Start with the exact journey
Direction, pet details, travel mode and other route-specific answers can change what belongs in a plan. We gather those details before deciding which guidance applies.
Why we built PetRoutePlanner
PetRoutePlanner grew from years of planning journeys between the UK and Europe with Marlow, our Greyhound and Staffy cross. We saw how hard it was to turn scattered, sometimes contradictory rules into one clear plan.
It started with one difficult crossing
Our family travelled with Marlow from the UK to several European countries and back again. The journeys were wonderful, but getting between the UK and France was always the part that demanded the most preparation, especially during busy summer travel.
We spent hours every day checking government pages, operator policies and other travel information. Some pages contradicted one another, and it was not always clear whether an answer was current or applied to our exact route. Our vets did their best to help, but some travel rules sat outside what they could advise on with complete certainty.
One recurring source of confusion was the tapeworm treatment Marlow needed before returning to the UK. Different pages explained the timing in different ways, turning a straightforward requirement into another stressful part of the journey. We were also told that sedation was mandatory for ferry travel. It was not a requirement for our crossing, yet following that advice caused Marlow real harm. We were frightened for his wellbeing, and the experience showed us how important it is to distinguish a travel requirement from a recommendation or veterinary decision.
We tried both ways across the Channel. For our journeys, LeShuttle was faster but cost more. It is perhaps not the first choice for anyone who dislikes enclosed spaces, either. The ferry gave us another option, but brought its own questions about check-in, pet arrangements and the crossing itself.
The hardest part was knowing that we would have to repeat the same stressful research before the next journey, because the rules or operator policies might have changed.
After travelling with Marlow several times and returning to that same planning cycle year after year, the idea for PetRoutePlanner was born: bring the important steps together for one specific journey, show where the information came from, and make it clearer when something still needs to be confirmed.
What that experience changed
The service is built around the problems we kept meeting ourselves: generic answers, unclear sources, changing rules and too much confidence where the details were uncertain.
Show what supports the guidance
Important checklist steps link to the government, competent-authority or travel-company information behind them, rather than asking you to trust an unexplained summary.
Keep checking for changes
Pet travel rules and operator policies can change. We record when information was reviewed and stop a template from being sent instantly when a supporting source is no longer current enough.
Know when a person should step in
An instant plan is only issued when the submitted details match a current, reviewed template. Journeys outside those boundaries are prepared by a person instead.
From our family’s checklist to PetRoutePlanner
Today, PetRoutePlanner covers 41 selectable countries and 1,640 directed journeys. We turn the route, pet and trip details you provide into an ordered plan with practical checklist steps, visible supporting sources and the review dates used for that plan.
Automation is deliberately limited. An instant plan is only available when the answers match a published dog or cat journey template and its supporting information is current. Journeys that need extra care are prepared by a person instead of being forced into a template.
The result is practical planning guidance, not a replacement for your vet, the relevant authority or the company carrying your pet. Rules and individual eligibility still need to be confirmed before booking and travel. You no longer have to begin with a blank page and dozens of disconnected tabs, though.
Ready to start with your route?
Choose the exact journey you are planning and see what your route-specific plan includes before checkout.