Vanlife with dogs - Top tips from The Road Two Spoons
I’m Jess from Theroadtwospoon and in 2020 we had our van Biggie Small converted by Vanlife Conversions. 2 years later we moved into it full time with our two rescue dogs Rory and Jeannie and have been travelling ever since.
Our girls are our family and one of the reasons we love van life so much is it enables us to bring them with us everywhere we go. That being said there are pros and cons to travelling with dogs so I’ve put together some top tips to consider adventuring with your furry friends.
Taking your dogs abroad
Following Brexit, UK vets no longer issue pet passports. The new requirement is to obtain an AHC (Animal Health Certificate) which can be issued by any vet, although it’s worth shopping around as different vets charge different amounts. Once you have an AHC you have 10 days to enter the EU and then it’s valid for 4 months. You will need to obtain an AHC every time you go into the EU from the UK.
If you plan to travel long-term in the EU it is worth getting an EU pet passport, however, this will need to be issued by a vet in the EU which can be a bit tricky so we have a dedicated blog post on this topic over which you can read here.
Regardless of how long your trip is, if you travel outside of the UK make sure you read up on animal vaccination requirements for the countries you visit. Some countries have diseases specific to that country or region and if you are re-entering a non rabies country from a high rabies country you will require a titre test which needs to be done months in advance. Also when returning to the UK your dog will need tapeworm treatment given 1-5 days before re-entry.
Travelling in a van with your dogs
Before setting off on your adventure, it is worth considering how your dog will travel in your van, particularly because it is a legal requirement to have your dog “suitably restrained” when in a vehicle. There are lots of different options for this, like tie down points, seatbelts and dog crates.
A great benefit of having a custom built van is the ability to design it to your own needs. So if you want to travel with your dog, you can specify features like a dog crate under the bed or adding an outdoor shower for washing your dog.
An excellent example of this is Doris, a conversion done by Vanlife Conversions where they add lots of dog-friendly features.
Dog-friendly areas
When bringing your dog along on your travels it’s worth considering how you’ll be spending your time while you are away and how that fits in with your dog.
For example if you’ll be spending lots of time on campsites, make sure to check the campsite is dog friendly, whether they charge extra for dogs, whether they have secure dog play areas etc. If you love to visit cities and towns, it’s worth researching dog-friendly cafes, restaurants and parks (you’ll be surprised by the number of parks we’ve found that are not dog-friendly). You can often find information on these areas via local council websites, tourism boards or Google maps.
Another key consideration is also the time of year that you’ll be away, lots of beaches have dog bans between May-Sept and tourist spots may be extra busy which can be stressful if you have an anxious dog like our girl Rory.
Dogs bring dirt and damp
If you’re a dog owner you’ll know there is no escaping dirty paws and dog hair and unfortunately, this only becomes more obvious in a van! My recommendation is lots of towels and blankets and a good dog brush. Multiple towels mean you can wipe them down outside or if it’s raining put some towels on the floor so you can dry your dog inside without getting a muddy floor. Our dogs are allowed on the seats and the bed, so to minimise mess we cover these areas with dog blankets; this has saved us multiple times when one of ours has been sick!
A good dog brush will not only help minimise moulting but it’s a great way to get sand off after a day at the beach! Extra note if like Jeannie, your dog loves to roll in smelly things, I highly recommend stocking some strong natural dog shampoo in the van!
Dog food and water
First things first, invest in an anti-spill water bowl; we use the ‘Road Refresher Prestige Non Spill Pet Water Bowl’ . It'll save you having to empty the dog’s water every time you drive.
If you plan on doing longer trips outside of the UK, it’s worth considering how much pet food to bring. Pet food brands vary across the EU so you may not be able to consistently buy the same brand and depending on your van you may not have the capacity to bulk store dog food either. Some dogs are very susceptible to having their food changed so it’s worth bearing this in mind, especially if they have specific dietary requirements.
Temperature control
Depending where you travel and the time of year, the temperature can play a big part in how you travel with your dog. If you’ll be in warmer climates and don’t have an AC unit, it can be more restrictive as it can easily be too hot to leave your dog in your vehicle if you need to go somewhere where they can’t come (i.e supermarkets, restaurants etc).
Likewise, if you’ll be in a colder climate, it’s important to have a heating system that you can control remotely so that your dog can be kept warm if left in the van and the temperature starts to drop.
For peace of mind, I recommend installing a temperature sensor that can be monitored remotely. Vanlife Conversions install these in most of their builds and the sensors connect to an app that notifies you if the temperature exceeds set limits.
Other key features that can help with temperature control are roof vents/fans, the types of windows you have (it’s harder to regulate temperature with glass), silver screen covers and awnings.
Healthcare and grooming
These points are more specific to long-term travel or if you plan to live in your van full-time.
Vets - Even if you plan to be outside the UK I recommend keeping your pet registered at a UK practice, it will be easier when you need to get vaccinations and very helpful if your dog goes missing and their chip needs to be tracked. I also recommend looking up local vets when you travel to new places, so you know where to go in the event of an emergency. It’s easy to find vets abroad but to be treated you will need to show either a passport or AHC.
Insurance - UK pet insurance is limited for travel outside the UK, often only covering up to 30 days at a time and a limited number of trips, so if you plan on being outside the UK for long periods, it may not be worth paying for an insurance policy and having a savings pot instead.
Grooming - If your dog requires regular visits to the groomer, it may be worth learning to do this yourself, not only will it save you money but it’ll save you time researching groomers when travelling and avoid any mishaps that may occur due to language barriers.
Keeping your dogs safe
For obvious reasons security features on your van should be a priority regardless of whether you travel with a dog or not.
I won’t go into details of everything we have but the main features are deadlocks on every door and having internal cameras for monitoring the dogs whilst we are away from the van. Our cameras are permanently connected to our van wifi system and we can view the feed via an app on our phones. 9 times out of ten we check on the dogs and they are asleep with their paws in the air!
When we are in the van, we have a tie-down point by the sliding door, so the girls can sit outside whilst safely being leashed to the van, no sneaky escapades for them!
Summary
There is a lot to consider when travelling with dogs and hopefully these tips tick some of the things off the list but what matters most is that everyone is safe and happy and it’s something you both enjoy.
Happy travels!
