u/igeorgiadis

Hi all! I’m looking for route advice and border gotchas.

My partner and I are relocating from Athens, Greece to Oslo, Norway and we're seriously considering driving instead of flying, mainly because of our dog. She is a former stray dog with lots of fears and high amounts of stress. Flying feels more stressful for her than a slow drive with proper breaks, but I want to be realistic about it rather than romantic, and if the drive turns out to be worse for her, we'll rethink. That said, putting her to the cargo should be the last resort.

This would be my first road trip of this scale, so I'd rather learn from people who've actually done it than guess.

Route
- Is the Greece → Italy ferry (Patras/Igoumenitsa to Ancona/Bari/Venice) the sensible way to start, or is driving up through the Balkans (Bulgaria/Serbia/Hungary) genuinely better? Ferry seems calmer for the dog but I don't know how pet-friendly the cabins actually are in practice.
- From Italy northwards, what's the least stressful and with better roads, corridor? Austria/Germany/Denmark and then the Denmark–Sweden crossing, or something else? Alpine passes vs tunnels — anything to avoid with a dog in the car?
- Realistically, how many days should we budget if we're driving max 5–6 hours a day with proper stops?

Dog / border questions (the part I'm most unsure about)
- She's microchipped with a valid EU pet passport and rabies vaccination. I know Norway requires a tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before entry, done by a vet in the last EU/EEA country. Anyone done this in Sweden or Denmark? We can do that in Greece but we will probably arrive in Norway after the expiration date. How easy is it to find a vet who knows the paperwork and will stamp it correctly?
- My main confusion: some countries have specific rules for dogs entering — does that apply if I’m only transiting through? And if it does, how do you actually demonstrate you’re just passing through? Do border officers ever ask, or is it a non-issue inside Schengen? Any experience with non-Schengen legs (if we go via the Balkans) would be really useful.
- Any breed restrictions or muzzle/leash rules that catch people out in transit countries?

Practical stuff
- Pet-friendly hotels/stops along the way that you’d actually recommend, especially anywhere that lets the dog decompress rather than just tolerating her.
- Roads or areas you’d avoid for safety reasons (road quality, night driving, border queues, anywhere you wouldn’t want to break down with an animal in the car).
- Anything you wish you’d known before doing something similar.
We’re not in a rush and we’d rather add days than push her too hard. Any advice, route maps, or “don’t do what I did” stories very welcome.

Thank you and apologies for the long post!

Hi all! I’m looking for route advice and border gotchas.

My partner and I are relocating from Athens, Greece to Oslo, Norway and we're seriously considering driving instead of flying, mainly because of our dog. She is a former stray dog with lots of fears and high amounts of stress. Flying feels more stressful for her than a slow drive with proper breaks, but I want to be realistic about it rather than romantic, and if the drive turns out to be worse for her, we'll rethink.

This would be my first road trip of this scale, so I'd rather learn from people who've actually done it than guess.

Route
- Is the Greece → Italy ferry (Patras/Igoumenitsa to Ancona/Bari/Venice) the sensible way to start, or is driving up through the Balkans (Bulgaria/Serbia/Hungary) genuinely better? Ferry seems calmer for the dog but I don't know how pet-friendly the cabins actually are in practice.
- From Italy northwards, what's the least stressful and with better roads, corridor? Austria/Germany/Denmark and then the Denmark–Sweden crossing, or something else? Alpine passes vs tunnels — anything to avoid with a dog in the car?
- Realistically, how many days should we budget if we're driving max 5–6 hours a day with proper stops?

Dog / border questions (the part I'm most unsure about)
- She's microchipped with a valid EU pet passport and rabies vaccination. I know Norway requires a tapeworm treatment 24–120 hours before entry, done by a vet in the last EU/EEA country. Anyone done this in Sweden or Denmark? We can do that in Greece but we will probably arrive in Norway after the expiration date. How easy is it to find a vet who knows the paperwork and will stamp it correctly?
- My main confusion: some countries have specific rules for dogs entering — does that apply if I’m only transiting through? And if it does, how do you actually demonstrate you’re just passing through? Do border officers ever ask, or is it a non-issue inside Schengen? Any experience with non-Schengen legs (if we go via the Balkans) would be really useful.
- Any breed restrictions or muzzle/leash rules that catch people out in transit countries?

Practical stuff
- Pet-friendly hotels/stops along the way that you’d actually recommend, especially anywhere that lets the dog decompress rather than just tolerating her.
- Roads or areas you’d avoid for safety reasons (road quality, night driving, border queues, anywhere you wouldn’t want to break down with an animal in the car).
- Anything you wish you’d known before doing something similar.
We’re not in a rush and we’d rather add days than push her too hard. Any advice, route maps, or “don’t do what I did” stories very welcome.

Thank you and apologies for the long post!

Hello everyone,

As a Product Designer with more than 10 years of experience, I’ve been wondering what other designers think about the local market in Greece and Europe in general.

Over the past few years, I’ve interviewed with several “big” companies for Senior and Lead roles, but I often felt that many hiring processes lacked structure and clarity. In some cases, interviewers — whether from HR, design teams, or leadership — didn’t seem fully prepared to assess candidates properly through relevant technical questions, meaningful discussions, or constructive feedback. I’ve also encountered resistance around salary expectations, often justified by the need to maintain alignment with existing team compensation levels, which in some cases felt quite low for the responsibilities involved.

I’ve also noticed a recurring pattern of the same people moving between the same companies, which can sometimes create the impression that networking and existing connections weigh more heavily than skills or experience.

Personally, this environment has made it feel quite difficult to land a strong Product Design role, whether in Greek companies or international companies operating locally.

I’m curious to hear about other people’s experiences. Have you felt something similar, or has your experience been different? It would also be interesting to hear how the situation compares to other European markets at the moment.