• Forum/Server Upgrade If you are reading this you have made it to the upgraded forum. Posts made on the old forum after 26th October 2023 have not been transfered. Everything else should be here. If you find any issues please let us know.

Car travel

KCG

KCG

Warren Veteran
Hello to everyone,
You know we will come to the Netherlands in 4-5 weeks. There is currently no rabbit friendly airline from Turkey to Europe. Also no flights with rabbit friendly airlines from nearby cities in Bulgaria or Greece. There is Finnair, the rabbit-friendly airline that normally comes to Turkey, but it only happens during the summer season. At the moment, it seems that the only option for us is to go to the Netherlands by car. Now we are considering 2 ways but I couldn't decide which one is suitable for Cookie.

1st way: Driving just 5 hours every day, and spending the remaining 19 hours at the hotel, 1 country per day. 5 hours of driving + 19 hours of hotel rest every day

2st way: 3 times 10 hour drive along the way, resting at the hotel for 1-2 days after 10 hours.

Our arrival time in the Netherlands is the same for both. It will be a 5-6 day trip.

You know that I normally go on long trips with Cookie. But after 8-10 hours Cookie rests for weeks. I think the continuous 10-hour car journey here will be very stressful for Cookie. 5 hours of driving every day seems more reasonable to Cookie. Cookie is used to constant 3-4 hour trips. He also likes the change of venues, he likes to see new houses and hotels. He likes the change of place as long as he has the things he knows and adapts very easily, so I don't think he will experience hotel/apartment stress. I find the first option appropriate, I'm curious about your opinion. :)

I will also share the rabbit friendly airlines that allow keeping rabbits with you in the cabin. I will depart from Istanbul. Can you see if there are flights from one of these airline companies from cities close to Istanbul? Maybe you can find a different suggestion and way about plane that we don't know. Thessaloniki is 10 hours so we don't prefer it but Bulgaria Sofia 4-5 hours. Travel can be any day in the last week of November or the first week of December.

Rabbit friendly airlines:
Aegean Air
Finnair
Aeroflot Airline
Air Europa
Alaska Air
Frontier
WestJet
 
Thank Allah, we finally found a solution. We found an Istanbul-Athens flight from Aegean Airlines. Only 1 hour from Istanbul to Athens and the rabbit is allowed to come with us in the cabin. We will rest at the hotel for 2 days in Athens and from there we will go to the Netherlands with Aegean Airlines. So it will be healthier for Cookie to rest for 2 days in Athens instead of waiting for hours on the transfer. :D Thank Allah :)
 
KCG said:
Thank Allah, we finally found a solution. We found an Istanbul-Athens flight from Aegean Airlines. Only 1 hour from Istanbul to Athens and the rabbit is allowed to come with us in the cabin. We will rest at the hotel for 2 days in Athens and from there we will go to the Netherlands with Aegean Airlines. So it will be healthier for Cookie to rest for 2 days in Athens instead of waiting for hours on the transfer. :D Thank Allah :)
Click to expand...

That's really good news, a lot quicker easier for all of you xx
 
Can you get your non-urgent belongings shipped to you separately? Just take what you need for the first few weeks.
Do you know where you will be living?
 
Shimmer said:
Can you get your non-urgent belongings shipped to you separately? Just take what you need for the first few weeks.
Do you know where you will be living?
Click to expand...

Yes, my family will ship the remaining suitcases after they find a house, we think so. But the problem is I want to take everything with me :lol: Also, yes, it is clear in which city we will live, my husband has already received a job offer from there, so the city and the place are certain. :)
 
I talked to Aegean Airlines, they said they accept rabbits in the luggage , not in the cabin. This is terrible for Cookie, I could never put him in the luggage. There is an Istanbul-Madrid flight with Air Europa, they accept rabbits in the cabin. Then we need to take flight Madrid-Netherlands. Normally Cookie tolerates car travel but I'm not sure about the plane, the plane is very different. I wonder if he can tolerate the 4-hour flight from Istanbul to Madrid. Or is it the best option to come by car?
 
I just talked to Air Europa, they made an agreement with Turkish Airlines for Turkey flights, their own planes are not coming. Turkish Airlines is one of the worst companies in pet, they never accept rabbits. We have no choice but to travel by car. :|
 
My husband's new co-workers in the Netherlands also mobilized for Cookie. Everyone is looking for an easy way to transfer Cookie and thinking about it. I wish Cookie was aware of all this :D
 
Definitely just double check the rules for each country, I emailed the relevant government departments for each country we travelled through and honestly they all responded quickly and were super helpful. I didn’t end up travelling too far through Europe in the end, but I initially planned to and got really useful info from some of the countries you will probably be driving through. For example just to ensure that the health certificate has been issued within the correct number of days for each new entry. It may be different for you, I entered the EU from outside of the EU with my girl, and I needed a letter from my vet stating she was free of disease etc. I believe one country wanted a translated version if I remember rightly, and some stated it needed to be dated within the last seven days, which put a limit on how much time we would have to complete the journey and also might have caused an issue in the event we got delayed.

Honestly you know your bunny better than anyone. And they are all so different. I would absolutely travel with my current bunny, he just isn’t fazed by anything. And the bunny I did travel with was fine, but I knew she would be. The other bunny I had at the same time not so much, we stayed in Britain until she passed on. Even some people on here made out like I was mad, on a rabbit forum I was told to leave my rabbit behind, but I knew I was doing the right thing and I still ended up moving to the country I wanted!

I don’t have much experience driving. The most I did with my bunny was a three hour drive as that’s how we entered Canada, I was living in Seattle so was so close to the border. We then did two nights in a hotel before flying from Vancouver to Toronto. I would definitely get a carrier that has the little strap the seatbelt easily goes through. I don’t know if they are available there but I use the Sherpa ones, they are airline approved with most airlines too so if you did fly. Also keep a spare copy of any paperwork for Cookie attached to the carrier. My carriers have a zipper side for keeping papers but even taping a plastic wallet to the side would work.

Make sure you have extra water, you can get collapsible water bowls which are great for travel. If your bunny drinks from a bottle either transition ahead of time to a bowl or figure out a way to attach a bottle to the side of the carrier. And obv if they have a bowl then don’t suddenly introduce a bottle during travel. Try to keep as much as you can consistant. Hay cookies are great for travel if you have access to them, but again give them in the weeks before travel so it’s not suddenly something new. Also introduce high water content veg in safe quantities, we started with cucumber as a treat as that’s what we put in her carrier during the flight. Although she had water the entire time I wasn’t sure she would wanna drink from the bowl while flying. I also took a container of shredded greens and poured water from a bottle over any I gave her. She actually stuffed her face on the plane!

I use pet remedy spray and it’s great, I spray the vetbed and blanket on the bottom of the carrier. I also have always used baby shades in the car windows for transporting pets, when I drove to Canada I draped a muslin blanket over the carrier as it was the middle of the day and really sunny. For vet trips I also try to play low soothing music in the car, try to think of all the possible things that could stress out a bunny and either avoid or do something about them.

I’ve gone through immigration with a bunny in three different countries and they were all quick, gentle and none of them wanted to bother her or look in the carrier. The only time she had to come out was during airport security, and even that was in a private room where she sat on my lap while they had a quick look in the carrier.

You are obviously going to be stopping on the way, so just check in with hotels about pet friendly rooms. Also once you have hotels booked I would locate a vet close to each one just in case you need them. You likely won’t but I’ve moved a lot and trust me it’s always a good idea to know where the closest vet is when you arrive somewhere new with a pet. I’ve never had to use one like that but it gives you peace of mind. You can usually email to see if they have rabbit savvy vets.

I can’t think of anything else right now!
 
Last edited:
sillyrabbit said:
Definitely just double check the rules for each country, I emailed the relevant government departments for each country we travelled through and honestly they all responded quickly and were super helpful. I didn’t end up travelling too far through Europe in the end, but I initially planned to and got really useful info from some of the countries you will probably be driving through. For example just to ensure that the health certificate has been issued within the correct number of days for each new entry. It may be different for you, I entered the EU from outside of the EU with my girl, and I needed a letter from my vet stating she was free of disease etc. I believe one country wanted a translated version if I remember rightly, and some stated it needed to be dated within the last seven days, which put a limit on how much time we would have to complete the journey and also might have caused an issue in the event we got delayed.

Honestly you know your bunny better than anyone. And they are all so different. I would absolutely travel with my current bunny, he just isn’t fazed by anything. And the bunny I did travel with was fine, but I knew she would be. The other bunny I had at the same time not so much, we stayed in Britain until she passed on. Even some people on here made out like I was mad, on a rabbit forum I was told to leave my rabbit behind, but I knew I was doing the right thing and I still ended up moving to the country I wanted!

I don’t have much experience driving. The most I did with my bunny was a three hour drive as that’s how we entered Canada, I was living in Seattle so was so close to the border. We then did two nights in a hotel before flying from Vancouver to Toronto. I would definitely get a carrier that has the little strap the seatbelt easily goes through. I don’t know if they are available there but I use the Sherpa ones, they are airline approved with most airlines too so if you did fly. Also keep a spare copy of any paperwork for Cookie attached to the carrier. My carriers have a zipper side for keeping papers but even taping a plastic wallet to the side would work.

Make sure you have extra water, you can get collapsible water bowls which are great for travel. If your bunny drinks from a bottle either transition ahead of time to a bowl or figure out a way to attach a bottle to the side of the carrier. And obv if they have a bowl then don’t suddenly introduce a bottle during travel. Try to keep as much as you can consistant. Hay cookies are great for travel if you have access to them, but again give them in the weeks before travel so it’s not suddenly something new. Also introduce high water content veg in safe quantities, we started with cucumber as a treat as that’s what we put in her carrier during the flight. Although she had water the entire time I wasn’t sure she would wanna drink from the bowl while flying. I also took a container of shredded greens and poured water from a bottle over any I gave her. She actually stuffed her face on the plane!

I use pet remedy spray and it’s great, I spray the vetbed and blanket on the bottom of the carrier. I also have always used baby shades in the car windows for transporting pets, when I drove to Canada I draped a muslin blanket over the carrier as it was the middle of the day and really sunny. For vet trips I also try to play low soothing music in the car, try to think of all the possible things that could stress out a bunny and either avoid or do something about them.

I’ve gone through immigration with a bunny in three different countries and they were all quick, gentle and none of them wanted to bother her or look in the carrier. The only time she had to come out was during airport security, and even that was in a private room where she sat on my lap while they had a quick look in the carrier.

You are obviously going to be stopping on the way, so just check in with hotels about pet friendly rooms. Also once you have hotels booked I would locate a vet close to each one just in case you need them. You likely won’t but I’ve moved a lot and trust me it’s always a good idea to know where the closest vet is when you arrive somewhere new with a pet. I’ve never had to use one like that but it gives you peace of mind. You can usually email to see if they have rabbit savvy vets.

I can’t think of anything else right now!
Click to expand...

Thank you for the article :) I have read the rules of every country we will be in. The only difference is that we are not a member of the EU, so the travel document is not obtained from the veterinarian. We get that document from the ministry. But I will do the mailing to the countries too, thanks again. :)
 
KCG said:
Thank you for the article :) I have read the rules of every country we will be in. The only difference is that we are not a member of the EU, so the travel document is not obtained from the veterinarian. We get that document from the ministry. But I will do the mailing to the countries too, thanks again. :)
Click to expand...

No worries and good luck!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

KCG
Allgery
Replies
7
Views
664
bunny momma
bunny momma
G
Bonding my boy with new friend after loss
Replies
4
Views
408
InspectorMorse
InspectorMorse
J
Advanced EC suspected in elderly rabbit
Replies
2
Views
85
dex179
dex179
Back
Top