Travelling With Pets: Cars, Flights and Paperwork

Travelling with an animal is mostly a preparation problem. The rules are strict, the deadlines are longer than expected, and the equipment requirements are specific rather than general.

Car travel

An unrestrained animal is a hazard to itself and everyone in the vehicle, and in some places it is also a legal offence.

• A crate secured in the boot — generally the safest option, provided it is actually secured rather than just placed.
• A harness attached to a seatbelt — convenient, and quality varies enormously. Look for evidence of crash testing rather than a claim, and check the weight rating.
• A fitted barrier — keeps the animal out of the cabin but does not restrain it in a collision.

Practical points: never leave an animal in a parked car in warm weather, as interior temperatures rise dangerously fast even with windows cracked. Stop regularly on long journeys. Feed a few hours before rather than immediately before travelling.

For animals that find the car stressful, build up with short journeys ending somewhere good rather than only driving to the vet.

Flying

The most restricted option, and the rules differ by airline, by route and by whether the animal travels in the cabin or the hold.

• Book early. Airlines limit the number of animals per flight, and those places fill.
• Carrier requirements are specific — dimensions, ventilation on multiple sides, fastening type, and often a requirement that the animal can stand and turn. A carrier marketed as airline-approved is not necessarily approved by your airline.
• Cabin travel has a combined weight limit for animal plus carrier on most airlines.
• Some airlines and destinations restrict flat-faced breeds because of the genuine breathing risk in the hold. This is a safety rule, not bureaucracy.
• Sedation is generally advised against for flying. Discuss with a vet rather than assuming.

Check the specific airline's current animal policy directly. It changes, and third-party summaries go out of date.

Paperwork, which takes longest

Requirements for taking an animal between countries are set by the destination and vary considerably. Common elements include microchipping before vaccination, a rabies vaccination with a waiting period afterwards, a health certificate issued within a narrow window before travel, and sometimes a blood test with a further waiting period.

Those waiting periods are the reason this needs to start months ahead rather than weeks. An animal vaccinated too late simply cannot travel.

Check the official government source for your destination country, and speak to your vet early. Rules for returning home may differ from rules for going out.

When not to travel

Some journeys are not worth it for the animal. Very young, very old, unwell or highly anxious animals often do better with a trusted sitter or a good boarding place. That is a legitimate choice rather than a failure, and it is usually cheaper.

Before you order or book

Check the carrier against your specific airline's stated dimensions, not a general standard. Check the destination's entry requirements and count backwards to see when preparation must begin. Check any car restraint's weight rating and whether it has been crash tested. And check identification is up to date — the microchip registration and a tag with a phone number that works abroad.