start Rescue.
The absolute last thing you want to happen when you make it onto the continent is for your car to breakdown, leaving you to pay for incredibly pricey repairs and have no recovery option.
The good news is that unlike conventional policies, many European breakdown policies are short term, so you can get something that only lasts for the time you’re away, saving you money.
Knowledge of the Law
When you trek across Europe, it’s important that you know the rules for driving in each country.
It’s common knowledge that you drive on the right rather than the left of the road, but the rules of the road go well beyond that. Each country has different rules, and these cover things like speed limits, to lights and even essential things you must have in the car with you (we expand on this next). Make sure you know the rules for each country individually. The .GOV site can help.
A Safety Kit
This feeds into the above. In some countries, a safety kit is mandatory for driving. The contents changes per country, so make sure you study the law carefully.
However, although you might drive around the UK without a safety kit (as many drivers choose to do), it’s very good practice for when you’re driving abroad. After all, if you get stranded in the Alps, for instance, you could be there a long time. Make sure you’ve packed sufficiently to stay warm, fed and safe if you breakdown.
Sat Nav Upgrades
Finally, is your sat nav up to date? It will need to be. Fines in European countries can be hefty, so make sure that you know the speed limits, where one way streets are and where you can and cannot drive. Upgrading your sat nav should be simple, so there’s no excuse not to.
Follow this checklist and you should be ready to go.
