rental car from France to England?
We are traveling to England next year for a dog show. It is complicated to travel by plane with a dog into England, so we thought about flying into a nearby country (probably France), then renting a car and taking a ferry to England.
But I realized that England drives on the "other" side of the road, so I'm not sure if it will be more complicated to drive or if it's even allowed to have a French rental car in England.
Should we take a train from Paris to England and then rent a car once we get to England?
Anyone have advice? Thanks! Elizabeth
Elizabeth
McKinney, TX USA 11/7/09
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The rules for entering the UK with a dog are no different regardless of how you enter--plane, train, boat. You will have to go through immigration and customs. And the paperwork is the same.
Yes, you are right. We have already started the rabies titer process.
The difference is that for plane travel to England, dogs aren't allowed to be in the cabin with the owner, all dogs must travel in cargo. At least that is what my research has shown so far!
We prefer to have our small dog travel in the cabin with us, so we're going to fly to another country that allows it.
That's what brings up the dilemma about the rental car!
Thanks so much for the information.
Can you tell me what a "drop fee" is?
The link to the other post was very helpful!
A drop-off fee is what a rental company charges if you pick up the car in one place and return it in a different location. If you pick up the car and drop it off in the same country, there's usually no drop-off fee. But if it's in a different country than where you picked it up, there usually is. And it's often shockingly high. Taking a car from France and dropping it off in the UK, I would not be surprised to find the rental car company wanted a substantial extra charge.
Thanks, Steve and David. Now I understand!
We'd drive back to Paris for the return flight, so we shouldn't encounter the drop fee.
I appreciate y'all taking the time to help me! Elizabeth
All I know about dogs is that they bite. However, I often rent cars in France and Germany and take them back and forth to the UK. No problem at all. What I have found however, is that the ferry is the least expensive way, that the Dunkerque ferry is cheaper by a long shot than the the Calais ferry, and that by getting on the boat early in the morning or later in the evening, you save a heap of bucks over making a prime-time transit.