In life, it’s not where you go – it’s who you travel with.
-Charles Schultz, creator of the beloved canine cartoon ‘Peanuts’
Being a solo traveler and living this gypsy lifestyle has introduced me to a lot of people, people curious to know how I cope with the loneliness of being away from friends and family. When this topic comes up, I half-jokingly point to my four-legged travel companion Mango and say he’s the cure for my lonely heart. The truth is, traveling with a dog indeed keeps the loneliness at bay while also introducing me to experiences visitors-sans-dogs rarely see (having a dog is instant street cred, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been mistaken for a local). Studies say that having a dog reduces stress and increases happiness, which is a good thing because being a country-hopper with a dog can get pretty frustrating. Adding a dog to an already complicated equation is an extra layer of work but completely do-able with some experience, planning, and puppy dog eyes (both Mango’s and mine).
In our eight-month tour of Europe, I think Mango has become a better traveler than me and at twelve years, he is still putting in the miles. We’ve used buses, trains, taxis, trams, ferries, and a few planes to get around and it has been a relatively easy process. Mango understands the meaning behind me zipping up the suitcase and can barely contain himself with joy as he sniffs his way to the train station. One time in Zagreb, we were walking down a sidewalk when a street trolley stopped in front of us and abruptly opened its old, creaky doors; Mango subconsciously took that as an invitation to board and I had to yank him back to reality. But apart from dog-friendly public transit, dogs are mostly welcome in shops and restaurants in Europe, and even some tourist attractions. Sometimes shops that prohibit dogs (grocery stores, drug stores, bakeries) have leash hooks by the entrance, a welcome detail for dog owners. I never had trouble finding pet-friendly accommodations, even in smaller, more remote towns; almost every hotel we stayed in, though, charged a pet fee, sometimes up to $15 a day. Dog owners can sometimes find ‘poop stations’ in cities and parks, and every large city has at least one dog park.
Apart from its generous dog-friendly policies and amenities, Europe is very relaxed when it comes to dogs. Europeans are generally okay sitting next to dogs in restaurants and on trains, and don’t tsk-tsk owners when dogs bark or run around without leashes. Vets are easy to come by and prices are similar to what you’d find in the US (if not a bit less), although I was pleasantly surprised in Zagreb to get a check-up for our trip to Bosnia for a mere $6. In central Europe, especially Belgium and Germany, there are large immigrant populations from Middle Eastern countries that aren’t as dog-friendly, so I noticed many kids crossing the street out of fear of Mango or covered women letting out scared gasps when they saw him board the tram. Coming from the US, which is woefully not progressive when it comes to dog-friendliness despite it being one of the country’s largest and fastest-growing industries, visiting dog-friendly countries is a huge relief. I cannot tell you how many times people in the US got mad at me for leaving Mango tied up outside of stores or frantically called me because he wandered into the neighbor’s yard.
So, now that I am leaving Europe and heading east to Turkey and hopefully Thailand, I am a bit worried about how to navigate these notoriously less dog-friendly destinations without a car. So far, entry requirements and plane logistics seem manageable (unless I can find a way to fold him in half to put him under my seat, Mango must fly cargo) but I may have to either grit my teeth and rent a car or take less frequent trips while there because I’m 99% sure dogs aren’t allowed on public transit. Whatever happens, though, I can rest assured knowing that my best friend and favorite travel companion is right there with me, exploring the wonders of the world doggy style.
Mango Action Shots in…..
Sweden
Sweden is a beautiful country to visit; development is compact, transit options are abundant, and nature/culture is carefully preserved, so seeing the country’s natural and cultural offerings without throngs of tourists is refreshing. This Scandinavian dream is extremely progressive when it comes to issues like women’s rights, LGBT rights, urban planning, parenting, and more, with the exception of dog-friendliness. Yes, dogs are allowed on public transit and trains (without purchasing a pet ticket) and inside some restaurants, but most restaurants, cafes, and shops prefer to keep the pups outside. I was in Sweden for my first three months traveling abroad, so I was still adjusting to traveling with a dog and didn’t do a ton of exploring with Mango, but can say with 100% certainty that lovely Sweden is unfortunately not as dog-friendly as its European counterparts.
Croatia
Coming to Croatia after Sweden was a pretty big change: The days seem longer, the sun seems brighter, everything seems less expensive (especially veterinarians) and the people seem friendlier. Dogs in this country only take a back seat to the proliferate population of cats that leisurely roam the streets, but dogs are overall treated well here. Dogs are allowed on trains, although the Croatian train network is limited and there is no clear policy on dogs on public transit. When traveling via bus recently (to/from Plitvice), Mango was allowed aboard without question, but I saw the dreaded ‘no dogs allowed’ symbol on the bus maps in Dubrovnik. In Croatia, you’ll see many dogs walking without a leash and this is perfectly acceptable. When taking the ferry from Split to Hvar, we boarded the vessel and were confronted with ‘no dogs allowed’ signs everywhere in the only seating area; we tentatively entered the packed room to find at least ten other dogs with their owners. I asked one of the the pet parents about the ‘no dogs’ policy and she said, ‘No dogs are allowed but we don’t care.’ Love it, and everyone on board had a great 2-hour ferry ride packed like sardines and at the mercy of rambunctious kids and dogs; it has to be one of my best travel memories so far.
Slovenia
The good news is I got to see Slovenia and loved it; the bad news is I was there less than a week and didn’t get to truly experience the country. Slovenia seems similar to Croatia in terms of dog-friendliness and I noticed dogs are allowed in the Ljubljana castle with a muzzle. Since I don’t know much about this topic, my only option is to return to Slovenia in the near future to do more investigation.
Czech Republic
Okay, technically I only visited Prague, but if Prague is representative of the entire country, then I crown it the most dog-friendly in the world. While in Prague, Mango accompanied me around town and was allowed in museums, a puppet theater performance, and even a Thai massage parlor (with a bit of reluctance). Dogs are allowed on public transit with a ticket and muzzle, although neither seemed enforced, and of course on trains and in restaurants. Czech law is friendly to dog owners and explicitly states that dogs can walk without a leash as long as the owner is in control of them. While we were in Prague, locals kept pointing out how cold Mango looked (never mind me in my woefully-inadequate fall jacket) so we made a trip to the awesome Dogtown pet shop to buy his first puffy coat.
Austria
Germany (see below) and Austria seemed pretty similar in terms of dog-friendliness, although Austrians are much stricter on trains. Dogs should wear muzzles and buy tickets on trains and public transit, and this was enforced for the most part. One popular café in Vienna’s city center required patrons with dogs to muzzle them, so I found a dog-friendlier place to eat (and there are lots). Apart from these small rules, Austria is a great place for dogs to visit.
Germany
Ahh, the heart of central Europe. Germany is a very dog-friendly country, provided you abide by the rules. Deutsch Bahn, the national passenger rail company, requires tickets for dogs. Since I would purchase my train tickets online, I never found a way to buy a dog ticket so many times I was asked for a ticket and waved through with an eye roll, but a few times I had to pay on the train. In my experience, Germans mind their own business and aren’t a judge-y bunch, characteristics I found to be refreshing when I left Mango at our seat on the train to get lunch and ran into him on my way back, having walked a good train car or two on his own with his leash dragging; no one looked at me funny or tsk-tsked me. Then there was the time in Berlin when I left him tied up outside the supermarket only find him weaving through the crowded checkout in search of me; the funny thing is people made way for him as if it was the most normal thing in the world and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
Belgium
I would assume its close proximity to Dog-Friendly Capital of the World France has rubbed off on Belgium, because I really had a lot of fun there with Mango. We took a lot of day trips around the country and never had a problem on trains (it helped that I bought dog train tickets at the station, although I may have gotten away without them) or in restaurants. There was one incident in Brussels, though, that upset me: I was in a tourist-y café getting a beer with Mango, and we stopped at the bathroom on the way out. I brought Mango into the bathroom with me (strange, I know, but what were my options in the crowded café?) and on our way out a lady stopped me and pointed to a spot on the floor and then Mango. What looked like a smudge of poop was inches from my foot, and the lady curled her lip and said something that implied Mango had had an accident. Caught off guard, I asked her how my dog could have done that since he was in the bathroom with me because I genuinely wanted to know. She was too disgusted at me to respond, but the waiter came over and started yelling at me in French then walked away in a huff, leading other patrons to stare at me. I was so confused and stood there helpless; had Mango, my dog who had never had such an accident in his twelve years, somehow pooped while walking and I didn’t notice? And is that even possible?? I found a paper napkin, wiped up some of the mess, and held it to my nose: It was chocolate. Freaking chocolate. I shoved the napkin in the lady’s face and said the universally-understood word ‘chocolate’ then did the same with the waiter before walking out in a huff. Silly, I know, but I was genuinely miffed.
Netherlands
Mango and I had even more fun in the Netherlands, where we rented a bakfiets bike and took a relaxing tour of the countryside. (More on that in an upcoming post.) Like its Scandinavian neighbor Sweden, the Netherlands is a progressive country but with a higher degree of dog-friendliness. All-in-all, this is a great destination for dogs especially if they love being outdoors.