Going on holiday with your dog: the complete equipment checklist
Going on holiday with your dog requires four preparations: safe transport (crate or approved harness), up-to-date documents (health record, identification, EU pet passport if you leave France), a basic first-aid kit and the everyday gear: travel bowls, leash, long line, portable bedding. Expect 60 to 150 € of specific equipment the first year, reusable afterwards. The complete checklist, with the dog travel and safety section.
What should go in the luggage when holidaying with your dog?
- Car safety: crate or harness with an approved tether, mandatory and vital.
- Documents: health record, identification number, EU pet passport and up-to-date rabies vaccination for travel abroad.
- Meals: its usual kibble for the whole stay (a brand change while travelling guarantees diarrhoea), folding bowls 8 to 15 €.
- Everyday items: leash, 10 m long line, tag with your mobile number, waste bags, towel, throw or portable bed 20 to 40 €.
- First-aid kit: parasite treatments, tick remover, disinfectant, bandage, 20 to 35 € — plus the prescription for any ongoing medication.
How do you organise the car journey?
A break every two hours to drink and stretch, fresh water on board, never a big meal just before setting off, and obviously never a dog left alone in a vehicle in the sun: a car interior hits 50 °C in minutes and heatstroke kills. The dog travels restrained or in a crate, never loose: at the slightest braking, a 20 kg dog becomes a projectile. These reflexes apply to all long journeys, moving house included, as our guide to moving house with your dog points out.
What should you check before booking accommodation?
A pets-welcome label covers very different realities: a surcharge of 5 to 15 € per night, size limits, a ban on leaving the dog alone in the accommodation. Ask your questions in writing before paying. Also locate the nearest vet to where you are staying and check local rules: beaches closed to dogs in summer, mandatory leads in certain forests, hunting seasons in autumn.
How do you prepare the dog itself?
Bring parasite treatments and worming up to date for the destination: the south of France carries exposure to leishmaniasis and sandflies, so ask the vet for suitable protection a month before departure. Re-accustom a dog that rarely travels with short, pleasant trips in the preceding weeks. And keep its routines on site: stable meal times and a fixed sleeping corner in the accommodation.
Frequently asked questions
Can travel sickness be treated?
Yes: gradual habituation, travelling on an empty stomach, and if needed an anti-nausea treatment prescribed by the vet before departure.
What do you do with your dog if the holiday spot refuses animals?
Boarding kennels (15 to 30 € per day), an in-home pet-sitter or care by friends and family: book early, summer fills up by spring.
Are train and plane feasible?
Trains accept dogs (a 7 € ticket or a reduced fare depending on size, muzzle required for large dogs); the plane remains stressful and should be kept for cases with no alternative. Our other guides are on the dog hub.
This guide is part of Planète Pets’s Dogs universe. Our advice is general in nature: for any health concern, your veterinarian remains the only reference.