anybody rented a car to drive to continental Europe?

Please relay your experiences if you have rented a car to take on a ferry over to continental Europe. We plan on doing just that for Christmas. We want to take us and our 2 dogs in a car on the ferry over to Sweden (yes, we do have pets passports, etc.) and wonder about rental companies and travelling outside the UK.

Any experiences?

The company I work for recently rented a car and went to Rotterdam on the ferry, and as i was the one to arrange it.. it was very difficult to find a rental car company to insure a vehicle to go abroad and when i did find one it was VERY expensive (enterprise doesnt even do it).  In the end we ended up using our own insurance to add on this rental vehicle.  The ferry company we used was P&O Ferries.

Best of luck on your trip!!

I know that Hertz allows it for a surcharge. We just have to find out how much the surcharge is. I think we'll be taking the ferry from Harwich to the Hook of Holland. Can't remember the ferry line.

Sorry I can't help on rental cars with pets, but you'll need to make sure that they have the caging up between the boot & back of the car with pets, otherwise you have to have them harnessed in the back seat...   

Sorry I can't help on rental cars with pets, but you'll need to make sure that they have the caging up between the boot & back of the car with pets, otherwise you have to have them harnessed in the back seat...   

is this a ferry thing or a rental company thing?

That's an EU driving regulation - all pets need to fastened in any vehicle...  That's why if you're out driving you'll see cars from the continent with pets have the caging up between the back seat & the boot.  Otherwise, you'll need the pet seat belts.  Its done to prevent the animals from causing an accident and prevent them from going flying in the event of an accident & causing injury to themselves or to you. 

It hasn't been adopted as law yet in the UK, but I believe they're trying to implement it in the next few years...

That's an EU driving regulation - all pets need to fastened in any vehicle...  That's why if you're out driving you'll see cars from the continent with pets have the caging up between the back seat & the boot.  Otherwise, you'll need the pet seat belts.  Its done to prevent the animals from causing an accident and prevent them from going flying in the event of an accident & causing injury to themselves or to you. 

It hasn't been adopted as law yet in the UK, but I believe they're trying to implement it in the next few years...

thanks! definitely good to know. We had some, I wonder if we brought them when we moved (and if we did, where the heck they are!). I'll have to start looking. Or we can put them in their crate I guess since that will lock them up too. Big thanks for bringing this up!

Just for future reference for anyone reading this thread, I got a couple of quotes for the extra surcharge for taking the car to the continent. Europcar does a flat 97GBP regardless of length of rental which covers rescuing you if you have an accident/breakdown abroad. Avis, for a 10 day rental was 95GBP so I seem to be finding out its between 90-100GBP. Alot of money but still perhaps less than kennels or flying hte dogs.

thanks! definitely good to know. We had some, I wonder if we brought them when we moved (and if we did, where the heck they are!). I'll have to start looking. Or we can put them in their crate I guess since that will lock them up too. Big thanks for bringing this up!

He he.  My MIL & SIL both have Cockers from the same litter - its a nightmare putting them in seatbelts as they try and "sing" the whole way to their destination and back.  For these reasons neither will take the dogs to Europe on holiday.   

Cool beans on rates - Europcar sounds quite good.  Will have to keep them in mind if we ever need a rental.   

Just in case you don't know, you WILL have to have the dogs de-wormed within 48 hours of coming back here again!  Friend of mine takes her cat back and forth to Sweden several times a year and it's the same story every single time.

Just in case you don't know, you WILL have to have the dogs de-wormed within 48 hours of coming back here again!  Friend of mine takes her cat back and forth to Sweden several times a year and it's the same story every single time.

yep, i've already got an appt with the vet in Sweden I think I have to do it over here before leaving for sweden as well.

You don't have to do it here, just coming back.

You don't have to do it here, just coming back.

i thought sweden required it for entry as well. that parts easy to figure out ... i'll just gander at jordbruksverket again. just glad we got the appt in sweden (was worried about everything being closed during mellandagar) and the infernal pets passports!