Europe: How to Travel with Your Pet

Dan Rang - Oct 27, 2014
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European hotels like in many parts of the world mostly welcome travelers with their pets. Sometimes a non-refundable surcharge needs to be paid but it is usually around 10 Euros.

It is always wise to contact the hotel management first to get familiar with their pet policy. Hotels, such as Holiday Inn, Best Western Hotels, Radisson SAS, and Golden Tulip, suggest their customers to do this beforehand to avoid any troubles during their trip. It would be disappointing to be turned away once you are in the area.

In Limburg, Germany, you can bring your dogs with you and they're accepted in most restaurants, trains, and other kinds of public transportation. On the other hand, cab and limo drivers would often reject you since they're reluctant when it comes to accepting pets. Though sometimes, small pets could find their way through. Also, you could bring your dogs on ferries and that would be free of charge. You wouldn't need to buy them a ticket.
However, it's always wise to bring all of the necessary documents of your pet upon entering another country in order to avoid running into problems.
Food
In Europe, almost all kinds of pet food are available in the major supermarkets. This would range from special diets that are exclusively made for puppies, seniors, and even active adults. However, if you're going to look for 'designer foods,' like the ones usually available in the US, you might have a hard time finding them. Though, mixed dog foods and cat foods are always available, virtually anywhere.
Air Travel
As much as possible, plan ahead of time and don't even think about procrastinating. It's also advisable to inform your airline that you'll be traveling with your pet as an excess luggage. In case that your pet's container wouldn't fit under one's seat, it should be transferred into a luggage compartment instead. Upon checking your luggage, make it a guarantee that the receiving clerk is aware that you're traveling with your pet.

Travel kennel/crate could be purchased from the airline in advance, especially if you're going to require one. Likewise, this would be better, because sometimes, purchasing a travel kennel outside the airlines could cost more and some airlines don't even accept it. The plane ride would be very long. Thus, make sure that you'll give your pet as much rest as he'll need and maybe treat him a little prior to the flight. There's a great chance that he'll be a little stressed during the flight.
Food isn't as important as water during the flight. Though, you should buy small packets of ice and load it on a dish inside the travel crate. Since the ice melts slowly, your pet would have a supply of drinking water even though it'll be slightly limited.


Locked out
Some dogs would wake you up, sometimes even in the middle of the night when they need to go. So, if you're in a hotel, this could be a little troublesome.
If your room is located in the upper floor, you'll definitely need to take the elevator and walk in a dark lobby. Thus, you need to rely on your instinct as you walk. Likewise, it could cause you so much trouble if your hotel would lock you out and you don't have anything to present, such as your identification cards. With that, as much as possible, it's ideal to check in a hotel that's open all night, with lights in the lobby.

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