The Pawfect Holiday Companion: Almost half (49%) of dog owners plan to or already have taken their dog abroad in 2024
- Plus five top tips on what to do before travelling abroad with your dog from experts
As Brits soak up the last few weeks of holiday season, it isn’t just humans who have been leaving the UK for sunnier climes.
Almost half of dog owners are taking or have already taken their pooch abroad in 2024, a new survey by Go.Compare pet insurance has revealed.
49% of people who own dogs have said they want to or already have taken their pet out of the UK this year. Out of 2058 people who took part, 1092 are dog owners and 742 of those said they plan to take the dog abroad or already have done so in 2024.
39% of dog owners said they haven’t taken their dog abroad, while 11% said they're not sure, the results showed.
The same survey also revealed that more than half of dog parents take out additional pet insurance cover when travelling abroad.
When it came to insurance, 57% of dog owners said that they took out additional cover that was needed before setting off on their travels, while a further 31% of dog owners said that they read into requirements and found the pet insurance policy they already had in place provided enough cover.
Meanwhile, 6% of dog owners read into the requirements and didn’t think it was necessary to take out additional cover before heading off on holidays and 4% didn’t think about insurance at all.
Rhys Jones, pet insurance spokesperson at Go.Compare said,
“It’s lovely to see so many people planning to take their dog abroad and no surprise when you think how dogs are a key part of the family for many – so it’s natural you would want to take them away with you, but it’s important to be prepared before you can take your animal companion abroad.
“While pet insurance is key to safeguarding them against any unexpected illnesses or injuries overseas, you also want your animal companion to have a comfortable trip - so forward planning is a must.
“Our essential checklist for taking pets abroad will help you better organise your animal-friendly holiday, so the whole family can relax when travelling overseas.”
Go.Compare shares five top tips on what to do before travelling abroad with your pet:
1.Arrange a general health checkup at least one month before
This will assess your pet’s overall wellbeing and help determine their suitability for travel.
If anything is flagged during the checkup, your vet will advise you on the most effective course of treatment and whether it could affect your trip.
- Check with your vet which vaccinations they need three weeks before
Make sure your pet’s vaccinations, flea and worm treatments are all up-to-date. These are often key requirements for pets when travelling abroad
- Obtain an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) at least 10 days before
A legal requirement if you’re taking your pet into any EU country, an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) is only valid for one trip - up to 10 days after signing. For destinations outside the EU, you’ll need an Export Health Certificate (EHC). Both certificates are available through a qualified UK vet after your animal has undergone a full physical examination
- Review your pet insurance at least one month before
This allows time for any revised cover to kick in. You could get no waiting period pet insurance, but most providers typically make you wait 14 days between purchasing insurance and when cover begins.
- Make sure you pack for the unexpected by bringing things your pet could need while travelling abroad - like a first aid kit, pet-friendly travel guides and plenty of emergency toilet supplies
For more information about pet insurance, visit www.gocompare.com/pet-insurance/
Contact Information
Rubie Barker
Notes to editors
-Ends-
*These findings are from a study released by Sago between August 9th and 12th, among a random selection of 2,058 of GB adults ages 18+ of which 1,092 are dog owners who are online panellists of Sago’s Community.
The results were weighted by age, gender, region, and ethnicity to match the population, according to Census data. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%, 19 times out of 20. Discrepancies in or between totals when compared to the data tables are due to rounding. Excerpts from this release of findings should be properly attributed, with interpretation subject to clarification or correction.
**Data obtained through FOI or readily available on council websites, from date ranges varying 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2022.
***On 7th-11th April 2023, a survey of 1543 randomly selected motorists from Great Britain was undertaken by Maru Public Opinion and executed by Maru/Blue. For comparison purposes, a probability sample of this size has an estimated margin of error (which measures sampling variability) of +/- 2.5%. The results have been weighted by age, gender, region and social grade to match the population, according to Census data. This is to ensure the sample is representative of the entire adult population of Great Britain. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
About Go.Compare
Go.Compare is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs.
It does not charge people to use its services and does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Go.Compare makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. It is this approach to comparing products that secured the company an invitation to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) in 2008, and it is still the only comparison site to be a member of this organisation.
Go.Compare has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest and works with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Go.Compare is part of Future Plc and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
More information can be found here www.gocompare.com or here https://www.futureplc.com/brands/.