The guide we wish we’d had before we left
A small dog. Two months across Poland and home through Germany. Five train operators, one flight, three cities, and everything we learned the hard way — so you don’t have to.
When we started planning to take Sofus — our six-kilo Coton de Tuléar — across Europe, we couldn’t find the book we needed. There were policy pages full of rules nobody seemed to enforce, forum threads that contradicted each other, and cheerful listicles written by people who, you slowly realised, had never actually done it.
So we did it, and we wrote everything down.
This is the honest version. What it’s really like to carry a nervous dog through airport security. Which trains welcome a dog and which make you work for it. The questions nobody answers properly — where does he go to the toilet, how do you keep him calm, what happens when the muzzle quietly falls off somewhere past Kraków. The moments that went wrong, and the late-night walk through a moonlit, empty Warsaw square that became one of the best memories of our lives.
Taking your dog isn’t the reckless option. For us, it was the best decision we made. This guide is how we made it work.
Over 100 illustrated pages, real photographs, instant PDF — plus a phone-friendly online version you can read anywhere.
What you actually get
A 100-plus-page illustrated guide, delivered as an instant PDF download — and a link to read it online on your phone, which is where most people actually read on the move. Real photographs of the real journey, no stock images, no second-hand advice. Written by us, from our own trip, in one honest voice.
It follows the whole journey from our front door in Denmark and back again, but it’s built so you can also jump straight to the part you need:
Before you go. The EU pet passport without the panic — the microchip-before-rabies rule, the 21-day deadline that catches people out, and the groundwork you can’t skip. Choosing a carrier that fits airline rules and suits your dog (and the two wrong bags we bought first). The 8 kg question that decides whether cabin flying is even possible, and how to weigh your dog properly.
The flight. What actually happens at check-in and security with a dog in a bag. The flight itself — mostly fine, then not — and why we chose not to sedate him, with the vet’s reasoning. The “bag-time” framework for thinking honestly about how long your dog is enclosed, door to door.
The trains. First-hand, operator-by-operator accounts you won’t find anywhere else: RegioJet, PKP Intercity, Deutsche Bahn, the Czech ComfortJet, and DSB at home. The real fares, the real carrier and muzzle rules, and — just as important — what’s actually enforced.
The cities. Warsaw, Kraków and Poznań at a dog’s pace, each with “Walks from the Door”: real, mapped routes from the apartment to the square, the river, the park.
The honest reckoning. What it genuinely cost, including the hidden price of a dog-shaped itinerary — the apartments you can’t book, the days someone stays behind. And a rules-at-a-glance reference to screenshot before you travel.
Who it’s for
This is for anyone thinking about taking a small dog across Europe by train and plane and wanting the real picture instead of the official one — whether you’re deep in planning a trip like ours, or just turning the idea over and wondering if it’s even possible.
It’s not a directory of every pet-friendly hotel on the continent. It’s one family’s real journey, told honestly, with the practical knowledge folded into the story where you’ll actually remember it.
Why trust us
We’re Karen, Carl and Daniel — and Sofus. We’re not a travel brand that commissioned an article; we’re a family who spent two months actually doing this, with our own nervous little dog, and kept the receipts, the tickets, the photographs and the mistakes.
Sofus isn’t a naturally bold dog. He coped not because of his temperament but because of how we learned to handle him — and that’s the whole point of the guide. If he could do it, yours very likely can too.
Get the guide
€19. Instant PDF download plus a phone-friendly online reader, yours to keep. Read it cover to cover or jump to the train you’re about to board.
Secure checkout — your guide arrives by email the moment you’ve paid.
Secure checkout through Payhip, with card payments handled by Stripe. Delivered immediately by email as a PDF, with a link to read it online on your phone. By buying an instant download you agree the file is delivered right away. Questions before you buy? Email us at karen@eurodogtravels.com.
Questions before you buy
What format is it? A single PDF, readable on phone, tablet or computer and printable at home — plus a link to a phone-friendly online version, so you can read it on the move without opening a PDF. Both arrive by email straight after checkout.
How long is it? Over 100 pages, fully illustrated with real photographs from the journey.
Is it specific to my dog? It’s written around a small dog (a 6.2 kg Coton de Tuléar), so it’s most directly useful for small breeds that can travel in a cabin carrier. The trains, passports, cities and planning apply to any dog.
Will the prices and rules be current? Every rule and fare carries the date we last verified it in person. Travel rules change — if you spot something that’s moved, email us and we’ll fix it.
Can I get a refund? Because it’s an instant digital download, the file is delivered right away and the sale is final — but if something’s genuinely wrong with your file, email us and we’ll make it right.