Can anyone suggest a good travel agent who is used to working with sportsmen traveling to hunt in Europe .... if I'm going to make the dirven boar hunt I'd like to make the trip over with my rifle, ammo etc as easy as possible.

I will PM you just the right person. He will greet you inside customs hall at heathrow if UK is your choosen landing port.

Good hunting

May I ask where for boar ?

Bill, since you are heading for Croatia, your best bet is to see if you can get a direct flight from the US to Zagreb - assuming such an animal exists...

If you can't get a direct flight, you have to do a bit of investigation in places like this forum. Many European airports will present very little hassle even if you travel with guns - as long as you make sure your luggage is checked through to Zagreb directly!! It would be bad news if you had to pick up your guns and take them through Customs for a subsequent check-in for your onward journey!

So assuming you'll be travelling with your guns in transit, here is a list of airports where I have personally not had any trouble:
- Zurich
- Paris
- Frankfurt
- Munich
- Vienna

If you get routed through Amsterdam, you have to be aware, that taking guns through this airport (even in transit, sic!) requires some paperwork. You can find people who have done this and how they did it in here. I personally try to avoid Amsterdam.

Finally (and I really don't mean to offend any of our outstanding UK members, you are a wonderful lot, and have a great country), IMHO, the one airport to avoid at all cost in Europe is Heathrow in London. Not only does Heathrow come out on top in terms of lost luggage, they also seem to have the most devious and complicated rules for who can travel with guns to where and why. If you had to change airports in the UK, on top of any issues with clearing Customs, you have to get a courier to transport your guns from one airport to the next, needless to say, at considerable cost... (Sorry, Ben, I really did not mean to pour scorn on you or the UK in general).

http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=426

http://forums.accuratereloadin...5421043/m/1511003301

http://forums.accuratereloadin...=210101507#210101507

About a travel agent, why don't you try to contact Gracey Travel?? They seem to be an agency that deals with hunters a lot - travel to Europe is probably not going to be that much different...

- mike

Thanks Mike.

Gracy was my first call (they've done my trips to Africa) but they don't do Europe ---guess Africa keeps them pretty busy.

I've another lead I'm going to follow up and if it works out I'll post it here. A good agent, experienced in the area of travel, is worth their weight in gold as Gracy really saved the day on one of trips to Zim --- without their knowledge and willingness to get thing right in the middle of the night I'd probably be sitting in a South Africa jail as I was about ready to start beating a couple of "officials" with as big a stick as I could find.

Bill checking lugage through to destination is not always possible if you re booking each leg of the flight seperately, at least not going through the UK.

If you are coming to the UK then perhaps you should look at getting a couple of days shooting here, and arranging a temporary import permit. It makes your entire experience a lot less hassle and you get the benefit of some extra shooting!!

Has a date been set for the boar trip?

Rgds,
FB

Bill,

Mike's thread a good one.

Make it simple on yourself - book any one of many flights from Stateside thru Frankfurt and onto Zagreb.

When in FKT I'll meet you at the airport for a Beer.

It doesn't get any easier than that & I get free Beer.....

quote:

Originally posted by Gerry:
It doesn't get any easier than that & I get free Beer.....

This is what one has to love about you, Gerry, you are just so selfless!

- mike

Mikeee,

You know me too well; the Master of the KISS Principle (because I can't deal with complexity).