Roadtripping

I'm quite sure European car recovery isn't included on my car insurance, so I had a look at how much European Breakdown Cover cost with the AA. The quote I had for one single trip for my car was very cheap - £14-07 - and included this:

Your quote: £14.07
Includes: 22.3% discount
A saving of £2.89



Your quote includes: Single Trip Cover: Up to £2,000 for one trip, including roadside assistance, location and despatch of spare parts, vehicle recovery, alternative transport and accommodation.

Parts and Labour Benefit: Provides up to £500 towards the cost of replacement parts and garage labour following a breakdown attended under your AA European Breakdown Cover.

The family I met on the train a few years ago had taken out this AA insurance and it seemed to be working out very well for them. The AA paid for their train tickets and all the expenses to do with their car,including bringing it back to the U.K.

The same thing as multi trip insurance with the AA for a year cost a lot more - £170 - so I suppose it would be better taking out several single trip insurances with them, for anyone driving out to their ski resort.

Ally

AllyG wrote:I'm quite sure European car recovery isn't included on my car insurance, so I had a look at how much European Breakdown Cover cost with the AA. The quote I had for one single trip for my car was very cheap - £14-07 - and included this:

Your quote: £14.07
Includes: 22.3% discount
A saving of £2.89



Your quote includes: Single Trip Cover: Up to £2,000 for one trip, including roadside assistance, location and despatch of spare parts, vehicle recovery, alternative transport and accommodation.

Parts and Labour Benefit: Provides up to £500 towards the cost of replacement parts and garage labour following a breakdown attended under your AA European Breakdown Cover.

The family I met on the train a few years ago had taken out this AA insurance and it seemed to be working out very well for them. The AA paid for their train tickets and all the expenses to do with their car,including bringing it back to the U.K.

The same thing as multi trip insurance with the AA for a year cost a lot more - £170 - so I suppose it would be better taking out several single trip insurances with them, for anyone driving out to their ski resort.

Ally

Look what happened to me this year been driving in Europe for years always paid for five star euro cover but never had to use it ...... it was the best £24 I ever spent
repatriation of my vehicle, flights home, hire car in the Uk to get us home from the airport, Excess baggage, taxis in France to hotel and airport, facilitation of three
way conference call with the French police. :thumbup:

Ian,
Who did you have your insurance with?

Ally, whilst you are busy telling us that driving is no good and that we should all take the train, I don't understand why you don't fly when you go skiing as it would be cheaper and quicker.
Is there a particular reason why you don't?

Tony,
I don't think I've ever said that driving is no good and everyone should take the train. I think I said it depends on where one lives in relation to Dover/Folkestone, St Pancras, Victoria (for the Snow Coach), and the regional airports.

I'm quite sure all the regulars on here know that I go by train to try to help slow down Global Warming (which is why I didn't want to mention it and bore everyone by going on about it again). The train generally produces only 1/10th the carbon as the plane.

I did go by plane last October (because the direct train wasn't running due to it being out of the ski season) and I found it a very stressful experience (it's on my Tignes thread). I actually prefer the train. I like being able to walk about during the journey, and get food and hot drinks from the buffet car, and look out of the window at France passing by. I put insulation in the attic in two of our houses to try and 'save' enough carbon to 'pay' for the trip.

Also, I get car sick in a car after about 1 hour and a half unless I'm driving or a front seat passenger. So I can't go by coach.

What about you - do you prefer driving or flying, now that you've tried both ways of getting to the slopes?

Ally

AllyG wrote:Ian,
Who did you have your insurance with?

It was VEHICLE RESCUE DIRECT who are Axa, they were brilliant I would recommend them highly for the service they gave

AllyG wrote:

What about you - do you prefer driving or flying, now that you've tried both ways of getting to the slopes?

Ally

Having now done all 3, I can say the following:

I would definitely 100% never go by train again: I found that the most uncomfortable and dull journey of my life. The place stank, people were making noise so you couldn't sleep if you wanted, and you are very limited using the snow trains as to where you go. Fine if you like the French ultra expensive mega resorts full of posh knobs from Surry I guess.

I would happily fly every time. Its a short hop to Geneva, Innsbruck, Turin, etc. I have had a bad experience once with lost bags and diversions, but thats a real one off. If the weather is that bad, its going to affect you however you go. If part of a package, its probably much cheaper.

I enjoyed the drive. It allowed me a lot of freedom, and I would do it again for sure.

Tony,
I'm sorry you had such a terrible journey on the train. I do agree that the night train where you have to sit up all night is extremely uncomfortable. However, the day train is great.

I would think there must be about 20 resorts within about half an hour of the three direct train stations of Moutiers, Aime La Plagne, and Bourg-St-Maurice. Surely they're not ALL really expensive? We found La Rosiere quite cheap, and that's one of them, and Val Thorens is certainly not posh and all full of people from Surrey.

There's also the 5 Three Valley resorts (Meribel, Courchevel, St Martin de Belleville, Les Menuires, and Val Thorens), Tignes and Val d'Isere, La Plagne, les Arcs, Saint-Foy-Tarentaise and Champagny. And I expect there are several others that I don't know about.

And if you don't mind changing trains in Paris I would think there are a great many more French ski resorts you could get to on the train.

It would be nice to have the use of a car when in a ski resort, for going to see/ski neighbouring resorts, but it's too far for me to drive from here. I suppose, one day, I might hire a car once I get there.

Thanks Ian, I thought someone might like to know which insurer you were with. It sounds like they did an excellent job :D

Ally