I made a note of this on Dog Jaunt’s Facebook page, but posts there soon scroll out of view, and it would be a shame to lose track of such a useful tidbit of info: One of Dog Jaunt’s Facebook followers turns out to be a taxi service based in Folkestone, a city which is, among other things, at the U.K. end of the Channel tunnel. The Folkestone Taxi Company is ready and willing to drive you and your dog from France to the U.K., or vice versa, either via the Eurotunnel le Shuttle or via ferry.
This is useful, you’ll remember, because the U.K. does not allow pet dogs to arrive in-cabin on inbound flights. If you prefer that your pet not travel in a plane’s belly, the best option is to fly into Paris (or some other destination on the Continent within a reasonable distance of the English Channel) and make your way together to the U.K. either via ferry (which you can walk and/or drive on, depending on the line you choose — the link is to the U.K.’s list of approved ferries for incoming pets) or via the Eurotunnel.
In either case, a car is necessary, either to get you to or onto the ferry (again, depending on your choice), or through the Chunnel (since pet dogs are not allowed on the Eurostar train). That’s not quite right, because you could take a train — French trains are pet-friendly — to the city where one of the ferry lines that allows walk-on travelers with pets is located, and then make your way from the train station to the ferry dock. We considered this option, but then looked at our collection of suitcases and decided to go a different route.
A one-way car rental from France, we found, is prohibitively expensive. We opted instead for a round-trip car rental, which was fine for us (we were just as happy to fly home from Paris as from London), but might not suit your overall plan. Give the Folkestone Taxi Co. a call and see if their rates and schedule fit your budget and plan — and then please let us know how it all worked out for you!
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