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Exploring Europe
by
Train, Plane, and Car
Europe, in our experience
(with the exceptions of the UK, Ireland, and Scandanavia),
ranks as the most pet friendly place in the world to travel. Hotels, resturants,
and public transportation are all comfortable with furry members of the family.
In 14 months of travel in Europe, we had to show RC's paperwork to one out of the 16
countries we visited. And, we only saw one hotel that didn't accept pets.
Flying to and around Europe
Most airlines allow small pets to
travel in the cabin these days. But, be careful about the information you receive from
the airline about policies in the destination country.
We were flying from the USA to Europe and I contacted
Continental Airline, a pet
friendly airline ... I thought. When I told the customer rep where we were headed,
she told me that the destination country didn't allow pets to arrive in the cabin.
Since it really didn't matter where in Europe we landed, I inquired about a half
dozen other airports and received the same information. The representative assured
me this wasn't a policy of Continental's, but was the various European countries'
regulation.
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The information seemed odd ... plus we didn't want to travel to Europe by boat ... so I
called another airline: Lufthansa.
Magically, all the countries that wouldn't
allow pets to arrive in a Continental airline cabin, were happy to receive them
via Lufthansa's cabin. We booked our flight and RC received his own airline ticket
so he could travel under the seat in front of me. His ticket cost a lot less than ours. :)
Our final destination was Zurich, Switzerland, with a 3 hour layover in Frankfurt,
Germany. When we deplaned in Frankfurt, we were unsure whether we'd have to declare
RC to the German Customs officials. As it turned out, since we didn't leave the gate area
in the airport, we didn't have to hassle with Customs or Immigration.
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After finally arriving in Zurich and claiming our luggage, I was unsure which door
to use to exit the baggage area. "Door #1" was labeled, "Nothing to Declare", and
"Door #2" said, "Goods to Declare". Mark waited while RC and I went through "Door #2" and
asked the officials which door to use since we had a cat. He simply indicated that I
could proceed to the exit without further ado. I stuck my head through "Door #2"
to tell Mark it didn't matter which door he used as they both led to the same
area. RC was officially in Europe --- without hassles.
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We found domestic flights while in Europe just as pet friendly as flying the
international carriers. One advantage of the smaller airlines is the charge for
your pet traveling with you is pretty nominal. It cost over $100 for RC to travel
to Europe, but his average domestic ticket costs around $15.
Clicking Down the Tracks
It's difficult to live in Europe and not travel by train. RC's choo-chooing experience
expanded considerably since his first excursion in Copper Canyon,
Mexico. In general, he still seems to feel this is a great way to travel, but
one 12 hour night trip stands out as a particularly rough time.
We boarded the train shortly before midnight. RC seemed especially relaxed. He was
awake and curious about the people and activities around him ... for the first 30
minutes. Unfortunately, we had to change trains and our connecting train was an hour
late. The cargo trains were zipping through the station at amazing speed. With so
little passanger traffic, they didn't need to slow down, but their whistles tooted and
their wheels squealed making sure everyone knew they were on the move. With each
passing train, RC's anxiety deepened. We tried staying in the waiting room, but the
noise was only muffled ... and RC's keen ears detected every train long before it arrived.
By the time we settled down for the remainder of our journey, RC was panting with
fear. We couldn't get a sleeper so we tucked into our seats and tried to calm
RC ... slow, easy strokes down his spine, offers of water and food, soothing voices ...
nothing seemed to help for more than a few minutes. His eyes were like saucers and
he panted as if he was dying of heat exhaustion even though it was a comfortable 73 (F)
degrees. I doubt RC dozed for more than a few minutes during the first 10 hours of our
trip. From exhaustion, he finally got some rest at the end, but he never fully slept.
Fortunately, he relaxed as soon as we got into the hotel. We all flopped into bed
for a long, leisurely nap and RC finally unwound. By early evening, you'd never have
known he had gone through such a stressful ordeal.
Borders in Eastern Europe are a bit more hassle than in Western Europe ... you actually
have to show your passport and get it stamped. Only one time did a guard ask to see
RC's paperwork, too, and no one ever showed interest in seeing RC himself.
Counting the Miles Behind the Wheel
RC drove ... as a passenger, of course :) ... through most of continental Western Europe.
The borders are almost as transparent as the state lines in the USA. We only had to slow
down at most borders and no one seemed to care whether we had a purry companion or not.
The only noticeable reaction we'd get from an official is a smile as they'd spot RC on the
back deck as we headed down another highway.
