Here's the situation most pet owners find themselves in: you need to get from A to B with your cat or dog, and you have more than one way to do it. Maybe you're moving house. Maybe you're heading abroad for a few months and can't bear to leave them behind. Maybe you just want your dog on holiday with you.
The question isn't just "how do I travel with a pet?" It's "what is the best way to travel with this pet, on this journey, with this budget?"
And the honest answer is: it depends. But "it depends" isn't a useful answer on its own, so this guide gives you the full picture — flying versus driving versus using a professional courier, broken down by pet type, distance, cost, and how much stress your animal is actually likely to experience. Then we'll hand you a decision guide that takes the guesswork out of it entirely.
Quick navigation: If you've already decided you're flying and want airline-specific information, jump to our guide: Airline Pet Policies Compared: Which European Airlines Allow Dogs & Cats in 2026. If you've decided on ground transport and want to know what type of service to use, see: Pet Transport Services Explained: Couriers, Vans & Ground Travel.
When it comes to travelling with a pet, almost every journey falls into one of three categories:
Flying — your pet travels on a commercial airline, either in the cabin with you (small pets only, typically under 8kg including carrier) or in the temperature-controlled hold as checked baggage or cargo. The fastest option for long distances, but the most constrained by rules, breed restrictions, and documentation requirements.
Driving yourself — you travel with your pet in your own vehicle. The most flexible option, the most comfortable for most pets, and usually the cheapest for shorter distances. Limited by how far you're willing or able to drive, and by border crossing requirements for international journeys.
Professional courier or transport service — a specialist pet courier, dedicated van operator, or full relocation company moves your pet on your behalf. Your pet travels without you (or alongside you in a separate vehicle). Ideal when you can't drive, when distances are too great for your own vehicle, or when a professionally equipped service is genuinely better for your pet's welfare.
Most people assume flying is always the fastest and therefore the best option. It's often neither. The real calculus is more nuanced — and getting it right makes a significant difference to your pet's experience.
Pros:
Cons:
Bottom line: Flying makes sense for long-haul international journeys and for small, calm pets who travel well. It's the wrong default choice for anxious animals, brachycephalic breeds, or any journey where a ground option could reasonably cover the distance.
Pros:
Cons:
Bottom line: For most domestic journeys and shorter international routes (UK to France, Germany to Spain, etc.), driving yourself is often the best option. It's the kindest for most pets and the most affordable. The effort it requires from you personally is the main limiting factor.
Pros:
Cons:
Bottom line: Professional courier and transport services hit a sweet spot for medium-to-long distances, international routes where hold cargo is undesirable, and situations where you physically can't travel with your pet. Used well, they're often the most humane option for a large dog on a European relocation. The key is choosing the right provider.
Dogs and cats respond very differently to travel — and what works brilliantly for a Golden Retriever may be genuinely harmful for a Persian cat. Here's how to think about it by species.
Dogs are generally more adaptable to travel than cats, but the "right" method depends heavily on size, breed, temperament, and prior travel experience.
Small dogs (under 8kg including carrier):
All three options are on the table. Small, calm dogs who are crate-trained and have travelled before tend to handle cabin flights well. The cabin is preferable to the hold for any anxious animal, and most small dogs settle after the initial stress of boarding. Driving is equally valid and often less stressful. Professional couriers are a good option when you can't be in the vehicle yourself.
Medium dogs (8–25kg):
Cabin flight is off the table in most of Europe (the Italian ENAC ruling for domestic flights is a notable exception). The options are: hold cargo on a commercial airline, a professional pet transport van, or your own car. For most medium dogs, a well-run ground transport service or driving yourself is preferable to hold cargo — fewer pressure variables, more frequent breaks, and no risk of flight delays leaving your dog in a cargo terminal.
Large dogs (25kg+):
Ground transport is almost always the right answer for domestic and shorter international routes. For intercontinental moves, hold cargo as part of a managed pet relocation service (coordinated by a specialist company) is the most practical option. Charter flights are available but expensive. Never book a large dog into commercial hold cargo without thoroughly researching the airline's track record, the route conditions, and your dog's breed-specific risks.
Brachycephalic breeds (Bulldogs, French Bulldogs, Pugs, Boxers, etc.):
Many European airlines now restrict or ban brachycephalic breeds from the cargo hold due to respiratory risks. For these dogs, cabin travel (if they meet size limits) or ground transport is strongly preferable. If your flat-faced dog is too large for cabin travel and your route requires air cargo, consult a specialist pet relocation service — do not simply book them into the hold without professional guidance.
Cats are creatures of territory and routine, which makes travel inherently stressful for most of them. The goal of any cat journey is to minimise the number of environmental changes and the duration of exposure to stressors.
Short journeys (under 3 hours):
Driving yourself with a well-secured carrier in the back seat or footwell is usually best. Keep the car quiet, dark-ish (a cover over the carrier helps), and temperature controlled. Don't open the carrier in the car. Don't feed a full meal beforehand.
Medium journeys (3–8 hours):
Still drive if you can. If you can't, a professional courier who transports cats separately from dogs and can provide a quiet, calm environment is preferable to a commercial flight. Cats in the hold of a commercial aircraft are exposed to significant noise and vibration — short hold journeys on reliable airlines can work, but it's rarely the first choice.
Long journeys and international relocations:
This is where cats need the most careful planning. A cat being relocated internationally is often better served by a slower, calmer ground journey with a professional service than by a fast but stressful air cargo route. For genuinely intercontinental moves (Australia, the US, Asia), there's no avoiding air travel — but a specialist pet relocation service that manages the whole journey is worth the additional cost for the sake of your cat's welfare.
General cat travel tips across all methods:
Best option: Drive yourself or use Eurotunnel / a short ferry.
For journeys of this length, the overhead of flying — booking ahead, arriving at an airport 2+ hours early, check-in, documentation checks, boarding, the flight itself, baggage reclaim — often takes longer end-to-end than simply driving. The Eurotunnel between Folkestone and Calais takes 35 minutes and keeps your pet in the car with you the entire time. A short ferry crossing is equally low-stress for most animals.
Professional couriers are also a reasonable option here if you're flying solo or don't have a car. The journey time is short enough that the separation period is manageable.
Best option: Professional courier or drive over two days with an overnight stop.
This is the distance range where a dedicated pet transport service often makes the most sense. The journey is too long to do comfortably in a single day's drive for most people, but not long enough to justify the complexity and cost of flying. A quality shared-van service on a popular European corridor can move your pet door-to-door comfortably at a price competitive with the cost of a hold cargo flight.
If you do drive, breaking the journey across two days with a pet-friendly hotel stop is almost always kinder than doing it in one long push.
Best option: Depends heavily on pet size and temperament.
For small, calm pets: a cabin flight on a pet-friendly airline (Air France, Lufthansa, KLM, Vueling, etc.) is often fastest and low-stress enough to be worth it. For larger dogs or anxious animals: a dedicated pet transport van operated by an experienced company on a managed run is often the better choice, even if it takes longer. The journey time difference matters less than the welfare experience.
Best option: Managed air cargo through a specialist pet relocation service.
There is no realistic ground alternative for moving your pet to another continent. The question isn't whether to fly — it's how to do it with the best possible welfare outcomes. A specialist company that handles documentation, approved carriers, ground transfers, and in-destination liaison is worth every penny. For complex destinations like Australia or Japan, the documentation alone (titre tests, waiting periods, import permits) requires months of preparation. Start early, use experts.
See: International Pet Travel Requirements for a full documentation guide by country.
Costs vary considerably by route, provider, and pet size — but here's a realistic framework for planning.
The takeaway: for short journeys, driving yourself is cheapest. For longer journeys, a shared courier service and a budget airline's hold fare are often in the same ballpark. For intercontinental moves, expect to invest significantly — and consider it the cost of moving a family member, which is exactly what it is.
This is the section most guides skip, and it's arguably the most important.
Pet stress during travel is real, measurable, and consequential. Elevated cortisol from travel stress can suppress immune function, cause digestive upset, and in animals with underlying health conditions, contribute to serious welfare issues. Understanding what your pet is likely to experience in each scenario helps you make a genuinely informed choice.
Stress level: Low to moderate (for a calm, crate-trained pet on a short to medium flight)
Your pet is with you, or at least in the same cabin. They can hear familiar voices. The temperature is comfortable. The journey is short. For a dog or cat who is already comfortable in their carrier, this is manageable. For an animal who is not crate-trained and has never travelled, the combination of airport noise, unfamiliar handling, security screening, and a flight environment can be very distressing.
Preparation makes an enormous difference here. A pet who has spent weeks getting comfortable with their carrier before travel day will have a fundamentally different experience to one who was put in it for the first time that morning.
Stress level: Moderate to high (highly variable depending on the animal and conditions)
The hold is pressurised and climate-controlled on reputable airlines — but it is dark, loud with engine noise and vibration, and the animal is completely alone. Dogs that are well-crate-trained and calm by nature often manage reasonably well on shorter hold journeys. Anxious dogs, cats who haven't been crate-trained, and brachycephalic breeds in particular can struggle significantly.
Duration matters enormously. A 2-hour hold journey and an 8-hour hold journey are not the same experience. Connections (where your pet may wait in a cargo terminal between flights) add another stressor layer. If you're booking hold cargo for your pet, direct flights are strongly preferable.
Stress level: Low (for most pets, most of the time)
Your pet is in a familiar environment (your car), accompanied by familiar people (you), with familiar smells throughout. For most dogs, a car journey is somewhere between neutral and actively enjoyable. For cats, it's more variable — many cats find car travel stressful regardless of preparation, though crate training and a quiet, covered carrier help significantly.
The stress level stays low provided: the journey isn't excessively long, the car is well-ventilated and not too hot, your pet has access to water and regular rest stops, and they're secured safely (a loose cat in a car is stressed, unsafe, and distracting).
Stress level: Low to moderate (depends on the animal and the quality of the service)
A well-run transport service with experienced handlers, individual kennels, regular welfare checks, and appropriate rest stops can be genuinely calm for many animals. The primary stressor is separation from you — which for some dogs (particularly those with separation anxiety) can be significant. For cats who are already crate-comfortable, a quiet, individual kennel in a temperature-controlled van is often no more stressful than a long car journey.
The quality of the service matters enormously here. A badly run operation with overcrowded vehicles, inconsistent welfare checks, and inexperienced handlers is genuinely harmful. A well-run one is a reasonable experience that many animals tolerate well.
Air travel — particularly hold cargo — is not appropriate for every animal. Here are the situations where you should either use ground transport instead, or consult a vet before making any booking.
Your pet has a respiratory condition. Any breathing difficulty is exacerbated by the stress and environmental changes of air travel. Hold cargo in particular poses serious risk.
Your pet is brachycephalic. French Bulldogs, Pugs, Bulldogs, Boxers, Boston Terriers, Persian cats, Himalayan cats — the list of breeds with known respiratory risk in cargo is long. Many airlines now ban them from the hold entirely. Ground transport is strongly preferable.
Your pet is very old or very young. Senior animals with cardiac or respiratory conditions should not travel by hold cargo without explicit veterinary clearance. Kittens and puppies under 8–12 weeks should not travel at all. Most airlines have minimum age requirements.
Your pet has severe anxiety or a history of stress responses. An animal that is already anxious in everyday life will experience air travel — especially the hold — at a significantly elevated distress level. Sedation is not a reliable solution: it can cause dangerous respiratory depression in pressurised environments, and many airlines explicitly prohibit travelling with sedated animals.
You're travelling to the UK. Pets cannot enter the UK in the cabin on any commercial flight. If your pet is not suited to hold cargo travel, the Channel Tunnel (Eurotunnel) or a ferry from Europe may be a significantly better option.
The destination country requires quarantine. Australia mandates a minimum 10-day quarantine on arrival. Japan requires up to 180 days for non-compliant documentation. If quarantine is mandatory, ensure your pet is in good health to withstand the additional stress before booking anything.
Your vet advises against it. This should go without saying, but it sometimes doesn't: if a vet who knows your animal tells you not to fly them, don't fly them. They are not being overly cautious.
Use this step-by-step guide to land on the right answer for your journey.
Step 1: How far are you going?
Step 2: Short journey (under 4 hours)
Can you travel with your pet in your own vehicle?
Step 3: Medium journey (4–10 hours)
Is your pet under 8kg (including carrier) and comfortable in a crate?
Step 4: International / intercontinental journey
Is your destination reachable by road and ferry within a reasonable timeframe?
Before any international journey, also ask:
Whichever option you land on, the next challenge is finding providers you can actually trust. That's what Get Pet Go is built to solve.
Get Pet Go is a booking platform where verified pet travel services — couriers, van operators, airport transfers, relocation specialists, and more — list their services for pet owners to compare and book. You can filter by:
Whether you've decided to fly and need an airport transfer for the dog, or you've landed on a European courier service for your anxious rescue cat, Get Pet Go gives you the tools to find the right provider — without the guesswork.
👉 Find the right pet travel service for your journey
There's no single best answer — it depends on your pet's size, temperament, and breed; the length and type of your journey; and your budget. Driving yourself is usually lowest-stress for most pets on shorter journeys. Cabin flights work well for small, calm, crate-trained pets. Professional couriers are often the best option for larger animals or long international routes. Hold cargo should be a last resort rather than a default.
For most dogs and most domestic journeys, driving is preferable to flying. Dogs stay with their owner, have access to rest stops, and avoid the noise, darkness, and isolation of hold cargo. Flying makes sense when the distance is too great to drive practically, or when your dog is small enough for cabin travel and handles it well. For very long drives, a professional courier service may be a better option than driving yourself.
It is generally safer than it used to be — modern aircraft holds are pressurised and climate-controlled — but it is not without risk, particularly for anxious cats, older cats, and those with any health conditions. The hold is loud, dark, and isolating, and stress levels are typically high. For most cats and most routes, a ground-based option (driving or a professional courier) is preferable if achievable.
Talk to your vet before booking. Signs that your pet may not cope well with air travel include: severe separation anxiety, a history of stress responses in new environments, respiratory conditions, brachycephalic breed characteristics, advanced age, or any current health issues. A vet who knows your animal is the best judge of whether flying is appropriate.
Most airlines explicitly prohibit travelling with sedated animals, and with good reason — sedation can cause dangerous respiratory depression in pressurised environments. If your pet is anxious, discuss calming supplements (not sedation) with your vet well in advance of travel. These can help reduce baseline anxiety without the risks associated with sedation. Never administer any medication without veterinary guidance.
It varies widely. Driving yourself domestically may cost under £100 all in. A cabin flight fee within Europe runs €35–€125 per pet. Hold cargo costs €95–€350+ depending on airline and pet size. International relocation services range from £500 to £5,000+ depending on destination and complexity. Ground courier services sit in the range of £100–£600 for European routes depending on distance and whether you're sharing a van or booking it exclusively.
For domestic travel within the same country, microchip and vaccination records are typically sufficient. For international travel — whether by air, road, or ferry — a veterinary health certificate is required, usually issued within 10 days of travel. Some destinations also require a rabies titre test, import permit, or parasite treatment records. See the full guide: International Pet Travel Requirements.
Most airlines require pets to be at least 8–12 weeks old before travelling. For international travel, many countries require rabies vaccination, which typically can't be given until 12 weeks of age — creating a practical minimum of around 3–4 months before international travel is feasible. Always check the minimum age requirements of both your airline and your destination country.
Hold cargo on a long commercial flight — particularly with connections — is generally the most stressful travel experience for most pets. The combination of separation, noise, vibration, pressure changes, darkness, and extended duration creates a high-stress environment even for calm animals. This doesn't mean it's always avoidable, but it should be a considered choice, not a default.
Yes. Get Pet Go is a dedicated booking platform where verified pet transport businesses list their services. You can search by pet size, travel type (van, courier, ferry, airport transfer), and date availability — making it straightforward to find and compare options for your specific journey.
This guide is intended for general planning purposes. Individual pet needs vary significantly — always consult your vet before making travel decisions, especially for older animals, animals with health conditions, or long-haul international journeys.
Last updated: April 2026