Sunday, March 20, 2022
When flying out of the UK to the EU, pets must stay in the hold and cannot travel in the main cabin unless they are service dogs. There is the option of travelling by Ferry to Spain or France but these book up very quickly so you need to plan at least a month in advance if you hope to get a space. So, we decided our best option was to take the EuroTunnel where Sydney can ride with us in the car. The tunnel takes about 35 minutes and crosses from Folkestone, UK to Calais, France. Tickets need to be purchased in advance but we had no problem getting one with only about a week’s notice. (Tip: It is cheaper to buy same day round trip tickets vs. one-way tickets). For us, it cost 148 Pounds for two people and a puppy in a 4 door sedan.
The process is fairly straight-forwards but make sure you get there an hour in advance. This is especially important if you have a pet since you need to check into Pet Reception where they check the pet’s health documentation. For Sydney this meant scanning her microchip and reviewing her Animal Health Certificate and Rabies Shots. Then we had to wait for our group to be called. While we waited, I attached the headlamp modification stickers and added the UK magnet to the back of the car. These are part of the EU Vehicle Kit that is mandatory for France and includes a high visibility vest, high visibility triangle, UK sticker, and Headlamp modifiers for driving on the right side of the road so as not to blind other drivers.
When our group was called, we followed the route past UK security and then French security. They checked our passports but we were waived past any vehicle searches. Then we drove onto the train and up a ramp to the second level. They guided us up to the car in front and then we put the car in park with the parking brake on. That was it! Then the train started up and we headed across the channel! It was super quick and we arrived in France in 35 minutes as scheduled. Once we arrived we simply drove off the train and away!
Here is a video of us getting on the train:
