Moving insurance on driving myself across country? (ship, address, storage)

[gradRun]

I'm going to be driving from NH - Oregon in April as part of a move to the west coast. My things are being shipped separately, but I will have a lot of my more breakable things, like electronics in my car on the road trip.

Does anyone know of a way to insure the things in my car against theft?

A renters or home owner's policy is the first thing that comes to mind, but I'll be between residences and so won't be covered. My auto insurance covers the car itself, and me but not anything I would be carrying. Would any form of travel insurance cover it?

Any help would be much appreciated!

[Moonlight melvin]

I'd double check with your car insurance...or at least ask your agent what options you have. I know that if my car is broken into and my laptop (as an example) is stolen, it's covered through car insurance.

[gradRun]

I checked with my auto insurance and unfortunately my policy doesn't cover theft for anything inside the car, only things that are physically attached - like the radio. I don't have renters insurance right now, and won't have a permanent address as of the end of the week, and I won't be able to purchase a new renters policy until I have a new place.

[Scott Luther]

Originally Posted by gradRun

I'm going to be driving from NH - Oregon in April as part of a move to the west coast. My things are being shipped separately, but I will have a lot of my more breakable things, like electronics in my car on the road trip.

Does anyone know of a way to insure the things in my car against theft?

A renters or home owner's policy is the first thing that comes to mind, but I'll be between residences and so won't be covered. My auto insurance covers the car itself, and me but not anything I would be carrying. Would any form of travel insurance cover it?

Any help would be much appreciated!

From my experience, renters policy will work. You don't have to have a place because a lot of times people have renters insurance when their stuff is in storage. You should talk to your insurance agent.

[Dark of the Moon]

Originally Posted by Scott Luther

From my experience, renters policy will work. You don't have to have a place because a lot of times people have renters insurance when their stuff is in storage. You should talk to your insurance agent.

This is correct, but note that unless your policy is an "all-risk" one, it will only cover losses as described in the policy (e.g. theft), and not for damage caused by something like an auto collision. Your best bet is to talk to an insurance agent in your area -- sooner rather than later.

Best of luck with the move!

[Jillaceae]

We moved from Oregon to Vermont, basically the same way you are planning (drive, ship stuff that didn't fit in my car). I know this sounds less than pleasant, but what we ended up doing was putting all our valuable stuff (important documents, jewelery, our computers) in two boxes that we unloaded and took into the hotel room with us every night. That way we could keep an eye on everything. It made me feel a lot better. Unfortunately, we couldn't figure out a better way to do it. Good luck to you!