With an estimated nine million Brits taking a car with them on holiday this year the driving holiday seems to be enjoying something of a surge in popularity. And what could be simpler than a continental jaunt in your motor, just remember which side of the road you’re supposed to be driving on!

Unfortunately its not quite as simple as many of us seem to think; there is the boring but necessary job of sorting out your car insurance before you head off, a stage that many of us are apparently either forgetting, not bothering with or don ‘t realise is necessary. Figures released during the summer showed that 28% of those taking their cars abroad don’t check that their existing policy covers them overseas, a further 43% don’t check the individual details of their overseas policy and over half forget to notify their insurer that they are going abroad.

As easy as it may be to forget it really is important that anyone planning a driving holiday abroad at the very least remembers to let their insurer know about their plans if they want to avoid any unhappy and potentially expensive surprises should they need to make a claim.

Here’s a quick checklist of things to remember before you head off:

• The most important thing is to check exactly what you’re covered for when you take your car overseas. However comprehensive your car insurance policy is in this country there’s no guarantee that this will apply when you’re driving abroad; many insurers will only offer third party cover when you travel overseas. Again, if you have any doubts call your insurer to discuss your options – you’ll probably be able to extend your existing insurance to cover travel abroad for an extra fee. To take Asda Car Insurance as a typical example, their comprehensive policy specifies that if you want to extend your full policy cover (for up to 93 days in a year) to overseas use you should contact them with the following information: Your policy number, the dates of your travel, the registration number and make and model of your car and which countries you will be traveling in.

• You should give serious consideration to getting European breakdown cover if it isn’t already included in your policy. The likelihood is that even if you do extend your comprehensive policy to overseas use it won’t include breakdown assistance. For this you’ll probably need to pay a bit extra, but don’t dismiss the idea – if you do breakdown the average cost of getting your car fixed and  returned to the UK in countries like Southern Italy, Southern Spain and Greece has been calculated by Churchill to be around £1200. All of this should be included in your European Breakdown cover.

• Make sure your insurer supplies you with a Green Card, it should be free and is proof that you are covered for driving abroad to a minimum level

• Make sure you’re travel insurance is up to scratch. Again, for a relatively minimal cost it really is worth it for the piece of mind – foreign healthcare can be expensive and footing any bills personally would add significant extra costs to your holiday. Just as with your car insurance check the details thoroughly and don’t just plump for the cheapest option without making sure it’s a satisfactory policy. Another important factor to consider is what you will be getting up to on your holiday – anything out of the ordinary and slightly dangerous is unlikely to be covered as standard. Insurers like Go Travel Insurance categorize activities from 1 to 4, category 1 activities (cycling, for instance) are covered in the standard policy and the rest can be added for an extra premium. It is possible to incorporate European Breakdown Cover as an add-on to your Travel Insurance policy with some insurers (AA Travel Insurance and Direcline).