If your family is like mine, you love to take summer car trips with your dog. The truth is that families embarking upon pet friendly travel trips are likely to encounter some inconveniences, but with the proper planning, you and your furry friend (not your husband, your dog) can have a memorable vacation.
Our poodle puppy, Darwin, aka “Dardie”
The Destination
We choose places where there are plenty of outdoor activities for us to enjoy with our dog. Parks, pet-friendly restaurants, beaches and more are available. Check out Dog Friendly for a ton of info.
Accommodations
There are countless websites that list pet-friendly hotels, cabins, resorts and more. But also consider renting a pet-friendly house. My favorite website for this is Vacation Rentals by Owner. You can view photos and email the owners with questions. Be sure to ask about the guarantee. I reserved a house one year for Thanksgiving and the owner cancelled on me just a week before. We were furious! The benefits of renting a house verses a hotel room is that you can leave your pet at home while you sight see, have more privacy and cook some of your meals. Many hotels do not allow you to leave your pet unattended in the room, while others require that you crate them if you do leave them. If you have allergies to shedding dogs, like me, inquire about the cleaning of the unit before your arrival.
For the daily traveling part of your trip, if you will need to stay in a hotel off the highway, many chain hotels allow pets. I suggest that you check out some options before you leave, having several places in mind to keep your travel plans flexible. We have a puppy now, but he will weigh 80+ by adulthood. Many hotels will not take a dog that big. What I generally do is call the specific hotel directly (and not the chain toll free #) ahead and explain how immaculate and well behaved our dog is, and many times the hotel does not mind my dog’s size. I like to look at photos of the hotel to make sure there is a grassy area nearby for potty breaks (for the dog, that is.)
The Drive
Before you take a long trip, make sure your dog enjoys the car and does not get car sick or restless. We have a station wagon, and our pooch loves the back area where he can look out the window. Plus he does not block the driver’s rear view that way. We make sure we put a soft blanket down and leave him plenty of room for the long trip. Be sure to pack your dogs food, bowl and treats in a place that is easy to access. And don’t lose sight of his leash either. You’ll want to get him out of the car quickly at rest stops. We pack picnic lunches for days we are on the road. That way we can stop at rest areas and eat at picnic tables. We cannot bring our dog into a restaurant obviously, and we don’t want to eat fast food in our cars either.
Packing
In addition to food (bring a few extra days worth) and treats, bring bottled water, toys, pet shampoo and a brush. Our dog gets washed every Sunday, come hell or high water. I don’t like stinky dogs (or husbands for that matter)!
Health and Safety of Your Pet
Always bring your pet’s most recent vaccination record with you. Many parks do not allow pets in without proof of vaccination. Also be sure to keep your pet’s collar on with identification, in case you lose him. It’s also wise to treat your dog with flea and tick medicine before leaving, and program your vet’s phone number into your cell. We ask about ticks before entering parks with our dog. If there is an epidemic, we don’t go.
Be sure to take plenty of pictures of you with your pet on your vacation!
Bon voyage!
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One comment
Hannah on April 13, 2010 at 5:08 am
These are awesome tips for traveling with pets. Big problem here is that our dog usually don’t like riding in car, an hour of travel makes her sick already. But of course we can’t just leave her behind and we are thinking of shorter destinations..