Hire car across Europe to UK

[davethedog]

Morning all, does anyone know if it is possible to get a hire car from say Spain and drive it back to the UK? Then keep it in the UK for a few weeks and then return it?

Cheers

 

[colind3782]

Cheaper to return fly and hire a car in the UK.

 

[<152587>]

Possible but not probable. From experience some years ago had to rescue a truck driver from Continent when truck went terminal. The EU seemed to stop at Calais. The other problem being that if the hire car went terminal or was damaged in an accident then it would have to be repatriated at considerable cost. I believe now hire companies can provide an EU registered vehicle for tourists doing the grand tour. Why not contact one or two of the hire companies and get the definitive answer from the horses mouth. Suggest you do this by E mail so you can present to some jobsworth who may apply their own interpretation.

 

[davethedog]

Reason being is we are planning to travel around the Med on our boat and have a dog, and to get him back to the UK with us when we are visiting, he has to be in a car on a ferry to avoid the huge airline costs etc

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Reason being is we are planning to travel around the Med on our boat and have a dog, and to get him back to the UK with us when we are visiting, he has to be in a car on a ferry to avoid the huge airline costs etc

One way hire to continental ferry port, board ferry with pooch as foot passengers, alight in Blighty hire UK car at ferry port repeat procedure t'otherway round when you go back to the boat.

 

[Tranona]

One way hire to continental ferry port, board ferry with pooch as foot passengers, alight in Blighty hire UK car at ferry port repeat procedure t'otherway round when you go back to the boat.

That would work IF you you could find a ferry company that will allow pets with foot passengers.

There is another way round the restrictions. There are taxi companies at the channel ports which will come over to collect you and your dog. They exist because ferry companies do not allow dogs with foot passengers.

The reality is that travelling with a dog without a car is a challenge.

 

[AndersG]

It's cheap to fly with a dog on KLM and a possible route is to fly to Amsterdam, train to Hook van Holland port and a ferry from there to Harwich, there may be other ferry routes where you can walk on with a dog but without a car.
Unlike the ferries from Spain it was easy to book a kennel, she was actually the only dog in there during the crossing.
You can take a train from Schiphol with one change to the port but I would stay in Amsterdam for a few days, dogs are welcome almost everywhere in Holland.

 

[colind3782]

You may find it cheaper to buy a car and sell it when you get back, depending on the length of the trip.

 

[pandos]

Lots of car hire companies will allow you to cross borders with hire cars... If it is of any use there are dog taxis operated by brits in Spain who pick up people and pooches on the continent and drop off to uk homes and vice versa....I heard of them last summer and was very surprised.. You could of course let your own car on the french side and just use one-way hire to get from med... probably the cheapest and most efficient way..get long term parking somewhere central AVIS allow drop offs at most french railway stations, even if you have to use a car to cross france and then pick one up on the border to cross spain..

 

[sailaboutvic]

Reason being is we are planning to travel around the Med on our boat and have a dog, and to get him back to the UK with us when we are visiting, he has to be in a car on a ferry to avoid the huge airline costs etc

Dave before our dog died of old age we use to fly a dog and a cat back to Holland for 60 Euros each

 

[Mr Cassandra]

I bought Nissan tino 2.2d 4 years ago to take the dog to Greece it cost £695 .still got it ,insurance around £180 pa.I sorn it when its parked up in Greece.

 

[greeny]

I bought Nissan tino 2.2d 4 years ago to take the dog to Greece it cost £695 .still got it ,insurance around £180 pa.I sorn it when its parked up in Greece.

I seem to remember the Sorn rules have now changed in that you are not supposed to sorn a vehicle that is not in the UK at the time. It says so on the application form. But then again - who knows?

 

[JumbleDuck]

It's cheap to fly with a dog on KLM and a possible route is to fly to Amsterdam, train to Hook van Holland port and a ferry from there to Harwich, there may be other ferry routes where you can walk on with a dog but without a car.

Point of information: trains no longer run to Hoek van Holland, as the line is being converted to be part of the Rotterdam Metro. It was supposed to have reopened in February, but isn't showing on the RET maps yet, so it may have been delayed.

 

[bendyone]

Get a white stick and a yellow jacket for the dog. No questions will be asked on the ferry.

 

[duncan99210]

Get a white stick and a yellow jacket for the dog. No questions will be asked on the ferry.

Kind of difficult if it's a jack russell.....

 

[longjohnsilver]

It's worth checking with Condor ferries. When in Guernsey last summer I was told by a customs officer that they allow dogs to travel with foot passengers.

 

[Poignard]

Get a white stick and a yellow jacket for the dog. No questions will be asked on the ferry.

How will the dog hold the white stick?

 

[Tranona]

How will the dog hold the white stick?

In its mouth like any other stick and ready to whack the back of somebody's legs!

 

[Poignard]

In its mouth like any other stick and ready to whack the back of somebody's legs!

Fine; until it tries to go through a door.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHRvF0m3yuo

 

[dslittle]

Reason being is we are planning to travel around the Med on our boat and have a dog, and to get him back to the UK with us when we are visiting, he has to be in a car on a ferry to avoid the huge airline costs etc

We had exactly the same problem last year, having sailed over and left the boat in Brittany.
Resolved by taking a one way car hire to Dieppe, dropping wife and dog off at Ferry Terminal, dropping car off at Train Station (easy walk back) and travelling Dieppe-Newhaven (DFDS) as foot passengers with the dog.
Easy passage, no grief. Recommended.
P.S. We have also hired in France to drive across border to Spain with no problems.