Travelling Europe with your Furry Friend: Essential Tips for Van Life with Pets

Many people choose to van life and to travel with their pets, and travelling around Europe is one of the best places to do it. The European Union Schengen zone has many open borders, which makes travelling by road freely between countries in Europe incredibly easy and straightforward. With the added benefit of hassle-free border crossings for your pets, many countries to visit and access to good veterinary care, van life and travel with pets in Europe can be very convenient.

Every country in Europe has their own requirements for travelling with pets, so always make sure you do a little research beforehand.

If you plan on van life and travelling with pets in Europe in this post we will go through exactly what you need for pet travel in Europe.

* All the information in this post focuses solely on travel by road in Europe and not by air and is valid at the time or writing.

Van life with pets=Happiness

Planning helps but you can do it on the road too!

Why choose van life and travel with pets?

Here are some reasons why people take their pets with them while travelling and for van life:

1. Companionship: Pets provide comfort, security, and companionship, making travelling more enjoyable.
2. Familiarity: Traveling with a pet can help maintain a sense of routine and familiarity for both the pet and the owner.
3. Convenience: For some people, travelling with a pet eliminates the need for pet sitters, boarding facilities, or pet-friendly hotels.
4. Cost: It’s often cheaper to take your cat with you than to board them or pay for a sitter.
5. Bonding: Travelling with a pet can strengthen the bond between the pet and owner and create new memories.
6. Support: Pets can provide emotional support and reduce stress for their owners, especially during travel.
7. Adventure: Many people enjoy travelling with their pets and exploring new destinations together.
8. Lifestyle choice: For those who embrace a pet-friendly, outdoor lifestyle, travelling with pets can be a natural extension of their values and interests.

5 star love dog

Pet travel Europe

Europe is a great place to travel with your pets. If you’re travelling with your pet, you want to be sure they have everything they need. It can be hard to keep track of the details, so we’ve been working hard to make sure our website is fully stocked with all the information you need about travelling with pets in Europe.

Here are some essential things that you should know before you go:

• ALWAYS do your own research: and use government-approved resources for information. New laws are passed all the time, so make sure you are up-to-date on the latest information.
• Europe is made up of 44 countries and 26 of them are in the Schengen zone. You can travel freely from country to country in the Schengen zone.
• Every country has their own set of rules and requirements for pet travel.
• Travel requirements for land travel are different from air travel.
• The United Kingdom is no longer part of the European Union and the Schengen zone, which means they no longer benefit from the Schengen zone pet passport.

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This Tortoiseshell wants out of the cat pack hell

Requirements for pet travel Europe

This is the official statement from UKGOV on what you will need to travel into the EU or Northern Ireland.

When travelling to an EU country or Northern Ireland, your pet needs:

• Microchip
• a valid Rabies Vaccination
• an Animal Health Certificate, or a valid pet passport that’s accepted in the country you’re travelling to accepts it.
• Tapeworm Treatment for dogs if you’re travelling directly to Finland, Ireland, Northern Ireland, Norway or Malta.’

Check the rules of the country you’re travelling to for additional restrictions or requirements before travelling.

Pet travel essentials

Having the essentials is going to make your life on the road and travelling with pets so much easier. Make sure you have a good look at what your pet normally uses on a daily/weekly basis (I.e certain brands, leash, bed, medicines etc) and make sure they are stocked up or have enough of what you need and definitely don’t forget a well-stocked first aide kit. It’s the simple things like having spare leashes and harnesses for your dog, an extra foldable carrier for your cat that can be easily folded away or clip fasteners that you can fasten a leash, to act as a restraint when driving. Here are some essentials to think about:

• Pet car seatbelts, clips or Fasteners as restraints when the vehicle is moving
•  Fully stocked Pet First Aid kit
• Comfortable bedding, cosy blanket and their favourite toys
• Pet medicines & flea treatments are up to date and stocked up
• Favourite food/ treat brands
• Essential cold weather gear/climate-sensitive essentials
• Drying towels

Best Apps for Pets

• American Red Cross Pet First Aid (Only available in Some regions) This app is excellent to keep on top of any medical emergencies that could occur, note that it’s not available in all regions though which is a bummer.
• Great pet care This app keeps handy all your pets’ details & medical/vaccination records in one place and can send you reminders
• DuePet A pet diary, where you can keep all pet information, with where you can set reminders.
• VetFinder or Anyvetz by VetFinder24 Lists and finds vets in local areas, countries and regions.
• Pet Tracker Apps: Tractive, Safer Pet, and Weenect are some of the most popular pet-tracking apps out there. Track your pets wherever you go with these pet trackers.
• BringFido If you want to find Pet suitable hotels and places, this app has an extensive list and network around the world.
• Clicker Use the clicker app to train your dog or cat a new trick
• Rover Fantastic app if you are in need of a dog walker, dog sitter or boarder, their network lists over 200,000 sitters and walkers across Europe, UK, USA and Canada.

What to watch out for when travelling with pets

• Picking up Infections: Your Pets could pick up infections or parasites, so monitor them if they have been outside that’s also why it is really important to keep up to date on vaccinations and flea treatments.
• Stray dogs and cats  Not only can the stray population be aggressive they can carry infections. There is nothing worse than walking your dog and running into a pack of aggressive strays. If you are travelling to a country with lots of strays it could be quite handy to carry a hiking stick with you when you go for a walk, just to ward off big packs of strays. Also if you travel with your pet cat and let them outside, be careful of them coming into contact with stray cats as it is very common for stray cats to have feline viruses that can pass onto your cat.
• Restricted dogs breeds and requirements Some types of dogs are restricted in certain countries meaning they may need to wear a muzzle at all times in public places, some breeds are even banned altogether check the list here of banned breeds in Europe
• Laws and Regulations Be aware of travel requirements in different countries and local laws on travelling in vehicles with pets.

Our experience of travel with pets in Europe

We have a lot of experience travelling around Europe with pets. We have travelled around 23 countries in Europe with our pets and we have found it to be incredibly easy. The hardest process is the preparation before travel to Europe where you have to get your pets up to date on vaccines and organise all the relevant paperwork. Once you are in the European Union though it’s incredibly easy to travel freely and unhindered. Honestly, we have been really fortunate and have hardly ever been asked for pet documents. Only once when we crossed from Bulgaria into Turkey, were we asked for pet documents. We have been to many veterinarians in the UK, Hungary, Greece, Denmark, Turkey, Bulgaria and Romania and have found them all to be of a fantastic standard, at half of the cost of vets back home.

We really would recommend van life with pets in Europe as it is such an easy, convenient and safe place to travel with your pets.

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