When you vacation abroad and you want to make a driving holiday of it, then you need to check with whoever provides your breakdown cover insurance. Sometimes the holder of the policy may also provide breakdown cover. What most people don’t seem to understand is that breakdown cover, where mechanics attend at the scene, get you somewhere for the night and then go off and fix the car, often only covers them if they breakdown at home.

Breaking down in your own country and in a place that you might know well is a far cry from breaking down in a foreign country. In Europe especially there are plenty of areas where you won’t see another person for miles, or you might have decided to drive into the mountains, breaking down can be very scary indeed. Nowadays some insurance companies provide European breakdown cover as part of their full breakdown cover. However, there are still companies that don’t do this and to be on the safe side you should check this out before you set off on your vacation, to give yourself time to find a European breakdown policy. France is especially problematic when it comes to breakdown, because breakdown teams are not allowed on some of the roads and you have to contact the police station to get the police to come and help you out and arrange for the vehicle to be moved.

Some American insurance companies will provide you with international auto insurance cover, which means that your policies are valid in whichever country you are in – although it is fair to say that not all European countries have the same breakdown policy and you should always check the details on these policies. In contrast, some insurance companies provide support for you at the site of the breakdown, the rescue takes place as soon as possible and if you have been driving your own car when it breaks down they can arrange to have it shipped back home for you.