You've planned the flight. You've verified the hotel. And then you land — tired, with a dog in a carrier — and realise the one leg nobody thinks about is the one that can unravel the whole arrival: getting from the airport to where you're staying.
We've done this dozens of times across Europe, and the pattern never changes. The transfer that's booked and confirmed in advance is calm. The one left to chance at the taxi rank is where it goes wrong — the driver who waves you away when he sees the carrier, the ride-share that cancels on arrival, the long wait in the heat with a dog who just wants out of the bag.
So this is exactly how we handle it.
Why we pre-book with Welcome Pickups
For arrival days, we book through Welcome Pickups. It solves the three things that actually go wrong with a dog in tow.
First, the dog is confirmed before you fly. You note the pet on the booking, so there's no negotiating on the pavement with a queue behind you — the driver already knows a small, well-behaved passenger is coming.
Second, someone is waiting with your name. After a flight spent zipped in a carrier, the last thing Daisy needs is forty minutes of me refreshing a ride-share app outside arrivals. Walking out to a driver holding a sign is the difference between an ending and a welcome.
Third, the price is fixed before you land. No meter anxiety, no airport surcharges appearing at the kerb, no surprises after a long travel day. You know the number when you book it, in your own currency, while you're still calm at home.
A driver waiting with your name, the dog already expected — the hardest part of the day is over before it starts.
What to confirm before you book — any transfer, anywhere
Whoever you book with, the same five checks apply. We run through them every single time.
- That dogs are genuinely accepted — confirmed in the booking notes, not assumed. "Most drivers are fine with it" is not a yes.
- Carrier or harness — ask what they expect. Most want small dogs in a carrier; many are happy with a harnessed dog on a towel.
- Meet-and-greet on arrival — a driver waiting with your name removes the single most stressful moment of the day.
- A realistic pickup time — clearing an airport with a dog and documents takes longer than you think. Build in the buffer.
- The car itself — a saloon with floor space beats a packed minibus for a nervous dog.
How Daisy travels in the car
Daisy rides in her carrier for anything short, or harnessed beside me on a towel for longer runs — never loose. A little water for a hot arrival, her blanket from home so the car smells familiar, and she's usually asleep before we've left the airport perimeter.
The goal is simple: by the time you reach reception — where, if you've chosen well, a bowl and a bed are already waiting — the hardest part of the day is behind you both.
When a car isn't the answer
We're loyal to what works, and it isn't always four wheels. In Venice, the transfer is a shared water taxi to your hotel's dock — there are no cars at all. In Vienna and Zurich, Uber Pet exists (roughly a €5 supplement, fewer drivers, allow extra time). In Mykonos, our hotel arranged the taxi and the driver was waiting specifically to meet the dog. And in Geneva and Munich, the train from the terminal beat any car we could have booked.
The principle holds everywhere, though: the leg you plan is the leg that goes smoothly.
The bottom line
The transfer is the leg most people improvise, and it's the one most likely to go sideways with a dog. Book it before you fly, confirm the dog in writing, and arrive the easy way.
Check prices for your arrival with Welcome Pickups →
It's a small piece of planning that quietly makes the whole trip feel effortless — which, in the end, is the entire point.
