Peter Greenberg: Covered Wagon Insurance

By: Peter Greenberg | Source: AARP.org

My husband and I are planning a covered-wagon trip in early spring. We found a place that builds the covered wagons, or you can order the plans and build them yourself. What companies insure covered wagons to travel the back roads around the United States?Thanks, Anna, Manti, Utah

P.S. I'm not joking, either.

You may very well win the prize for most unusual question we've ever received. That said, I believe we've found an answer, thanks to Melissa Johnson of Rodes-Roper-Love, a leading commercial-transportation insurance agency.

Since your wagon is animal-drawn and has no engine, and as such, isn't a registered vehicle with a license plate, you don't need to have insurance like drivers do for their cars. And since your wagon will only be carrying your family and you're not charging people for rides, it's not a commercial vehicle, either.

Basically, this means that you'll want general liability insurance, since you won't need auto insurance or specialized commercial-transportation insurance.

And in fact, your covered wagon might already be covered by your homeowners' insurance, depending on your policy. With most homeowners' policies, personal transportation devices like golf carts are covered. Since that's essentially what a covered wagon is, it's likely to fall into that category and be covered.

And if you don't have homeowners' insurance, it would probably be a good idea to get that before you worry about insuring your wagon. Just be sure to check with your insurance provider and get a confirmation in writing.