Pet Travel Tips
Make Sure Your Destination Welcomes the Arrival of Your Pet
Whether it is a hotel or family members you are staying with, the key to a successful trip with your pet rests on making sure everyone wants them to be there as much as you do. By alerting the destination you are traveling with a pet, you make sure everyone is welcome and cared for upon arrival. Don’t put anyone, especially your pet, in an awkward situation by having their arrival be unannounced.
Take Your Pet on a Travel Test Run
Driving over an hour for holiday fun? Make sure you have taken your pet on a few car drives around town first to get them used to traveling by car. If they are having major anxiety on short drives, you will want to hold off on longer trips until you have worked through the triggers with your pet. Flying? While it is not feasible to take a flight test drive, you can still base your pet’s anxiety on how they do in a car. If they have anxiety in a car, they certainly are not ready for a plane or train trip. These are our favorite travel harness, travel kennel, and travel dishes.
Pack for Your Pet
Packing for your pet is as important as packing for yourself. Travel can cause nervousness, anxiety and digestive upset in both people and pets. Keep your pet comfortable by packing daily kibble and treats they are already used to. In addition to food, pack a few of your pet’s favorite toys, a blanket that smells like home and a collapsible kennel they can den in when they feel overwhelmed. Don’t forget your pet’s vaccination records in case you need to make an emergency vet visit or get a nail trim at a local salon.
Cardio for the Win
Exercising your pet is a must when traveling. Regular exercise helps your pet avoid becoming destructive in a new environment. It will also help keep them regular. No one wants a backed up pup with pent up aggression running the show. Frequent stops at rest areas or a jaunt around the airport will help everyone (even you) be on their best behavior when arriving at your destination.
Bonus Tip!
Teach your pet a go phrase when house training them. While it may not make a big difference when you are home, it will when you are on the road. There is nothing fun about hanging out in the pet relief area waiting for your buddy to figure out it is go time not play time. Our phrase is “go pee pee.” Yes, it’s that simple and it works like a charm.
Resources
Petswelcome.com lets you search for accommodation based on specific features such as type, size or number of pets.
Bringfido.com has a searchable database of pup friendly hotels, attractions and restaurants.
Petfriendlytravel.com offers a state-by-state list of airport pet relief areas.
Apps like Figo’ s Pet Cloud can store pet records for easy access while traveling and also has a “near me” feature to easily find pet friendly places to visit.
What pet travel tips do you have, readers? Let us know in the comment section or Lzzy Lou’s Facebook