Travelling with dog, kids, luggage and the kitchen sink..

Thedarksideofthemoon30 · 2021-01-24T22:07:17+00:00

We are hopefully bringing a pup into our lives at some point this summer. We like to go away a few times a year (only in this country) but with 3dc we end up packing a lot abs the boot is full. Obviously we will cut this down but how the heck do you fir a dog and luggage in the car? We have a Ford Kuga but hoping to get a Volvo XC60 soon. Thanks :)

cashmerekisses · 24/01/2021 22:31

We have a roof rack, it's great and means when we come home from a beach trip all the sandy stuff goes in the roof box and doesn't come in the car. We only have 2 dc but a big dog and with all the bikes/boards etc it just wouldn't fit.

wibblewombat · 24/01/2021 22:32

Van...

Toomuchleopard · 24/01/2021 22:36

We have 3 kids and a dog. We’ve got a 7 seater but when we go on holiday the back seats are down to make the boot bigger. The dog goes in the back with the kids, usually in the footwell. On shorter journeys we use a doggy seatbelt in one of the back seats and put on of the kids in the back row. However when they are all in the back there is no available seatbelt for the dog so we sometimes put the lead round the headrest and sometimes he is unrestrained. I don’t know what else you can do.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 24/01/2021 22:41

Roof rack, trailer or a bigger vehicle.

Remember dogs have to be restrained by law or you could be fined. It also invalidates your insurance.

You have the option of having them on the seat with a harness/seatbelt attachment, in the crate or in the boot.

Guineapigbridge · 27/01/2021 02:46

Instead of the Xc60 get a minivan that can be configured in lots of ways so that on the occasions that you need a very big boot you have one (e.g VW Sharan). We also use a roof box. In a VW Sharan you can put a dog's crate on one side of the rear with a full size seat on the other side.

Guineapigbridge · 27/01/2021 02:47

^ appreciate that if you want a sexy car, the Sharan is not it ^

Molecule · 27/01/2021 09:27

I have an XC60, and it won’t be big enough. With the seats down there’s loads of room, but with them up the boot really isn’t that large, and dog crates are quite bulky. The back slopes really limiting what you can pack in. Perhaps look at an XC90? They’re considerably larger and I think have the 7 seat option.

Imiss2019 · 27/01/2021 09:37

We bought a Peugeot Traveller. Really wish I’d had one when the kids were much younger too now! But for a long dog and a couple of 6ft teens it’s bloody brilliant.

moosemama · 27/01/2021 09:49

We have 3 dcs, and until this year, 2 large dogs. We always hire a roof box for holidays, much easier than having to store a box year round, especially as we don’t have a garage. When we arrive at our holiday home, we just remove the box and stow it until we need to pack for the journey back. You can hire the rails as well if you don’t already have them on your car.

Original poster

Thedarksideofthemoon30 · 27/01/2021 10:23

@Guineapigbridge

Instead of the Xc60 get a minivan that can be configured in lots of ways so that on the occasions that you need a very big boot you have one (e.g VW Sharan). We also use a roof box. In a VW Sharan you can put a dog's crate on one side of the rear with a full size seat on the other side.

My husband does want a mini van! Will have a look :)

OP posts:

billybagpuss · 27/01/2021 10:25

We’ve got xc40 and dog goes in back and as for everything else with 4 or sometimes 5 of us if it doesn’t fit in the roof box it doesn’t go.

actiongirl1978 · 29/01/2021 09:23

We don't use a crate, we just put the dogs bed in the back and he sleeps as soon as we start driving. So we squish stuff around his bed.

But now we have a second dog, we are going for a roof box.

actiongirl1978 · 29/01/2021 09:23

For the luggage, not the puppy...

elastamum · 29/01/2021 09:27

I have an xc90 with dog bars and a boot divider. Dog goes in one side, luggage in the other.

Hoppinggreen · 29/01/2021 13:48

We have an X3, a Toyota Auris,, 2dc and a large dog
If we go away in The Uk we usually only go 2 hours away max and the last couple of times we took both cars. The bikes are in the roof so that’s not an option and it was great not having to try and cram everything in
Increases costs but we find it’s much better than when we were trying to pack light and arrange the bags around the dc and ddog

Frenchfancy · 29/01/2021 13:58

It all depends on the size of your dog. Small dogs on the back seat with the kids. Our Ddog (setter) used to travel in the passenger footwell. She hated the boot. Didn't leave much leg room for me though.

We rent out holiday cottages and last year we had a family of 4 turn up in 2 cars. Dad and 2 teens with all the luggage in one, mum and great dane in the other.

sunflowersandbuttercups · 29/01/2021 15:47

It all depends on the size of your dog. Small dogs on the back seat with the kids. Our Ddog (setter) used to travel in the passenger footwell. She hated the boot. Didn't leave much leg room for me though.

It's worth mentioning that this is a) illegal and b) incredibly dangerous. Please don't allow your dog to travel this way.

By law, your dog has to be restrained while the car is moving, and in the event of an accident, a dog in the footwell would easily get crushed to death. If you get into an accident and your dog is found to be unrestrained, your insurance may refuse to pay out as you're breaking the law.

Unrestrained dogs are also great missiles - they could easily fly into the front seat area and kill someone.

Frenchfancy · 29/01/2021 19:45

I never said she was unrestrained!

sunflowersandbuttercups · 29/01/2021 19:54

@Frenchfancy

I never said she was unrestrained!

Fair enough, but that doesn't stop the footwell from being a very dangerous place for a dog to travel.

Woodflower · 20/04/2021 11:09

@actiongirl1978

I was looking for this discussion. We will be going on a holiday with our big boy greyhound for the first time. My husband says tow bar setting up itself is £200+...then hire a trailer.

He said roof boxes were good. However for me they seem to me quite narrow, arnt they?. I have seen roof bags which go on top of the car for £70+ pounds on amazon. You strap them on to the car after you fill the luggage.
OP did you by chance check those?

Floralchickens · 21/04/2021 10:40

We’re going to attempting this for the first time this year, we’re going to have dog on his seat (in the middle) in between kids, thankfully he loves car journeys so it should be ok.

We pack light anyway so will fit the dog bed/food/toys in the boot but we are looking at getting a roof box at some point. We’ve used roof bags in the past but they’re not as waterproof so only put things you don’t mind washing once you on holiday(if camping, I put pots and pans in there).

Puppalicious · 21/04/2021 13:27

Oh this interests me too. We have 3 kids and a 7 seater, the puppy fitted in the boot in her crate on the last journey we took but she’ll only get bigger....roof rack possibly the only option. @elastamum, where did you get the boot divider and how big is your dog? Ours is a collie.

elastamum · 21/04/2021 14:00

The boot divider came from volvo, not cheap but very useful. The dog is a St Bernard collie cross, so he is a big chap and needs a big space!