We primarily transport our client's pets by booking flights on pet-friendly airlines, but sometimes other options present themselves -- making for a good story and a good chance to learn even more about pet travel.
We've discussed how pet train travel isn't really an option most of the time, and many trips are either fully or partly carried out through plain old-fashioned driving. Every once in a while water travel is a possibility so a ferry comes into play, or in the case of Allie and Billie's upcoming move, a transatlantic oceanliner.
These two cats are starting in Austin, TX, flying to New York, and then hopping aboard the Queen Mary 2, which travels from New York to Southampton. This mega-ship holds over 3,000 passengers and contains 15 restaurants and bars, five swimming pools, a planetarium and yes, a kennel area that accommodates pets.
The kennels are overseen by a kennel master, who takes care of feeding, walking, etc. The trip takes a week to complete, and reservations for the Queen Mary 2 must be made well in advance (sometimes the waiting list almost a year long).
Upon arrival, the cats must meet the standard pet import requirements for the UK, and then they'll be free to settle into their new lives abroad. Allie and Billie don't depart until October, so we'll plan to provide some updates in a few weeks regarding this unconventional -- and pretty cool -- move.