By Ben Barry
A woman who spent £836 taking her dog on a month-long holiday around Italy says it was “totally worth it”.
Catherine Sophie, 23, jetted to Rome, Italy, in April 2024 with her pooch Teddy, a three-year-old Maltese, in tow – for a tour of the country.
Due to the nature of her job as an actress, Catherine is often travelling between London and Glasgow and regularly takes Teddy with her.
Catherine says it “wouldn’t be fair” to leave Teddy in a kennel or with her family during her month-long break – so decided to take him along for the journey.
The pair flew from Glasgow Airport on April 2 – and to adding Teddy’s ticket to her flight set Catherine back £100.
The pair spent a month visiting Rome, Bari and Civitavecchia – where they visited the Vatican, Colosseum, the beach and Teddy took a ride on a Vespa
Catherine and Teddy headed back to the UK on April 30 – but as the UK doesn’t allow dogs to travel in the cabin, Catherine had to fly from Rome to Amsterdam, then on to Dublin, before getting a bus to Belfast – where she got a ferry home.
Catherine, from Glasgow, Scotland, said: “I travel a lot for work and Teddy is a great companion.
“I have been really lucky, he is so well behaved.
“Because I was going by myself, he was great company for me.
“Having a dog with you means that you are getting out every day and exploring some places you might not usually.”
On April 2, Catherine flew from Edinburgh Airport to Leonardo da Vinci–Fiumicino Airport with KLM.
Tickets including pet fee set Catherine back £273 – alongside a passport and rabies vaccine before travel costing £130.
Catherine said: “There are a few airlines that are dog friendly and KLM is one of them.
“It is so much easier to travel with a small dog, Teddy stayed under my seat and he was only an extra £50 to £100.
“It was totally worth it.”
Catherine and Teddy then spent a month travelling around Italy – visiting Rome, Bari, and Civitavecchia.
During their month in Italy, the duo stayed in dog friendly Airbnb’s and Catherine got a rail card for train travel.
“It was something I have always wanted to do,” Catherine said.
“I am trying to learn Italian so I thought it would be a great opportunity.
“I visited my great grandfather’s war grave which is something I had always wanted to do.”
When the holiday ended and Catherine returned to the UK with Teddy and the pair had a mammoth two day trek.
Catherine said she wasn’t able to take Teddy in the cabin with her when she returned to the UK so she opted to take two planes, a bus and a boat back to Scotland.
She said: “We flew from Rome to Amsterdam and from there we went to Dublin.
“We then jumped on a bus from Dublin to Belfast and got a ferry back to Scotland.
“Luckily my mum, picked us up and took us home from there.”
The journey home for both Catherine and Teddy set her back £442.
Catherine said the cost was completely worth it as she didn’t want to leave Teddy in a kennel or with family members.
She said: “The journey there and back did go a lot smoother than I thought it would.
“My family adore Teddy but because I was going for a month it would be a lot for them to take him.
“He is my dog and my responsibility.”
Total cost of travel –
– Edinburgh to Rome – £273
– Rome to Dublin – £356
– Dublin Airport to Belfast – £16
– Belfast to Cairnryan, Scotland – £61
– Pet passport and rabies jab – £130
– Total – £836
ITINERARY
– Rome, visiting the Colosseum, Vatican and sightseeing.
– Bari, where Catherine visited her great grandfather’s war grave.
– Civitavecchia, where they spent time relaxing by the beach
– Rome, back to Rome to get the plane home
