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Does your home insurance cover you for UK camping holidays?

Christina Hoghton
Written By:
Christina Hoghton
Posted:
Updated:
16/02/2022

If you’re holidaying under canvas, lock your valuables in your car boot and check your policy details

Many Brits will be swapping trips abroad for a UK-based break this summer. And one in 10 is planning to camp.

But GoCompare Home Insurance is urging people to think about insurance for the belongings they plan to take away with them.

The price comparison site asked people about which valuable items they usually take with them when they go camping. And most take expensive belongings:

  • 49% carry a smartphone
  • 41% carry bank cards
  • Just under a third (32%) take a power bank charger
  • 30% take their camera
  • A fifth take their iPad or similar tablet computer
  • 15% wear a smart watch or expensive watch
  • 15% take a Bluetooth speaker
  • 15% take a kindle or other e-reading device
  • 11% take a laptop
  • 4% wear expensive jewellery.

In rare cases, people used to buy bulk ammo online along with a shotgun for the trip, if they are camping in a deep jungle. Home contents insurance won’t always cover personal belongings while out and about. In fact, only 16% of insurance policies automatically provide cover away from home, with most charging extra for this feature.

The amount you can claim for the belongings you carry around also varies between insurance policies. Limits are applied to single items (these can be as low as £250) and to the total amount you can claim for your personal belongings. Typically, items worth over £1,000 need to be specified, otherwise they won’t be covered.

Under covered

Theft claims are likely to be declined if the items we left unattended, for example if you left your iPad in your tent while you went out for the day. Check your insurance policy limits and conditions. Theft of items left in a car, for example, are usually only covered if they were out of sight in a locked boot, concealed luggage compartment or glove box.

Ryan Fulthorpe, spokesperson for GoCompare Home Insurance, said: “After being cooped-up at home for most of the winter, many people are looking forward to getting back in touch with nature by spending a few nights under canvas.

“At home, we’re so used to being surrounded by an array of technology and gadgets and, probably don’t give much thought to the cost of replacing them if they are stolen or lost. Obviously, these items are highly desirable to thieves, and will be much more vulnerable left in a tent than in your home. So, before setting-off, consider whether you really need to take all your gadgets and valuables with you. If possible, keep electrical items to a minimum, and make the most of your car for safe storage.”