Staycation warning: Campers urged to check their insurance before pitching-up

Most Brits will be swapping trips abroad for a staycation this summer – some of whom will spend their holiday under canvas.  To help ensure they remain happy campers – GoCompare Home Insurance is urging people to think about insurance for the belongings they plan to take away with them.    

According to new research, one in ten Brits will pitch-up for a UK camping holiday this year, 5% hope to go glamping, while 6% hope to soak-up some culture by staying at an arts or music festival.  

The research asked people about valuable items they usually take with them when they go camping:

• 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.

Home contents insurance can cover you for the loss of and damage to things in your home.  However, many people mistakenly believe their personal belongings - including mobile phones, jewellery, wallets, clothing, gadgets, bags, and bicycles - are also covered while they are out and about.   A few insurance policies (16%) automatically provide cover away from home, most (82%) only provide ‘personal possessions’ cover as a paid-for extra². 

The amount you can claim for the belongings you carry around 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.  Specific cover limits, restrictions and exclusions usually apply to valuables (e.g. jewellery and watches), cash and cards, mobile phones, sports and camping equipment, and spectacles.  

Pedal cycles are only generally covered away from home if you have opted for personal possessions cover.  Again, bikes typically attract specific policy limits, terms, and conditions.  For example, cycles may only be insured against theft if they are in a locked building and/or securely locked to an immovable object.

Insurers expect you to take care of your belongings while they are away from home.  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.  Again, before heading off to the campsite, it is sensible to 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 commented, “With continuing uncertainty and restrictions surrounding foreign travel, Brits are readying themselves for a summer of staycations.  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.” 

For more information on personal possessions cover outside the home, please visit https://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/personal-possessions-cover-outside-the-home/

-Ends-

For further information please contact:

Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845

Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @GoCompare

Notes to editors

¹On 16 April 2021, an online survey of 2,008 randomly selected Great British adults was executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.1%. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region and social grade to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.

²Source: Defaqto Matrix of 388 home contents insurance policies (29 April 2021) – instant and unbiased market and competitor intelligence, from independent financial researcher Defaqto. Percentages are rounded up to the nearest whole number.

About GoCompare

GoCompare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.

It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. GoCompare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.

When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.

GoCompare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.

GoCompare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).

More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.