Moving to Fuerteventura from Ireland

Jolo29

Hi

Im moving to Fuerteventura in April or May from Ireland and I want to bring my 2doggies, so far I think I can only do this by driving, as I can't find an airline that will take my dogs, so it will be driving and ferries! Which is going to take a long time and I think maybe to much for the dogs never mind myself!

Does anyone know what airline will take my dogs from anywhere in Ireland Im in the midlands but don't mind going to any airport. I did find a company airsea.ie and they're looking for 1000euro each... for 2 jack russells ... thats alot my flights costing less than 100!!! I'm going to be trying it out for 6months anyway but if it doesn't work out thats alot of money to be forking out for the return aswell! Can anyone help me, thanks

Vince32

I don't know much about shipping animals overseas, but I found these sites for you, if they are any use at all.

http://www.iwt-irl.com/
http://www.multicargo.ie/INTRO.htm
http://www.airborneanimals.com/

You may find it cheaper to ship them by ferry, and book your flight to coincide with when they dock, or land the day before and collect them.

Hope it's of some help

Jolo29

Thanx Vince

Ive tried two of those companies, ones American, ill try the other one, thanx for your suggestions.

sr_1867

This may require ferry to the UK but its another option for you
http://www.petsawayuk.co.uk/

Jolo29

Thank you

murfinsurfin

If you're going by ferry then you are picking the wrong time for the cheapest option. Armas run a ferry from Playa de Rocha, Portimão, to Gran Canaria, via Madeira. It stops in April, at least it did when we travelled it. It's a third of the ferry price from Spain to the same place, & Armas are a Spanish company, very comfortable too. The ferry from Gran Canaria to Fuerteventura lands at Jandia, so a drive up to wherever you're planning to live. Only problem is having a right-hand-drive vehicle, you will get it registered there, but it's a pain in the butt, especially if your Spanish is not the best. You can drive around for three months without a worry, but you will be stopped & your papers checked, so make sure you have all ok. I assume you will have all your insurance up to spec, if you can get a Spanish translation it helps a lot, the Guardia Civil are not always civil.
Anyway good luck on your new life, I assume you are retiring there, because trying to get work there is a no-no, unless you have some particular skill needed there. Please don't open a cafe, restaurant, nightclub, internet cafe, you will be pestered with paperwork, especially now as the recession has bitten there quite badly, & the locals get uppity about foreigners taking their jobs. You will also lose all your money.
Aer Lingus did take animals in the good old days, but that's well gone. Sunway do direct holidays, but they use Aer Lingus. Try Thompson up North or in the UK, I know they did pets to the island in the past. If you have no luck, get back & I will ring a senior rep on the island, she knows everything to be known about air travel to & from.

Jolo29

Thank you so much for all that. It s alot of information, and we appreciate all of it. I am actually moving there to work! I wish it was to just relax in the sun! But I will have plenty of work if I work hard! Yes I know the issue with the car and was looking to buy a left hand drive here to drive over in but they are quiet expensive to my shock! So I think it will be our own car and then we can buy a little cheap car when we are there and just cover our own up or something!

murfinsurfin

Wow that's a tough decision, moving to Fuerteventura to work. We went out with a house deposit paid, enough money to get by for a few years, after selling out here. We opened a business not dependent on holidaymakers, over 90% of our customers were local. Once the recession hit, our customers, who were dependent on holidaymakers, stopped coming en masse. We tried everything to stay, but no matter how we tried it was a Canute job, trying to hold back the tide. Personally I would still want to be there but there is a real problem finding work, even the 'best' job, cleaning holiday complexes, is now on a major downer.
I'm not trying to put you off, you may make it, but the amount of 'loans' I handed out to friends who ended up living on beaches, the amount of collections we had to make for people having to leave due to starvation would lead me to think otherwise. It's a tough island, led by Franco followers, so bloody corrupt they make FF seem like angels. It's only when you have a few months there you realise how bad it is. The latest law has just banned all English language radio stations there, so your Spanish better be good.
Another problem is health,you will have problems getting cover once your European Health card expires, although you can return to update it. However the Spanish are getting very tricky about honouring cards, so medication will cost full price, the Social Security system there allows very big discounts to locals, but not visitors, even those working there. The stamp is expensive, if you can get an employer to pay for it. Some of my friends there work for one employer for the stamp only, & nixer elsewhere, but they are almost accepted as locals now.
Good luck on your choice, don't mean to burst the balloon, but I wish I had been given all the info before going, even though I did it at the height of the boom.

murfinsurfin

Just to give you an idea of the jobs I did there, here is the list.
Computer sales/maintenance
Telephone sales/repair
Data/telephone cabling
Musical equipment sales/repairs
Teaching music
Internet cafe
Transfer rep(I miss you Budget Travel)
Airport pick up & drop(Totally illegal & tends to get your tyres slashed by taximen)
Holiday Complex cleaning
Holiday Complex painting
Holiday Complex plumbing
Holiday Complex electrics
Holiday Complex tree trimming/felling
Holiday Complex picon installs
Holiday Complex septic tank cleaning
Time-Share selling

murfinsurfin

I forgot Pool Cleaning

JustAThought

God : that must have been some story .
Feel for you :0

Fair dues to you for the warning ; it must gave been some experience :$

JustAThought

God : that must have been some story .
Feel for you :0

Fair dues to you for the warning ; it must gave been some experience :$

murfinsurfin

Lost everything, but wouldn't have traded the experience for the world. Lots of people here lost everything without the travel experience & the learning of the language, & as for the trip back, an amazing trek, loads of fun & happenings.

murfinsurfin

Another job I forgot, we opened the first International mobile top-up business on the islands, the amount of hassle doing that was unreal.
I even tried gigolo, but the Viagra was costing more than I earned(that bit is a joke)

Cherry Blossom

Reminder:

The name of this forum is Animals & Pet Issues.

Back on topic please.

murfinsurfin

In my best Latin-Irish may I say Mea Cupla. This came to me as a Google alert for Fuerteventura, believe it or not I never looked at the Tag.
In my defence may I say that if Jolo29 has problems with work & finances out there, the animals will be the first to suffer. I did voluntary work for one of the island's many animal protection organizations, & the amount of animals we took in to be neutered or put down, when the owners abandoned them, was huge. I personally took in 4 cats over the 5 years I stayed, & got homes for many more cats & dogs. To my sadness we had to leave a cat behind, he was feral, but we loved him, he went to a good German home later.
One of the many jobs we had to do was with white haired cats & dogs. The sun actually burns their ears & amputation is necessary to stop the skin cancer spreading. So the island is not a place to bring white haired animals.
I hope I'm sufficiently back on track now.

JustAThought

That's shocking : just shocking. You & your experiences . Thanks for the posts & warnings to all ; I'm sure 99% of us really are horrified by the human stories & the costs to all ; four legged & two.

I'm sure there's a book in there.
Good luck.

Cherry Blossom

The OP is looking for advice on transporting their pets to Fuerteventura, if you can't not provide any advice on this query, do not post off-topic waffle. All off-topic posts from here on will receive infractions.

Do not reply to this post.

Diane Mckerry

Hi I just saw your post we are moving July with our dog so if you need anymore info i could let you know how but sure your sorted by now.

Jolo29

Thank you all for your information and help, Im sorry Im quite late with my replies. I'd first like to say that I was abit upset with the comments that Murfinsurfin felt the need to post, after all Im just looking for information on what ways to get my dogs to Fuerteventura with me. Who said anything about me struggling with my work or financially. I simply don't like to be just throwing money around and find the most effective way and less stressful way if possible for me and my doggies. Im sure murfinsurfin did understand the subject after 7replies!!! However, saying that, it is great for me to know that there is some people out there that care so much about animals, as I do. Murfinsurfin you really have had alot of jobs!!!

Computer sales/maintenance
Telephone sales/repair
Data/telephone cabling
Musical equipment sales/repairs
Teaching music
Internet cafe
Transfer rep(I miss you Budget Travel)
Airport pick up & drop(Totally illegal & tends to get your tyres slashed by taximen)
Holiday Complex cleaning
Holiday Complex painting
Holiday Complex plumbing
Holiday Complex electrics
Holiday Complex tree trimming/felling
Holiday Complex picon installs
Holiday Complex septic tank cleaning
Time-Share selling
we opened the first International mobile top-up business on the islands, and now voluntary work for for one of the island's many animal protection organizations......!

Hmmmm alot of jobs there.

I will be concentrating on a much smaller area so that it gets all my focus. And just to be clear, I love my dogs with all my heart and there well being is extremely important to me, and thats why im using boards.ie to get as much information on moving to Fuerte as I can as well as alot more research. Im heading out there for 6months to a year and then we will take it from there. But I can insure you that there is no way on this planet that I would abandon my dogs, they seriously are my babies and I'd rather swim home to Ireland than leave them alone or in a shelter or anything, where I go... they go too. Last year I was in Tenerife and I found two small dogs up in the mountains they were in a terrible state, starving, swollen little paws and more and it was heart breaking to see. They would't let me near them and so all I could do was leaving them my sandwiches and crisps and a lunch box full of water. But I went to the next village and spent hours trying to find someone who would help the dogs and got vet etc.... It really is terrible to think someone just left them up there, but I could never do that. I spent the rest of that week thinking and worrying about those poor little things.

Anyway my dogs are my priority and I love them and would have no harm come to them, so just advice on travel is needed thank you. I think I've decided to travel by ferry and car so that they are with me for the whole journey.

Diane how are you travelling?

Jolo29

Hi Diane think im just going to drive over now and take the ferries. Its along way but we will make a holiday out of it if we do, do it. Stopping off early everyday somewhere new everyday and enjoy the whole experience! How are you planning on getting there with you dog.

Diane Mckerry

Hi sorry have been busy lately . We are flying from cork to Glasgow aer arran / aer lingus then Glasgow to Fuerteventura thomas cook / ana pet travel for Pippa our Yorkie the following morning. originally we were misinformed by a travel agent that flights from Ireland ceased carrying dogs jan 2012 so we were booked to go on the ferry from Donegal to cairn ryan then train and taxis to airport couple of hrs & our son would have driven us half way and meet a friend from donegal meet in Dublin drive us to Donegal stay couple of days then ferry . Booked it all. Then a couple of days later my husband was on a flight from cork to Glasgow and saw a dog asked questions told can't book online must ring aerlingus so I did and cancelled ferry no fee they were lovely and book flight cork to Glasgow hotel in airport allow dogs to it handy for getting her checked out befor we fly the next day. I know some one on our complex in Fue that drove from cork and brought his camper van they are in late 60s maybe 70 and they had a great experience ( no dogs with them) you will need your (well the dogs) rabies injections and chipped , vaccinations paperwork & pet passports and lots of photocopys of each for different checkpoints. Your vet will help you with all this . Keep me posted would like to hear how ye get on. any question ask me . Good luck