Build in the extra time your transport method specifically requires: the standard airline recommendation for a flight with a cabin or hold pet, the Baleària-style check-in window for a ferry to the islands, or simply earlier than you think for a Renfe departure with a dog in the pet-friendly carriage.

Keep your pet's documents — EU pet passport or health certificate, and the PPP licence and insurance certificate if they apply — in your carry bag, not packed away in checked luggage or the boot under everything else. A border, train or ferry check that can't see the paperwork immediately causes exactly the delay you built in extra time to avoid.

Before you set off, note the nearest 24-hour vet clinic or emergency number for your first overnight stop in Spain, and keep it saved somewhere that doesn't depend on a single device's battery. If you're travelling in summer, plan your actual movement around the heat — load up, walk and settle the dog in the cooler parts of the day rather than treating the heat article as background reading.