By three weeks out, the EU pet passport (or health certificate, if you're not an EU resident) should be finalised, with the microchip number, vaccination date and all other details checked for accuracy. A mismatch here is one of the most common, avoidable snags at this stage.

If your dog is on a Bundesland's Listenhunde list for your destination state, this is the point to finalise any permit, insurance documentation or behavioural-test paperwork that state requires — processing these can take real time, and it varies enough state to state that leaving it until the last week is genuinely risky.

Confirm the specifics with wherever you're staying: pet fees, any size or breed restriction, and whether a lead is required within the property. If you're camping or booking a Ferienwohnung near a national park, double-check whether the site sits inside a park with its own trail- or dike-specific dog rules, covered in the Activities section.