Traveling and leaving our fur babies behind is one of the most challenging decisions a pet-parent has to make. How long? How far? Can they come with you? Who will come check on them? Do you have to kennel them? And if your furry friend is a senior citizen or has health issues, the concerns become even deeper and the worries graver. And if you have more slithery friends at home, I'm sure this becomes even more complicated.
But having fur friends shouldn't stop you from traveling and enjoying the wider experiences the world has to offer. You only need to be prepared to take a few extra steps in planning that your unattached friends don't have to think about it. However, once you do it a a few times, you'll learn your rhythm and find out what works for everyone involved.
Over the course of the last 15 years I've had several furries in my home of various ages. And I figured out how to travel and make the most of my love for travel and not feeling tied down or like a bad kitty-mama. And while kitties tend to be easier to find care takers for, I have traveled with and also doggie sat for a great number of my friends over the years.
Here are my quick tips on what you'll need to be prepared for when traveling while being a pet parent.
Can you travel with your pet?
The short answer is of course you can. The bigger answer is how much are you willing to invest (time and money) in getting the paperwork ready to get your pet travel ready? This is a commitment in many ways. Here are some things to keep in mind
Some countries have more severe quarantine requirements than others
All will require documentation of vaccines for your animal
While some animals may qualify for in cabin (under the seat), some airlines do no allow pet travel at all
Things like length of travel or even the temperature at departure or arrival can play a factor (I know from flying from LA to NYC with my kitties, I had to delay my flight because arrival temps were too high and I had to change my flight)
Can your pet tolerate the travel - you know how some people have anxiety or are negatively affected by cabin pressure, your pet may be the same
Note, you cannot and should not sedate your pets for flights
Are you driving or flying?
It probably goes without saying that if you choose to drive to a close by location rather than fly abroad your options on what you need to do, should do to be prepared to travel are very different. In many instances you may be able to bring you beloved pet with you. Dogs make wonderful travel companions especially going on adventures like hiking and beaches. I even see my fellow cat parents adopt their pets to ways of traveling with them for this too.
But is it always right for the animal? The desire to take our pets with us everywhere is pretty high. They are our family and an extension of us. However, pets require extra attention on long drives. You'll need to stop more often for them. And you should keep a closer eye on their behavior because being locked in a car for a long time can cause anxiety for them as well.
The main takeaway here is while it may seem like the "easier" or more desirable option for you to bring your pet with you, it might not be the right choice for them.
How long are you gone for?
Some of our trips are short, maybe only a day or an extended weekend. Other trips are longer and require much more time away. I recommend that if you're new to leaving your pet behind while you go away, start with a few short days, or even an overnight stay somewhere close while you take them to a selected kennel or have a friend come check on them or take them for a walk.
Either way you're probably going to have to account for the services of pet care into your overall trip cost. This may seem as significant at first. And if you're an avid traveler it may be more worth your time and effort to make sure your pets shots and travel papers are in order. However, if you don't the hassle of doing that, start adding a budget to your trip that includes pet housing/care costs as part of your trip. In LA that can be around $50/day in some of the pet hotels, but it can go up considerably on the type of service you choose. Maybe you have a regular walker or caretaker that checks on them and they would continue to do it while you're away.
Who's in your network?
If you're like me and lucky enough to have recruited a friend (my niece) to come stay at my place for free while I'm away - congratulations! You won the jackpot. The rest may need to get creative. And do not despair just because you don't have a helpful niece nearby doesn't mean you won't have a caring and loving friend who is willing and available to do it for you (like I mentioned earlier, I've enjoyed watching my friends' dogs as both a way to spend time with their loving flooffs and also as a way to pay-it-forward).
In my building there is an elderly lady who lives alone and loves to watch after the other tenants' pets when they travel. I've seen her walk different dogs on multiple occasions. I honestly think in her case it's a two way service, she stays busy and useful caring for these pets, and they have the benefit of a trusted neighbor who will love and care for their animals (and don't even have to travel far).
And once you do find your person(s) who will come care for your animal, remember that you'll need to have a few trial runs. That short weekend should come with instructions for everything they and your pet may need while you're away. Think things like, extra food, extra doggie bags, extra snacks, but also add local doctors, medications. I even leave a credit card with my niece that in case something goes wrong she can easily use it while I'm away. Sadly this was once needed for a medical service for my little lady.
Other alternatives?
Have you thought about offering your place to a friend who might want to come stay/visit your town - reach out to your friends or even friends of friends and let the know of your plans. Or if you can, list your place on a short term rental with pet care reduced rate - this could make you money and have your pet watched! (I'm no here to say this is for everyone. Make sure you vet the people prior to agreeing to do this, if this is not something you feel comfortable doing, don't do it).
We work hard and want to treat ourselves to a good time off. And while planning and booking that ideal vacation can come with unforeseen expenses and stress keep in mind that your pets get stressed too. Stress of travel or stress of being left behind is real for our four legged ones, slithery and swimmy ones and all the ones in between.
So, go ahead, make your plans, but start thinking about what's right for your pet well in advance.
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