The Beginner’s Guide to Vacation Liability: Homeowners Insurance for Your Campsite

Why Vacation Liability Is Needed for Campsites

Roll out the awning, level the trailer. Roast some s’mores and play some games. No matter what you’re doing at a campsite, you need Vacation Liability insurance. Many beginners don’t realize that a campsite carries legal responsibilities like a permanent home would. If someone else gets hurt at your campsite, you could be held responsible for their broken leg or damaged truck. But you don’t need to worry if you have the right insurance.

In this guide, we will go over why auto insurance isn’t enough, how Vacation Liability insurance works, and tips to keep your RV and yourself safe while camping out.

What Exactly is Vacation Liability?

Vacation Liability (sometimes called campsite liability) is a specialized type of coverage designed for travel trailers and fifth wheels. It acts like the personal liability portion of a homeowners policy, but it applies specifically within the boundaries of your rented campsite.

Vacation Liability vs Standard Auto Liability Insurance

Standard auto liability only pays for damages caused by your vehicle in motion. Sometimes it will cover damages caused by your trailer if it is hooked onto your main vehicle. However, it does not cover other expenses related to a trailer, and it does not cover incidents that can arise at a vacation campsite.

Vacation Liability works when your rig is parked, unhitched, and acting as a place of temporary residence.

What Does RV Vacation Liability Insurance Cover

RV Vacation Liability policy terms can vary between insurance companies and policies. Generally, an RV Vacation Liability insurance policy will cover:

Medical payments

Campsite liability insurance can cover medical expenses for guests who get injured at your site. Medical payments are generally the biggest risk that needs to be covered by RV Vacation Liability insurance since a medical emergency can bankrupt entire families.

For example, if a guest walks on your campsite and trips over a poorly placed minifridge, they could hit their head and end up with a serious injury that ends up in them being hospitalized. They might then sue you for their medical expenses and treatment costs, which you may be responsible for paying.

Also consider, what if a close friend gets injured and you don’t have Vacation Liability insurance? It would be extremely unpleasant to have that conversation of how the medical expenses are going to be paid, whether you were negligent or not. Having the right liability insurance can help you dissolve tension and avoid awkward conversations with your friends and family.

Property damage

Property damage liability is another main coverage type of Vacation Liability policies. If your RV damages another person’s property, like their vehicle or chair, the property damage liability insurance portion of Vacation Liability insurance can help. This can cover situations such as if you accidentally run into someone else’s fence or damage a neighbor’s parked vehicle.

Legal defense fees

Lawsuits happen more often than you might think due to campsite incidents. If you end up getting sued for the damages, you would benefit from hiring a lawyer and defending/dealing with the claim. It is valuable to have legal defense coverage so that you don’t feel forced to settle upfront to avoid the legal lawsuit process. You can check your Vacation Liability policy to see whether attorney fees are covered and their coverage limits.

Settlements or judgments up to your policy limit

Settlement expenses typically ranging from $100,000 to $500,000 and can be covered by your Campsite Liability insurance depending on your policy terms.

Not all RV lawsuits end in a settlement. Sometimes you may not be liable for the damages or injuries. This depends on your state and situation though, so having liability insurance coverage is far better than nothing.

Real-World Scenarios: When Vacation Liability Saves the Day

Vacations can go wrong in the blink of an eye. Liability—incidents involving other parties—can lead to massive health expenses and property damage that you might have to pay. Out-of-pocket, if you lack sufficient liability insurance.

There’s a reason liability coverage often goes up to $1 million, and is highly recommended for vacations, vehicles, and professional workers. Lawsuits can devastate your savings, and just the risk of a liability claim can make it harder to relax while your vacationing at a campsite.

Common issues include:

• Campfire slip and falls. A neighbor from nearby who’s walking over can accidentally trip over a poorly placed chair or cooler, resulting in medical expenses
• A dog you own could bite a fellow camper or camper’s pet when spooked. Dog bites can be expensive liability claims
• Wind or storm breaks your trailer awning and damages the campsite common area or a passerby
• You lose control of your RV and drive into someone else, causing serious injuries

Why Your Regular Homeowners or Auto Policy Isn't Enough

Homeowners insurance

Homeowners insurance is meant to cover risks surrounding and inside your home. Theft, fires, destruction of personal belongings, and more. But it may not cover anything that occurs while you’re technically away from home, even if you’re living in a trailer.

Some homeowners policies offer limited liability protection but contain exclusions for owned or rented recreational vehicles or water vessels.

High deductibles can be an issue. The deductible is how much you need to pay by yourself before insurance will kick in and cover the rest, up to the maximum limit. Not going with RV insurance can result in small claims not being covered.

Plus, relying on a homeowners policy for a campground accident also risks raising your primary home insurance premiums. If an issue takes place you might even feel hesitant to file a claim for it, knowing it could raise your future homeowner’s insurance premium for years. A dedicated travel trailer policy is valuable because it isolates the risk.

Auto insurance

If you’re keeping an RV at your campsite as a temporary residence, you might be thinking that auto insurance will cover it. Unfortunately, while auto insurance can cover liability while your trailer is connected to your truck, that only works if you’re actively driving on the road. Campsite liability and risks are not covered by auto insurance. RV-specific risks also won’t be covered by a traditional auto insurance policy.

Insurance requirements

Many states require you to carry RV insurance for motorized RVs, determined by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).

Parking an RV in some places will also require you to carry RV liability insurance. The owners of parks do not want an incident to involve underinsured or uninsured RV owners, since that can cause a lot of financial and reputational trouble.

What Other RV Insurance Do You Need?

If you’re going on an adventure with your RV, Vacation Liability might not be the only type of insurance you need. Here are some other popular or niche RV insurance policies that could be valuable depending on your situation and needs.

Full-time RV insurance

If you stay at your trailer for over half of the time in a year, it could void a regular RV insurance policy for campsite liability. You need to check to see your insurer’s requirements for full-time RV insurance. It covers different situations than recreational RV insurance.

Campsite Insurance for Owners

If you actually own a commercial campsite, you probably need far more than just Vacation Liability insurance. You likely need specialized RV park insurance or campground insurance if you own a:

• Campground
• RV park
• Glamping site
• Other outdoor recreational area

To ensure you’re getting the right type of RV insurance, it’s a good idea to speak with an insurance expert. Checking out Good Sam is the most convenient method if you don’t know where to start with how to insure your RV.

Do I really need RV Vacation Liability?

Even if this isn’t the type of insurance you need, it is highly recommended to find out which insurance you do need. In many cases and states, RV liability insurance is actually required.

If you are towing a travel trailer along and not actually driving it, you still at least may be required to have auto insurance on the vehicle that is towing the trailer. If you park your travel trailer at a campsite afterwards, Vacation Liability can save you a lot of financial headache.

How much coverage do I need?

Your ideal coverage limit depends on your risk tolerance and how much insurance you can afford to buy. On the lower ends you can carry insurance of only $10,000, but you can also pay more and obtain better coverage of $1 million for liability.

Consider your financial situation and RV risks when looking for the best Vacation Liability insurance policy.

Who Offers the Best Vacation Liability Insurance?

Vacation Liability RV insurance usually comes with a specialized RV insurance policy that also covers other risks.

National General (Best for High Coverage Limits)

If you want the best coverage, as in the highest limits and convenient bundling options, consider National General. National General is an Allstate company that has offered insurance products since 1920. You can easily add Vacation Liability as a standard rider when you set up a specialized travel trailer policy. National General also offers highly flexible liability limits, which means that you can easily match your campground protection to the limit you desire.

Roamly (Best for Modern RVers & Trailer Renters)

Do you plan on renting out your travel trailer through RVshare, Outdoorsy, or other platforms? It’s a great way to make some extra cash while you aren’t out adventuring yourself. However, traditional RV insurance companies will cancel your RV policy if they realize you are renting out your trailer. This can leave you unprotected and liable for significant expenses in case an incident occurs. Some families go bankrupt because they cannot deal with emergency liability bills.

Roamly allows peer-to-peer renting, a unique offering. They also provide robust liability options that keep you protected whether you are using the trailer yourself or a renter is using it at the time.

Good Sam (Best for Comparison Shopping & Camping Perks)

Good Sam doesn’t write their own insurance products, but they are a highly convenient way to find the best quotes for Vacation Liability RV Insurance. Good Sam shops your trailer info across multiple major networks to find a policy that includes Vacation Liability at competitive rates.

Good Sam is deeply involved in RV camping and invested in finding the best coverage for their community. Their compared policies often include roadside assistance packages designed specifically to rescue unhitched trailers and provide other benefits to RV owners or renters. If you’re frustrated with the idea of roadside RV accidents, Good Sam’s policies can help you out.

Conclusion: Secure Your Campsite Before You Pack

Is it safe to relax on your vacation if you know a clumsy neighbor could threaten your life savings? You need the right liability insurance before you head off on a camping trip. It covers much more than auto or homeowners insurance, since those two won’t cover all your campsite RV liability needs.

If you have an RV insurance policy already, call your insurer to ask about Vacation Liability or Campsite Liability coverage. If it’s not included, you can get it quickly added through an RV insurance provider.