Flying with the cats after getting across the Atlantic is not what we want to do. Firstly, there is so much scrutiny involved with getting the cats through security and on the airplane. Not to mention it's a terrible experience for them to be caged up.

A train is also an option, but unless it's high-speed and direct, you'll face many of the same issues as flying. Transfers with luggage and animal carriers sounds like no fun.

We decided road-trip is the way to go. The cats have a little freedom in the car, access to bathroom, and less poking and prodding. And we get to experience the scenic views that come with a 13-hour road trip across Europe.

There is one catch though as we found out. Renting a car and dropping it in another country is prohibitively expensive. For example, the car we wanted to rent was going to be $575 for a four-day rental, not bad. However, in order to return the car in Budapest, we incur an additional $2,200 in fees and taxes, bringing our total to $2,775!

Our solution? Tim is going to drive back to Strasbourg and fly to Budapest. With an extra day car rental, night in hotel, and flight, the total comes to $956.