RV insurance tips with Melissa from Progressive
RV insurance - what you need to know
RV insurance - what do you need to know, what are some ways to save money and what kind of coverages are available that you might not know about? What about your pets? Is there coverage for RV roofs, for rodent infestations and what about theft and collision? Melissa Geric from Progressive has some great tips, information and surprises. You will definitely want to share this important podcast episode.
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Mentioned on this episode
Progressive Insurance - www.progressive.com
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Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 341
Peggy
RV insurance, what do you need to know?
Tony
What are some ways to save money?
Speaker 3
Cha-ching!(cash register dinging)
Tony
And what kind of coverages are available that you might not know about?
Peggy
What about your pets?
Tony
Is there coverage for RV roofs?
Peggy
Or rodent infestations?
Tony
And what about theft and collision?
Peggy
Melissa Garrick from Progressive Insurance has great tips, information, and surprises.
Tony
You will definitely want to share this important podcast episode.
Peggy
You know, we have this week's podcasts along with notes and stories to go with the episode, and deals, discounts, helpful tips, and more at our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com.
Tony
We really appreciate your likes and shares. Don't forget to subscribe. And thank you for joining us for podcast Episode 341. Stressless Camping.
Peggy
Stressless Camping.
Tony
I'm Tony.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
And we're two RV industry veterans who travel part time.
Peggy
Pretty soon in a Rockwood miniLife.(laughs)
Tony
You betcha. Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips-
Peggy
Tricks.
Tony
... and discounts.
Peggy
The day that you listen to this, assuming you listen on the day it releases, we are packing and heading out the next day for Quartzsite, Arizona.
Tony
Absolutely. We sure hope you're gonna be there to join us. We'll be at the Quartzsite Sports Vacation in RV Show, the entirety of that show, uh, in the seminar tent. So if you're wandering around, come find us. That's where we'll be giving seminars, uh, along with a bunch of other people, including Todd from Big Beard Battery and, and more. So it'd be a good reason to be out there.
Peggy
And also on Saturday afternoon the 17th, the day that the show opens, from 4:00 until closing, we're having a content creators gathering. And so if you... I don't know why you would, but if you follow other content creators(laughs) other than us-
Tony
Maybe.
Peggy
I'm kidding. Of course you would. Uh, if they're in Quartzsite, this would be a good place to, uh, hang out with them, get to know them, meet some people, get some, I don't know, autographs, I don't know.
Tony
Yeah, just meet and greet, yeah.
Peggy
Or whatever, shake some hands.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah. There, I have over 100 people signed up. So, a lot of people who you may be following on various platforms will be there to meet you. Well, as you know, we have a fun and friendly Stressless Campers Facebook group.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And there's a lot of good stuff that gets shared in there from people. It, it's been really polite and informative. Mark shared a great tip for home internet, for those of you who still have a sticks and bricks and have home internet. While you're on the road, his provider will let him do, like, an away package, where it's a reduced fee while he's gone. So, he still has internet, so like if you're doing cameras or, or thermostats, that kinda stuff-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... but at a reduced fee 'cause they know you're not gonna be watching all those Stressless Camper-
Tony
... uh, videos on YouTube or listening to the podcast. Well, maybe you are, but you're doing it from on the road, right?
Peggy
You're not using your home internet.
Tony
Yeah. So anyway, uh, one of the many great reasons to be at our Stressless Campers fun and friendly Facebook group.
Peggy
Now, one of the reasons to be in our fun and friendly ABC Upfitters family...(laughs)
Peggy
Sometimes segues are-
Tony
Yeah, that's true.
Peggy
But I'm not kidding, it is a fun and friendly family-
Tony
It is.
Peggy
... at ABC Upfitters. And they are superb people to work with. And by the way, a little bit late now when you're listening to this, but happy birthday, Ben.
Peggy
Uh, ABC uses all Mastervolt parts, so everything works together like it should seamlessly. You won't have a problem, but should you have a problem, all you have to do is give them a call, and they can remote into your system and help you fix the problem. But really, if, if, if you have a problem, you're gonna make one phone call, and they're gonna fix it. They're not gonna say, "Well, you better call this company," or, "You better call that company, and this company's gonna blame that company." None of that happens with ABC F- Upfitters and the Mastervolt system.
Tony
Yeah, it's one call and the problem solved. And you know that these Mastervolt systems that ABC Upfitters use, they are tailored to how you want to camp. So, when you first call them, they'll ask you, you know, "What do you like to do?" Things like that. And then work with you to, to put a system together that fits your camping style. But guess what? It can be upgraded and changed down the road if you find, "Oh, I, I need more."
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
"I need something a little different." So, anyway, they're, they're really good people to deal with. And you can give them a ring at 574-333-3225.
Peggy
That's 574-333-3225 or use the QR code that you see on the screen to get in touch with ABC Upfitters.
Tony
So, we have been wanting to speak with Progressive Insurance for some time now.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
I have been trying to get Flo, but Flo-
Tony
... said it was a no-go. But, you know, there's a lot of questions we had about properly insuring an RV, and especially towables, you know, what do you need, that kind of thing. Anyway, we got to speak with Melissa Garrick from Progressive. And she is the RV underwriter at Progressive, so she knows-
Peggy
She might even know more than Flo.(laughs)
Tony
She probably does, I bet.
Peggy
When it's, when you're talking about RV-specific questions, and we asked all the questions we could think of, and Melissa gave us some terrific answers, some really great tips, and some coverages that might surprise you.
Tony
Yeah. So, without any further ado or a don't-
Tony
... we are very fortunate to have Melissa Garrick from Progressive, who is the RV underwriter-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... and knows all about RV insurance. And we've been hoping to have you here for some time. And it's a pleasure to finally have you as our guest.
Peggy
Yes.Yes. Thank you.
Melissa Geric
Thank you, though.
Peggy
Welcome. And thank you for spending some time with us today and answering some burning questions about RV insurance.(laughs)
Tony
Well, burning is something they cover, I'm sure.
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Some people might say it's, it's not, it's not fun, but it's totally fun to talk about it.(laughs)
Peggy
That's good.
Melissa Geric
Absolutely.
Peggy
Yeah, maybe burning isn't the best kind of questions in an RV.(laughs)
Tony
Well, I think Progressive is very unusual in how much you will cover in terms of the flexibility of your plans, and that's one of the reasons we wanted to have you here. Uh, but I think-
Melissa Geric
That's right.
Tony
... first we should start with real basic RV insurance. You know, what, what do we need to know?
Melissa Geric
I can start off with, like, 101, first course-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... in insurance. How about that?
Peggy
Good.
Tony
Perfect.
Melissa Geric
The best thing to talk to your demographic and your listeners is that travel trailers have a policy, and you definitely want coverage for your travel trailer. Do not add it to your auto. And I'll talk about why in a little bit. The second one is for your motor home. You just wanna make sure that you're getting enough liability. Your liability is what someone would sue you if you hit them.
Melissa Geric
So, if you can imagine, a lot of your group has Class As and large vehicles. So we wanna have a, a little bit higher level of liability, and then your comprehensive and collision for both of our products, both your travel trailer and your motor home, um, can have comprehensive, which covers things that you did not have anything to do with. A tree falls on you, or, you know, something...
Melissa Geric
a tornado hits, God forbid. Um, your collision is if, if you hit something. So for your motor homes, you always wanna make sure that you have that collision coverage, because if you damage your own rig, you want it to be repaired, and you want it to be repaired the way you want it, because I know you guys really take care of your property. So, you guys definitely, um, would benefit from that.
Melissa Geric
So, new RVers that you're talking to, that would be what I would point out about either a travel trailer or a motor home. And those policies are different. So, you don't wanna have-
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... a travel trailer on motor home policy, and you definitely don't want a motor home on a travel trailer policy because travel trailers don't carry liability. So, you wanna take care of your vehicle the best way you can.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
And we've heard more than a few people who say, "Oh, I have a travel trailer. It's covered by my tow vehicle insurance." That's not a good idea.
Melissa Geric
That is a great question, Tony. The, the thing that they might have 1% correct is that your tow vehicle, the liability transfers back, 'cause remember, our travel trailer doesn't have any liability. So, whatever you're towing it with and... That vehicle's liability coverage will transfer back while you're en route somewhere, maybe to your next campsite or celebration or, um, whate- wherever-
Melissa Geric
... you're going. While it's in transit, your tow vehicle will cover that. But when you're parked, you wanna make sure that you have coverage as well, for sure.
Tony
Once you unhook, if a tree falls on the trailer and you don't have its own insurance, that's your problem now.
Melissa Geric
That's, uh, completely your f- your problem. So, that is why I tell everyone it, it is not expensive to insure your travel trailer. And can I tell you a couple of really great reasons why?
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Of course.
Melissa Geric
Okay. I'm really excited about this.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
First of all, um, I just got back from the Hershey RV Show. Do you guys go to that?
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Have you been there?
Peggy
We went... We went for our first time this year. Yeah.
Melissa Geric
I was there.(laughs)
Tony
Oh, I wish we had crossed paths.
Melissa Geric
Yeah. I wish we would've met up. We coulda had dinner and, and-
Peggy
Nice.
Melissa Geric
... fun stuff like that, but-
Tony
And chocolate.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
I love going to the Hershey RV Show, and there's so many people there that are either buying their first rig or upgrading. So, there was-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... a lot of new unit sales there. I'm sure you guys saw that. A big motor home presence this year too, which-
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... shocked me. Last year was pretty much just, like, so many travel trailers. So, the fun thing I wanna tell you guys is if you have a new vehicle, it's this year or last model year, which a lot of shops and lots will have, like, 2024s for sale right now still that have never been titled or used, you're eligible for a coverage called total loss replacement. So, that means in your first five years of coverage, let's say that example you said, Peggy, or Tony.
Melissa Geric
I don't know which one said it. So, you're-
Melissa Geric
... you're camping and you have total loss replacement within the first five model years, and your rig is totaled out, we will either get you a brand new one that model year. So, if it's 2030, we're gonna get you a 2030 same model.... or as close as we can. Um, or you could just take the amount listed at the top of your declaration page. So, I don't know if any of your experience has been with total losses or you could talk about that at all because that is something that I would always say first on every circuit that I'm on talking to RVers is, you know, get that total loss replacement.
Peggy
We have actually had two total losses.
Peggy
One pre-Progressive and one with Progressive.
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Okay.
Peggy
Uh, both of them, uh, I was gonna say terrific experiences. Of course, the loss was not a terrific experience-
Tony
No, no.
Peggy
... but the insurance portion was great and-
Melissa Geric
Excellent.
Tony
And here's the funny thing. They both happened the same year.
Peggy
Yes.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
Wow, bad luck year.
Peggy
It was a crazy year.
Tony
It was a crazy year.
Melissa Geric
Everyone has those. I've had a crazy decade. Does that count?(laughs) .
Peggy
It was actually the same year that we sold our California house, bought a New Mexico house, bought two new trailers, of course.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
And did both of those in Indiana and had three resident states because we couldn't go back to register in Californ- it was a crazy year.(laughs)
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Tony
We may look old, but, but we're really just in our 20s. It was just that year that did all this.
Melissa Geric
Me too.
Melissa Geric
Of course.
Tony
So, when you buy your new, let's say, travel trailer or motor home-
Melissa Geric
Yeah.
Tony
... and you fin- a lot of people finance them for 10, 15 years.
Melissa Geric
Yeah.
Tony
This really protects you because you may owe more than the depreciated value and that total loss replacement is really-
Melissa Geric
Takes away the depreciation.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah, that's huge. But you also have agreed value coverage.
Melissa Geric
We do. Agreed value is similar to total loss replacement. So, if your vehicle is not eligible for total loss, let's say it's a 2023, but it's worth this amount of money because, you know, you've just purchased it recently, you have the bill of sale, you can get an agreed value. So, if that vehicle is in a total loss, you will never get anything less than what you have listed on your declaration page for 10 years.
Tony
Wow.
Melissa Geric
That's amazing. So that-
Tony
That is.
Melissa Geric
... is another way we protect against depreciation, so that would be another great coverage that I would really recommend 'cause I know Stress Less, hello-
Melissa Geric
... could you stress more? No. We wanna stress less.
Melissa Geric
So-
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
Right.
Melissa Geric
... yeah, that's definitely a great coverage that we offer.
Tony
Well, and the price you pay for these is really affordable. I mean, it's not like your premium goes up remarkably.
Melissa Geric
You're not-
Tony
It doesn't really.
Peggy
You're not talking about the price of RVs, you're talking about the price of insurance.
Tony
Right, right, right.
Tony
Yeah, the policy.
Melissa Geric
Right. The cost of insurance. I think if I wanted to stress less, I would think more about, "What if this happens? What if that happens?" 'Cause I know you had told me earlier that you guys boondock and, you know, you wanna make sure that you're covered the right way when maybe you're the only people out there.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
You wanna have that lifeline to us and we wanna be there to help you. So, we've invented so many coverages that really look out for the RV consumer. That's why it's like, RV insurance is very fun 'cause I get to talk about great things that-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... we can do for ya.
Tony
Well, that, and also, I think a lotta people don't realize what all is available through Progressive, so-
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... that's, that's another thing. Now, do you have an age limit of RVs you will cover?
Melissa Geric
No.
Tony
So, if you have a vintage trailer like the one we used to have-
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Tony
... we could've insured it for the actual cash value of $27.18.
Tony
Which is about what that thing was worth.
Melissa Geric
Well, I know there was a TV show, mm, in the last, like, five to 10 years where they would buy Airstreams and totally refurbish them and I was on the kick then. I was like, "That's what I'm gonna do," but, and then I watched the show more and I was like, "Boy, that took a whole year? I don't, I don't wanna do that." But we do insure them, for sure.
Tony
Huh. That, so that's also unusual I think.
Peggy
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
Melissa Geric
So-
Tony
And another thing I know that you insure because our friend Lisa McDermott from Girl Camper-
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Tony
... has a custom cargo van conversion that she and her husband... Her husband, Carl, is very, very craft- uh, not crafty. That's not the word. He's a builder extraordinaire.
Peggy
Yeah. Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Okay. Well, we will insure anything that is manufactured, um, by a known manufacturer. We do not accept a homemade travel trailer, so-
Peggy
Okay.
Melissa Geric
... if you are making a travel trailer that you're going to reside in, we cannot price that or settle that claim because it's like, we know what's in a Big Mac, but when you build something yourself, it's hard to know what's in that sandwich.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
Okay.
Peggy
Right.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Okay. So, that was my misunderstanding then.
Peggy
So, the van, I'm sure is insured.
Melissa Geric
Right.
Tony
As a vehicle, but-
Peggy
As a vehicle. Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm. So, we do insure cargo trailers. We do insure horse trailers and utility trailers.
Peggy
But not as living structures.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
No, we don't want you to get in them. Mm-mm.
Tony
Okay. Well, that's good to know.
Peggy
There's one more strike against you, honey, so.
Tony
I know.
Tony
I have this...
Peggy
He really wants to build out a cargo trailer 2-
Tony
I really do 'cause-
Peggy
... for his, for sleep, for camping in.
Melissa Geric
I've seen some, but...
Peggy
We would do it in such a way that it would only be the cargo trailer and a bunch of stuff sitting in it, so...(laughs)
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm. Okay.
Tony
A- and there are other coverages that you have too, and I'd like you to share some of those, because I didn't know about those until we started talking. Uh, one of those is roof protection.
Melissa Geric
Oh, yes. Can you imagine when we were talking while we were getting the mic set up today? I said how I'm looking out on a winter wonderland. It's just like a big snow globe with huge flakes coming down.
Melissa Geric
Uh, I'm in Northeast Ohio, so think about, as I can never turn off my RV brain, you know, I'm driving by a storage facility and I'm thinking, "Oh, they need a tarp on that right now before it..."
Melissa Geric
"... before we get feet of snow." And I would say the same thing for you guys out in New Mexico. You have the sun beating down on you all the time. So, when you think about that, at, at Progressive, we were s- you know, thinking, "What are the customer's biggest pain points?" And we all know that the enemy of any RV is water, right? Water gets in, no good can happen from it.
Peggy
Right.
Melissa Geric
So, um, the first level of protection you have is your roof. So, what we have invented is a coverage called Roof Protection Plus, and you can buy it if your RV is up to five years old. So, if it's less than that, think about that, maybe make a call and, and get that added. We offer coverages in the increment of $5,000, $10,000 or $15,000 in coverage, and that will cover if your roof fails due to something other than a tree limb fell through the center, like a javelin.
Melissa Geric
I've seen those claims.
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
And thank goodness you weren't sitting in that dinette when that happened because I've seen a lot...
Tony
I know.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
... of those, and that's scary. But if, if your roof fails, um, and you have properly maintained it, like if your RV says every year come in for a seal check or water pressure test, whatever that is, just do that for your own sake so you can enjoy...
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... your trailer longer, or your motor home longer. But also, I would get that coverage because who wants to pay to re-roof their unit?
Tony
Hmm.
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
That's peace of mind.
Tony
That includes hail damage, if I'm not mistaken, correct?
Melissa Geric
Yes. Your hail will be covered under comprehensive, so that's...
Tony
Okay.
Melissa Geric
... an act that no one can prevent. We will work with you on that. And the nice thing too, Tony, is that once you've been with Progressive for four years straight, we take away your deductible by 25% every year. So, after four years, you don't have to pay anything.
Tony
Hmm.
Peggy
Hm.
Melissa Geric
So, let's say you do get a hailstorm. I've been in the middle of one in Colorado Springs. It was... I felt like I was at a golf course. They were huge.
Melissa Geric
We were running through it.
Tony
Oh, gosh.
Melissa Geric
And it did total our car. So, that is a real life pain point that Progressive wants to say to our customers, "Hey, we know this part of RVing really stinks. Here's a coverage you can buy to make it stressless."
Peggy
So, the roof coverage is a little bit like a, kind of almost an extended warranty because it's for the roof material, not for...
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
... the lightning and the hail and the, all that-
Melissa Geric
Right.
Peggy
... stuff. Okay.
Melissa Geric
You're correct. Yes. And it's nice to have that. It will roll off after 15 terms. It will not be eligible. But it's nice to know you have it in your back pocket...
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... just in case. I would totally get that for my vehicle.
Tony
Yeah, like here in New Mexico, we do get hail and, and the sun is just intense and...
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Because we're not only sunny, but we're at high elevation, so...
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Things can happen.
Melissa Geric
Yes, they can. Yeah. And here, Northeast Ohio, boy, we have a saying here...
Melissa Geric
... that if you don't like the season, wait 15 minutes.
Melissa Geric
Because there are days when I'm running my, my heated seats in my car, then at lunch I'm putting on air conditioning and then...
Peggy
Yeah.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
Parking, getting, getting in the house at, at night, I'm, I'm back in with my earmuffs and gloves, so...
Melissa Geric
We get a lot of...
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... freeze/thaw cycles here.
Peggy
Speaking of roofs...
Tony
Yeah, speaking of roofs, we work a lot with ABC Upfitters, which is a company that does outstanding solar and lithi- lithium systems.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
And we bought our new Rockwood Mini Lite in December and literally towed it... Well, we got our insurance. Literally towed it from there to ABC Upfitters and put one heck of a solar system on the roof. I didn't think about that.
Melissa Geric
Yeah, so you wanna make sure you cover what your Rockwood was worth, including tax...... title, license, fees, everything out the door. And then you wanna add to that value whatever you've permanently attached. So when you have that solar, again, that folder I talked to you guys about, receipt for that, throw it in there, because then we know how much we need to replace on your solar. But so many people...
Melissa Geric
I mean, if you think about it, from 10 years ago, maybe, to now, have you seen just an explosion of solar?
Peggy
Yes.
Tony
Well, especially, like, when we go to Quartzsite, it's solar cities.
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Isn't it amazing?
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
In just, like, a decade of time-
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... that wasn't... I mean, a little bit, we would get questions on. Now, when I l- uh, go to the shows, it's like 100% of the roof is solar.
Tony
That's us. And the prevalence of solar and what you-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... can actually do with it, both of those have changed remarkably, uh, you're right, in the past 10 years.
Melissa Geric
Yes. So-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... that's just... You know, so many things have changed in the last 10 years, and then I can even say in the last five in the RV industry. So-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... you know, there's always new things. We're always thinking up new coverages to offer our customers to make life easy and stressless.
Peggy
Can you talk a little bit about what difference does it make, or if any, if you are paying... you know, still have an open loan or if your RV is fully paid for? Does that matter?
Melissa Geric
No.
Peggy
Okay.
Melissa Geric
The only difference is that if, if you have financed your vehicle, then most lienholders would require you to have comprehensive and collision and send them-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... proof, and we do that for you. So, you just need to tell us who, and we hit a button, and they get the information.
Peggy
Perfect.
Melissa Geric
Very easy. And also, uh, wanted to mention because you guys ha- we had talked earlier about boondocking, as long as you can get on your phone and get a hold of us, you can make changes, pay a bill, report a claim, all those things. So, you can access your policy online. You can call us 24 hours a day, every day. Um, you could go with an agent. So, we have a lot of different things to make ourselves available to you, but you're never alone, I guess, would be my point in that sentence.
Tony
Don't worry.
Melissa Geric
We're with you.
Tony
Yeah, I was thinking, "Well, Flo's always with us," but apparently it's not Flo, it's Melissa.
Melissa Geric
Well, that's right. So, when Flo first came on, people said, "Did they model Flo after you?"(laughs) And I was like-
Melissa Geric
... "No." I just talk with my hands a lot, so people-
Melissa Geric
... are like...
Melissa Geric
I love Flo. I love the team, such wonderful, uh, spokespeople for Progressive that we can be proud of and can let people know that, you know, we're coming to you at a place where insurance shouldn't be scary. We wanna make it welcoming. And if you have a question, we wanna explain it. So, any question, we will answer.
Tony
In other words, you don't think that we're a pest.
Tony
Which reminds me that you offer pest protection.
Melissa Geric
Yes. And it's not... You guys can't use that on each other. If, if you're-
Tony
Oh.
Melissa Geric
... if he thinks he's being a pest...
Peggy
I'm gonna call you. "Can you get him out of my trailer, please?"(laughs)
Melissa Geric
Please. My in-laws will not leave-
Melissa Geric
... the unit. So, pest protection would be a non-domesticated animal that has taken over your unit, your rig. So, if you think about it, for travel trailers, there's no wiring or, you know, pipes, things in the walls typically. It's all in the floor before the subfloor goes down. So, if mice are coming up underneath or squirrels... My fellow underwriter, she got, over the winter, squirrels came in and said, "This is our home now."
Tony
Oh, no.
Melissa Geric
Yeah. And they can be organized, uh, where they tuck in acorns at different places or they could be very messy. But either way, you don't wanna start your season off, you know, like April 1st you open the door and here's a raccoon jumping out at you.
Melissa Geric
So, we don't want that. So-
Tony
No.
Melissa Geric
... we want to protect you against something that has intruded. Bees, hornets, yellow jackets, those are scary. You need to call an exterminator, get those taken care of. Then we'll come in, we'll remove, we'll fix, anything like that. So, um, the pest protection is available the same model years, zero through five. And you can get either $5,000 or $10,000 in coverage. And you would be surprised how much a family of mice can do to an RV in one week.
Melissa Geric
They can total it.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah, they love that wiring.
Melissa Geric
You know, we try our best to... You know, you use your Brillo pads and, you know, all of the tricks of the trade, f- dryer sheets and mothballs and all that. And they're like, "Hmm, yeah, I'm still coming in."
Tony
Yeah. Oh, gosh. So, since you had said non-domesticated pets-
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... as it were-(laughs) you also offer pet coverage.
Melissa Geric
We do.
Peggy
Oh.
Melissa Geric
Now, for your RV, if you're traveling... Do you have pets that you take with you?
Tony
No.
Melissa Geric
No.
Peggy
We don't, but we know a lot of people do.
Melissa Geric
I know for a fact that a ton of RVers take their dog everywhere.
Peggy
Yes.
Melissa Geric
And some have a few cats as well, but specifically dogs. I was just in Florida the beginning of November, and just saw so many people with a baby stroller with a mesh for their pup, because the feet, uh, you know, when that sun beats down, they can't really walk on asphalt. So we know you love your pets. I love my pet. So if you're in an accident and your pet is hurt, let's say, for example, you have without buying it, as long as you have comprehensive and collision, you have $1,000 of coverage for that pet, for vet bills or whatever you need.
Melissa Geric
So it's really important to know that not only while they're in your rig, um, if you're, you have a motor home, I've even seen some people build, like, a doggy perch so the dog can look out the front window while they're driving. I've seen new Class A's, I don't know if you saw that at the Hershey show, they have a window right by your feet.
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm. Did you see that one?
Peggy
Yes. Yeah.
Melissa Geric
That's for your pooch lookout, so while you're driving, your dog can say, "Oh, there's a mountain."
Peggy
Yeah.
Peggy
I wanna smell that.
Melissa Geric
We know that people love their pets, so we wanna make sure that we cover 'em that way, but also we do sell pet insurance. My daughter, who just moved to Indiana, they just got a cat and she has Progressive's pet insurance, so they've been able to use that and they love it.
Peggy
Pets medical bills can be out- tremendous.
Melissa Geric
Yeah. Tell me about it.
Peggy
So that's a good thing. Now, do you offer a liability if your pet, like, bites someone or something like that?
Melissa Geric
That's a great question. Because a lot of people don't think about that and let's say you're at a campsite, your dog is chained up, and whoever comes over and starts bugging your pet, and your pet decides that's not a good idea and maybe bite them or scratch them, um, your policy is going to have availability for vacation liability. So that would cover similar to your homeowner's liability, if a pet were to injure someone.
Melissa Geric
So y- you know that you're covered, and we also have higher limits for our customers that are what we call full-timers-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... where they don't own a home anymore and they just roam. And that's really important because they have a higher level, because they're always gonna be in that, that motor home.
Peggy
Good. So then you will cover full-time RVers?
Melissa Geric
Yes. We do so much for our full-time RVers that I think they should always look to us first. Um, not only do we offer the high limits of liability, which also means you can take protection in, for yourself against, like, an underinsured motorist, you know? If you're hurt, hurt in an accident, you have higher access to medical payments. Um, so those kind of things are things you hopefully don't wanna think about when you're traveling, but you need to know that, um, full-timers also have, uh, let's say you full-time year round at a campground, and that's your home base, um, let's say a flood hits and they're rebuilding that and they charge every lot a little bit of money to go toward renovations, we'll pay up to $5,000 of that for you.
Peggy
Hmm. Oh, nice. Interesting.
Melissa Geric
So if you're a full-timer with that... Oh, yeah, we did that, I think, in like 2017 there were a lot of floods in, like, Louisiana and Texas that year, so we ended up paying a lot in that, but it's something that we always want our customers to know. Call us to see if there's coverage for sure.
Peggy
And that would make sense if you're a seasonal camper too. Your RV's kind of at one spot.
Melissa Geric
Snowbirds maybe? We do cover stationary trailers. So if you keep your trailer in Florida full time and it never moves, you can get stationary coverage. However, that roof protection is not available at this time.
Peggy
So that covers your RV, but does it cover things in your RV? Like, let's say you leave it at a seasonal or you leave it permanently-
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
... in a, in a place and it gets broken into and they steal(laughs) your fine china that you keep in the RV. I don't-
Melissa Geric
.
Peggy
I don't know what...
Melissa Geric
My fine china?
Melissa Geric
Or your wine collection.
Peggy
Your stocks and bonds that you store under the bed? I... Whatever. But are, are those things part of the regular RV protection or is that like a separate protection?
Melissa Geric
It's a separate protection. But Peggy, you bring up a great point, because let's say Melissa is going somewhere. Melissa is gonna overpack, I'm gonna take-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... everything that I need to live for the next 30 days and I'm gonna be gone three, so I have a lot of things I'm taking with me. So if you thought, like, my phone is your motor home, if you shook it-... everything that falls out of that is stuff you could cover under our, uh, replacement cost personal effects. So, let's say you have a f- $500 cappuccino machine that you can't live without.
Melissa Geric
Something happened to that in a claim. We will pay for that. Let's say you paid 400 last year and it's worth 500 this year and we have to replace it, we're gonna buy you the $500 machine.
Tony
Hmm.
Melissa Geric
So, up to $500 at this point, but we're growing that bucket so you can insure more expensive items. We do not a- insure anything under that coverage that has wheels except for an electric wheelchair. So, like, if you have an e-bike or a motorcycle in your garage part, or a golf cart, those all need to be on their own policy and yes, we cover all those.
Tony
You can get e-bike insurance then?
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Tony
I didn't know that. Oh. We better get on that. Yeah. That's... We gotta get on that.
Peggy
Now are all these, are these all coverages like through the RV service or would that be, uh, like tacked onto, like, a homeowner's insurance or something?
Melissa Geric
Peggy... Oh my gosh. Great question.
Melissa Geric
Can you imagine people in Florida that can't afford their homeowner's policies making a claim on their stuff they took with them in their RV?
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
They would either get maybe, we don't know. Could your rate go up? Could you get non-renewed? That's the greatest question. Don't go that way. Put your stuff that you wanna insure with your RV... We will insure it up to $99,000 worth of stuff. So-
Tony
Hmm.
Melissa Geric
... I don't think anyone would-
Tony
Wow.
Melissa Geric
... need that, but we do.
Tony
Wow.
Melissa Geric
Full-timers, you know, you can think like, "Hey, I'm, I got a little more stuff than someone that's-
Tony
Sure.
Melissa Geric
... a weekend warrior," right? But it, the coverage is there, and it won't make any mark on, you know, your homeowner's coverage. So that was a great question that you asked that we didn't even practice or anything.
Melissa Geric
Very astute, Peggy. Very good.
Tony
Now that, you make me think what if you have, uh, like, a laptop in the RV and it-
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... gets stolen and, like-
Tony
... Peggy just got a new MacBook and it was like 2,800 bucks. Would that be covered?
Melissa Geric
Well, under our policy, if you just had regular, um, personal effects, it would be up to, like, a, a certain bucket. So, I don't know that we'd cover 2,800 of that, but we would cover most of your computer. iPhones... Think about, like if you're camping with a family, how many people have phones or tablets?
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
That all adds up really quickly, so you wanna make sure that you, you think like, "Oh, maybe I only have like $1,000 worth of things," but then if you start really looking, mm, you have a lot more than that.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Yeah. Like, we'll have... Well, I don't wanna say what-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... we have, but yeah-
Tony
... it can get, it adds up quick.
Peggy
Hopefully we're unusual in how much electronics we take-
Tony
I don't know.
Peggy
... because we... Well, but, uh, we kind of, when we travel, we travel like full-timers, right? We have to have all the things we need.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
We're not just going camping to get away for the weekend. We still need, to use your example, the fancy cap- cappuccino machine.(laughs)
Tony
Well, we don't have that, but-
Peggy
We don't even use that at home, but-(laughs) But those kind of things, you know, we don't wanna be without that for the two-month trip. If we were going-
Tony
Right.
Peggy
... for three days, sure. But, a lot of those things that we move back and forth from the house to the trailer would be, would add up for sure.
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
For sure 'cause if you think about it, you guys were just in Hershey, right?
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
That's pretty far away from New Mexico, so if you had to make a claim, it's nice to know we're right there.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah. We were gone for two and a half months?
Peggy
We were gone for two, like, nine weeks or something. Yeah.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Nine or 10 weeks, so...
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
Yeah. Towing.
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Tony
Let's say you are towing your trailer and your truck breaks down. Do you cover towing the truck and the trailer? Or just the... Well, I should say the tow vehicle-
Peggy
Uh-
Tony
... and the trailer?
Peggy
That's a roadside assistance kind of-
Tony
Right. That's-
Peggy
... question, right?
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Tony
Right.
Melissa Geric
That's a very, very good question because one of the next biggest claims you're gonna see is tire blowout. And it's either gonna be because maybe you haven't checked your tires correctly or, like me, you might put too much stuff in.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
And you weighted it down and we blew a tire. So, let's say that happened and you have us for your travel trailer coverage. Not only will we pay to tow your trailer, we will pay to tow your tow vehicle even if that's not insured with us.
Tony
Really?
Peggy
Wow.
Melissa Geric
We hope it is.(laughs)
Peggy
Right.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
But-
Tony
Right.
Melissa Geric
... if you had another company's insurance for your truck but ours for your trailer, we'll take care of both vehicles.
Peggy
Wow.
Tony
That's amazing.
Peggy
That's cool.
Melissa Geric
Can you imagine being on the side of a highway and you, uh, your towing vehicle breaks down and a tow truck comes and takes it, what are you gonna do with your travel trailer? Another company-
Tony
Right?
Melissa Geric
... might leave it there.
Peggy
We have had friends who lived on the side of the road for three days.
Tony
Yeah.(laughs) They did.
Peggy
Because-
Tony
They did their fifth wheel.
Peggy
... their, their truck got towed but their, their travel trailer, their fifth wheel would not be towed.... and they didn't wanna leave it, you know?
Melissa Geric
No.
Tony
No.
Peggy
You don't, you don't leave something like that on the side of the road. So, they stayed in it and they were just on the side of a very quiet, you know-
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
... highway for days, waiting-
Melissa Geric
Yeah.
Peggy
... until they could get something figured out.
Melissa Geric
Yeah. So, that, that's a situation we really don't want our customers to ever experience.
Peggy
Yeah. Yeah.
Tony
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
So, that-
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... that's really good to know. Like I said, I hope you have coverage like you guys, uh, have one of everything in your household covered.
Melissa Geric
But if you don't, you know, we still provide really great care for your travel trailer and your motor home.
Peggy
We kind of said that in a way of, of talking about roadside assistance. Does all in, or does all of the RV insurance come with roadside assistance or is that a completely separate and necessary...
Melissa Geric
You would select it. It is-
Peggy
Okay.
Melissa Geric
... inexpensive. Um, you can compare it to, you know, if you were to buy another tow package through other carriers, they do have them for the year, and, and there are some good ones out there. But if, if you don't think ahead on that, that's gonna be like, your friends, and I, I've heard that so many times where-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... um, the tow truck will take the tow vehicle and leave the trailer, and of course, the customer is not part of that town. They're going and then they've, getting their vehicle the next day on the side of the road, it's gone.
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
Someone else is gonna pull up and just take it.
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
And then that moves into total theft. So, obviously you don't want that.
Peggy
Are you checking our coverage this time?
Tony
I am looking at our coverage-
Tony
... actually.
Peggy
I'm like-
Peggy
I'm like, "We're not done talking."
Tony
I know, but-
Peggy
You just gotta get on your phone.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
Yeah.(laughs)
Tony
She puts ideas in my head.(laughs)
Melissa Geric
Once we're done talking, I'll, I'll review.
Tony
And then if we do have a breakdown on a trip, I believe there's also like, a coverage for like, hotels or whatever expense, trip inter-
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Tony
... inter- trip interruption.
Melissa Geric
Yes. You can't stay in your RV for a reason, you know, perhaps. You know, you have a claim. We'll pay for food, gas, lodging, and you can buy that in different increments. So, obviously the full-timers we give you a, uh, high limit availability. You don't have-
Peggy
Sure.
Melissa Geric
... to take it but you should. But then we have, uh, two other limits to, you know, whatever fits your pocketbook and I think it would really depend on how far you plan on going to-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... kind of think about that. I did have a customer early in my career, um, was taking the family to Walt Disney World for their first big trip ever. Bought a brand new RV, and I had been talking about the emergency vacation expense and I said, "Well, I think you should, you know, take this $2,000 level instead of $750, you know, just in case," 'cause she was coming from southern Louisiana and then driving down to Orlando and the wiring caught fire the first night.
Tony
Oh.
Melissa Geric
And all of them had to go to a hotel. And can you imagine if that happened and you're... For me, I live up here for a reason with the snow.
Melissa Geric
I would just melt. After one hour, they would pick up a puddle on the side of the road.
Melissa Geric
I would be done. So, air conditioning, high priority for me. Um, so definitely that, uh, expense, we wanna make sure that you don't have to worry about that.
Tony
We have really covered a lot of coverage.
Melissa Geric
Yes.(laughs)
Tony
Anything that we didn't think about that we should know about?
Melissa Geric
Um, well, I can think about a few things. You know, we talked about total loss replacement, your viewers have a lot of newer units, right? So, I would definitely... We, we talked about liability, we talked about roadside, um, talked about the disappearing deductibles. So, um, I think as far as what I would leave you with is to make sure that you check your coverage, which we're gonna do maybe later.
Melissa Geric
But you check your coverage before you leave, and, uh, keep all of your receipts from any tune-ups or if you're having your roof sealed or winterized. Up here, we need to have them winterized. So, those kind of things, just keep a folder, throw everything in there, and life will be easy after that. It's always good to just update and, and make sure that you're really covered and-
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
... ask those questions, and you know, I look at a million RVs a day, it feels like some days, and I still, I love when I see something new, and I'm like, "Oh, I've never seen that before." You know?
Peggy
Mm-hmm.
Melissa Geric
And I get to be the first on the street to, to get the scoop of the new vehicles too.
Peggy
So, something just occurred to me. I know that in terms of medical insurance, you know, every year you need to kind of assess and make sure that you've, you're covered properly.
Melissa Geric
Mm-hmm.
Peggy
Other than, you know, buying a new RV or learning all these things that are covered that we don't have, is there a need to like, periodically, annually or something, evaluate-... what coverage you have. Does it change a lot or i- or if you've, if you've got all the coverages and you're good, then you're just good?
Melissa Geric
I think it would always be the best idea to talk about that at your renewal period. For us, we do a one-year policy, so when you get your renewal, it usually comes out, like, 45 days before the policy term so you have a chance to review it. But you never know when a new coverage is going to be available now.
Peggy
Right.
Melissa Geric
Where maybe in a state that it wasn't before it is now available, so on your renewal time is when you'll see that. So I would-
Peggy
Okay.
Melissa Geric
... just call. Yeah. We'd be happy-
Peggy
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... to go over and say, "Is there any coverage that I'm eligible for that I have not taken?" And if your viewers say, like, "Well, I don't understand what that is," just a- ask, say, "W- what does that do for me and why would I want that?" So that we can understand where your question's coming from, but for sure.
Peggy
Okay. So what's the best place for these RVers to go, or phone number to call, or email, or, um, you know, email or website or how, how, if people are like, "Oh, I better get on that coverage-"
Melissa Geric
Yes.
Peggy
... where's their starting point?
Melissa Geric
They would wanna go to progressive.com if you're on the road, or call 1-800-PROGRESSIVE.
Peggy
That's easy.
Melissa Geric
We can get you-
Tony
Yeah.
Melissa Geric
... in touch with whoever you need to be.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
That's awesome. Well, Melissa, we sure appreciate your taking your time-
Peggy
Absolutely.
Tony
... and talking to us about insurance. It's something I think we all are, I know we're all affected by and-
Peggy
Sure.
Tony
... I think we have learned a lot of things that maybe didn't know you offered.
Peggy
Right. Yeah.
Melissa Geric
And you have us for coverage, so that's-
Melissa Geric
... great because you can add that hopefully.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah. Absolutely.
Melissa Geric
I really appreciate you guys, uh, letting me talk to you today about making insurance fun and I hope that everyone, you have a, a great new year and you get to go to a lot of great places with no hiccups. So you don't need-
Melissa Geric
... you don't need to call for roadside or anything this year.
Tony
Nice.
Peggy
Absolutely.
Tony
Sounds good to me.
Peggy
That is a good wish. Thank you very much and thank you for your time today.
Melissa Geric
You're more than welcome.(instrumental music plays)
Peggy
Well, last week, our question of the week, we asked if you make resolutions and what your resolution was, or if you don't make resolutions, what is your biggest goal for 2026? And I really appreciate all the responses. There are some really great ideas in there. Some things I might kind of tweak and use myself.(laughs)
Tony
Repurpose.
Peggy
Repurpose. And so thank you all very much for going on the Stress Less Campers Facebook group and answering those questions. This week, I'd like you to go back on the Facebook group and answer the question, will you camp more in 2026 than you did in 2025?
Tony
I sure hope so.
Peggy
I hope you get to and I hope that you respond with your answers on our fun and friendly Stress Less Campers Facebook group.
Tony
Yes, indeed. Well, we got something new for you. We're gonna put this at the end of every podcast episode now.
Peggy
RV being silly.
Tony
RV being silly.
Tony
And we have so many really goofy stories that we've come across over the years, so we thought it'd be a fun way to end each episode with something fun, ridiculous, goofy. Some of them you've shared with us, some of them we've seen in person, uh, you can email yours, drop it from a hot air balloon, whatever works for you. But this week-
Peggy
Whatever's silly.
Tony
... I wanted to... Yeah, yeah, silly.
Tony
I wanted to share with you, when I was back in the old days, when I was a young lad, I was obsessed with RVs when I was a kid.
Peggy
When RVs had stone wheels?
Tony
Yeah, stone wheels.
Tony
You had to stick your feet out to Fred Flintstone them and all that. Well, finally, my dad knew some dude at work, at his work, who rented his RV and, of course, this dude was an engineer like my dad and said, "Oh, this RV is great," blah, blah, blah. "You can rent it for a week." What a piece of junk. For example, if you sat in the toilet while you were dr- it was a motor home, while you were driving down the road, down the drain of the shower and see the road going by.
Tony
So they somehow disconnected the gray tank in the shower.
Peggy
Oh my goodness.
Tony
At one point, something shorted out so my dad, who was an engineer, uh, went to the fuse box. They had put aluminum foil instead of fuses.
Peggy
Gum wrappers.(laughs)
Tony
Oh my gosh. It was... And worst of all, of course this thing breaks down. We were going to Mammoth, uh, California. This thing breaks down, right? Fan bel- broke a fan belt. So we go, find some old garage and the dude just happened to have the right fan belt on, like, a Sunday or something and replaced it. But it was just one failure after the next. So it's kinda funny that this guy's like, "Oh, I'm an engineer too, just like you, and this thing is immaculate." No, it was a piece of junk.
Tony
But the worst thing is, of course, you turn a corner and the fridge would go flying open so-
Peggy
Oh, geez.
Tony
... be careful, let me just say, if you have cottage... Not a good thing.
Peggy
Oh.
Tony
Yeah. We all have those little bars now in our fridge, those spring bars-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
... to keep stuff from flying out. We learned that lesson.
Peggy
The, in those days, RVs had carpet so-
Tony
Oh, they did. Oh, you're right.
Peggy
Maybe next week I'll tell the story of the cottage cheese in the carpet.
Tony
Oh yeah.
Tony
Anyway, it's just kinda something fun. This, this thing was... We really, I really enjoyed it. Uh, we used to have this little wiener dog who loved to escape and, of course, he repeatedly escaped but it was a fun adventure that I look back on... I might have pictures and if I do, we'll share them on the video. So anyway, that's our first, uh, RV being silly. We were being silly by renting that thing and boy was it a... a heap of junk.
Peggy
Well, here we are at the end. Don't forget please to like and share and subscribe and thank you so much for being here for Episode 341 of the Stress Less Camping RV Podcast.
Tony
Remember, the best way to keep in touch is with our free once a week newsletter that delivers deals, discounts and links to your inbox to make your RV adventures stress less camping.
Peggy
Stress less camping.
Mark Ferrell
We hope you learned a lot and had some fun and got some tips for your next stress less camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts which helps others find us too. Don't forget to subscribe so you won't miss out on the adventure and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping.
