Travel with Pets

Travel is one of the few parts of pet ownership where preparation is not optional. A short car trip goes wrong in seconds if an animal is loose, and a trip abroad goes wrong weeks in advance if the paperwork is started too late.

In the car

Every animal in a vehicle must be suitably restrained — for their safety, for yours, and because an unrestrained pet can affect an insurance claim after an accident. Use a secured crate, a boot with a guard, or a properly fitted harness for dogs, and a solid, seatbelted carrier for everyone else.

Then plan the journey itself:

• Heat kills quickly. Never leave a pet in a parked car, even in the shade with the windows cracked, and even briefly. On long trips, travel early or late in the day in summer.
• Break every two to three hours for dogs — water, a short lead walk, a chance to relieve themselves. Keep a lead on before the door opens; service stations are no place for a startled dog.
• Pack for the animal, not just the family: water and a bowl, food, bedding that smells of home, poo bags, a towel, any medication, and a copy of the vaccination record and chip number.
• Cats and small pets settle better in a covered carrier with familiar bedding, out of direct sunlight, with the radio low.

Before you travel abroad

Rules for taking pets out of the UK and bringing them back have changed since Brexit and continue to be updated, so check the current official guidance on GOV.UK before you book anything — and again before you travel.

The framework has generally required, in this order:

1. A microchip, implanted before the rabies vaccination — a chip fitted afterwards invalidates the vaccination for travel purposes.
2. A rabies vaccination, with a waiting period of at least 21 days before travel.
3. Health documentation from an official vet, issued within a few days of departure, or a valid pet passport where one is accepted.
4. Tapeworm treatment given by a vet within a set window before entering certain countries, and for dogs returning to Great Britain from most of Europe.

Allow at least a month for a first trip, longer if a rabies vaccination is needed from scratch. Some destinations add their own requirements, and airlines and ferry operators have separate rules on carriers, breeds and cabin access — confirm those with the carrier directly.

While you are away

Carry the paperwork with you rather than in the hold, keep a photograph of your pet on your phone, and check that the microchip database has your mobile number and an alternative contact. Look up the nearest emergency vet at your destination before you need one. Ticks, sandflies and heartworm are routine risks in parts of Europe that they are not at home, so ask about preventive cover for the specific region you are visiting.