This is a great story about Insuring your RV. Most people simply don't understand or think about proper covergae to insure their RV. Travelling in your recreational vehicle should be a time to relax and enjoy life, so it makes sense to protect yourself in case an unfortunate accident occurs.
Pat Walker, insurance agency manager with the Alberta Motor Association's Calgary main office, says whatever type of RV you own, it's important to have the proper insurance coverage.

"An RV is a very large financial investment," says Walker, "and to take it out on our highways or into our parks without some form of insurance is running the risk of losing that investment."

The type of insurance coverage you need will vary depending on whether you own a self-propelled RV, such as a motorhome or camper van, or a towed RV such as a travel trailer, folding trailer or fifth wheel.

Since they are considered motor vehicles, all self-propelled RVs must comply with Alberta government regulations that include having public liability and public damage coverage, in case you injure someone or damage property with your motorized RV.

For a towed RV trailer, those risks are automatically covered under the insurance policy of the motor vehicle towing it, such as your truck or SUV, Walker says.

But that only applies when the trailer is in motion or attached to the towing vehicle. Once you stop, set up camp and disconnect your trailer, the liability coverage from the towing vehicle ends.

So you need to make sure you have public liability and public damage insurance through your homeowner's or tenant's insurance, just in case, for example, someone gets hurt falling from your RV trailer in the campground. Then your homeowner/tenant insurance is there to protect you.

Walker says you should also have coverage for the RV itself, which can be achieved in several different ways. One is to add it to your automobile policy and have it insured in a similar fashion, with collision and comprehensive coverage, subject to the usual deductible amounts.

A better way to insure the physical RV unit is with a

comprehensive insurance package specially designed for RVs that many companies offer, similar to homeowner's insurance.

A typical policy will cover the shell of the unit along with any attached equipment or fixtures. It also covers contents that are kept permanently in the unit, and includes loss-of-use coverage.

The contents coverage is important to have, Walker says, since many people keep items such as a TV, dishes, bedding, a barbecue and sports equipment in their RVs all the time. The contents can add up to thousands of dollars, and since those items are deemed to have been permanently removed from a home, they may not be covered under your homeowner's insurance.

The loss-of-use coverage included in an RV-specific insurance policy is intended to help if something disrupts your vacation, such as if you damage your RV and are stranded.

In that circumstance, you might be covered for some of the expense of continuing your vacation by renting a replacement RV or perhaps staying in hotels, Walker says.

Or you might decide to end the trip early, and the insurance would help cover having your RV towed home for repairs.

There is a dollar limit to the expenses covered, she adds, but it can certainly help offset costs and potentially save your trip.

Some insurance companies, including AMA, also have additional RV insurance options you can choose, such as extended warranties on RV appliances, which can be useful considering how expensive a small RV refrigerator can be, for example.

Something AMA members should consider if they become RV owners, Walker says, is getting the RV Plus upgraded membership.

A regular membership covers things like towing for your truck or car if it breaks down, but it would not cover towing of a trailer you had been pulling.

To read the complete story at Canada, click here.