# Auto Insurance For Full time Travelers



## camserv (Aug 30, 2013)

We have run into a problem that the insurance companies don't seem to have an answer to.  We sold our home last year and are now full time travelers using our car.  We have a PO box for our mail and a storage unit for all our stuff but no "official" address.  It looks like a nation wide policy that if we don't have an address where our car is garaged we cannot even get a quote.  Does anyone have any idea how we can obtain auto insurance for our car?


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## SMHarman (Aug 30, 2013)

camserv said:


> We have run into a problem that the insurance companies don't seem to have an answer to.  We sold our home last year and are now full time travelers using our car.  We have a PO box for our mail and a storage unit for all our stuff but no "official" address.  It looks like a nation wide policy that if we don't have an address where our car is garaged we cannot even get a quote.  Does anyone have any idea how we can obtain auto insurance for our car?



A friend or family that would give a real address. Must be the same for voting and state taxes and other matters. 
Your banks and credit card companies are all cool with a po box?

Sent from my LT26i using Tapatalk 2


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## camserv (Aug 30, 2013)

The problem is that we are both only children with no living relatives and the few friends that we have are not willing to let us use their address.


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## Passepartout (Aug 30, 2013)

By 'nation wide' do you mean all insurance carriers, or Nationwide Mutual Ins Co?

You might try Good Sam. There are lots of full time RVers, and I saw that under their RV/auto insurance just auto was an option. I have no idea if a physical address is a requirement, but it's worth a look. http://www.goodsamclub.com/benefits-services/insurance.aspx

I agree with Ryan (below) that insurance carriers use your domicile to run the actuarial tables. It may pay to get a mailbox in a low risk area that would hold/forward your mail and give you an address for voting, paying taxes (or not) etc. and to use as a 'home of record'.


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## sjsharkie (Aug 30, 2013)

I can see this being challenging for you and the insurance companies.  Insurance companies charge based on where you live -- the more $ claims in a particular area, the higher the rate. (Try insuring your car in metro Detroit now and see what I mean).

Here is how one person solved it.  You may want to check that particular insurance company (not mentioned here because I'm not sure if this violates site policy.)

Good luck!

-ryan

http://www.roadtripamerica.com/foru...e-for-extended-road-trip-with-no-home-address


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## vacationhopeful (Aug 30, 2013)

Oh -- really? 

I have lived at a PO Box since 1983. I vote, I bank, I have insurance ... you just need to talk to other insurance companies. 

I have found driver's licenses to be a bit harder - 9/11 thing; but a electric bill usually fixes that. And it does not have to match even the town for the post office box (state does have to match).

Why? I had a stalker for several years. After 4 moves (and two were out of state), I put my unlisted landline in a fake name, changed by driver's license and registrations to a P O Box, and moved again. Loved the house where they did 911 re-addressing whose address (without any help on my part) actually was the middle of the county landfill. Same house where the county route number went from 666 to something else (all maps and GPS still used the RT 666 address). 

PS - you might want to look into a commercial mail drop - where you rent a PO Box (not a USPS) and use that street address. They will also re-ship your mail to locations as you travel. Yes, you have to pay for the "services", but it will give you that desired street address.


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## camserv (Aug 30, 2013)

Thanks everyone. 
Passepartout:  By 'nation wide' I mean all insurance carriers and I’ll give Good Sam a try.  
Sjsharkie:  I’ll look at the Road Trip America site when I have time.  
Vacationhopeful:  We have a PO Box with a fixed address that forwards our mail and were unable to vote last year because it was not a house, apartment or permanent trailer.   No problem with driver’s license or anything else.  
Thanks for your help, I’ll follow up on the info.  Hopefully, something will work.


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## DazedandConfused (Aug 30, 2013)

camserv said:


> The problem is that we are both only children with no living relatives and the few friends that we have are not willing to let us use their address.



I guess you need some new friends


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## camserv (Aug 30, 2013)

If we stayed in one place we probably would.  Wait... that would mean not traveling.


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## isisdave (Aug 30, 2013)

A similar question came up here recently.

Another option might be the "residency in South Dakota" option which seems to be popular with fulltime RVers. Google that term ... I found for example http://mydakotaaddress.com which suggests you can get a real mailing address (and forwarding service) for a few bucks a month.

Also, there is a link to getting an SD driver license and registering vehicles, although you have to be physically present for one day, and affirm that you have no other residence. They seem to cater to this group.


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## JMSH (Aug 30, 2013)

If law in the USA is the same as Canada the vehicle is required to be insured in the State or Province in which it is plated...do you not have to license it in a certain State? Do you not have to file taxes based on a particular State?


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## Passepartout (Aug 30, 2013)

isisdave said:


> A similar question came up here recently.
> 
> Another option might be the "residency in South Dakota" option which seems to be popular with fulltime RVers. Google that term ... I found for example http://mydakotaaddress.com which suggests you can get a real mailing address (and forwarding service) for a few bucks a month.
> 
> Also, there is a link to getting an SD driver license and registering vehicles, although you have to be physically present for one day, and affirm that you have no other residence. They seem to cater to this group.



Now that you bring this up, I recall talking with some 'full timers' at our membership RV park, and we were told the same thing. They had S. Dakota tags, Driver's licenses, mail address and forwarding service.


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## sjsharkie (Aug 30, 2013)

isisdave said:


> Also, there is a link to getting an SD driver license and registering vehicles, although you have to be physically present for one day, and affirm that you have no other residence. They seem to cater to this group.



I think that is the important point.  The address the OP lists needs to be someplace that they have visited for at least a day IMHO (or as in the example I posted, specified as no permanent resident location).  If you totaled the car (or ran up some other huge claim), the insurance co. might argue that you could not have garaged your car in a place which you have never visited.

Roaming nomads probably like it also because SD is one of a handful of states that has no state income tax.

-ryan


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