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Traveling with an animal is a lot like traveling with a child – perhaps even more difficult! Not all places allow animals, so if you can’t bring them with you, you have to find alternative care, which is expensive. While we love our fluffy companions, navigating how to travel with them can be tough.
Here are some tips on how to travel with (or leave behind) your precious fur baby.
One Way to Bring Your Pet Everywhere
Getting a registered Emotional Support Animal is a sure-fire way for your pet to be allowed access everywhere with you. However, not just any pet can be registered as one. You’ll need to prove why you need one.
We’ve all heard of service animals, which are meant to help the disabled population function easier in society and aid with daily tasks. But Emotional Support Animals are different. These are animals that are meant to provide comfort from a symptom or disability, primarily of the mental health variety.
They are not trained to deal with or help with any disability. Emotional Support Animals are allowed on airlines and no-pet housing. Emotional support animal registration is fairly easy: you will need a letter from a licensed mental health professional saying that you could benefit from an ESA. If you’re granted it, your pooch (or other smaller animal) will be allowed into hotels, restaurants, and planes with you.
How to Keep You and Your Animal Safe
If you’re traveling by car, it’s not safe to leave your pet free to roam about. If you were to get into an accident (Heaven forbid), their tiny bodies would likely not be able to withstand the impact. Keep your pet in a carrier for two reasons: 1) they’ll have protection if you crash, and 2) they won’t be a distraction to you and potentially cause you to crash.
Don’t Forget About Rest Stops
When you’re not at home and in your regular routine, it’s easy to forget things like letting your pet go to the bathroom. Make sure every time you stop for yourself, you stop for your fur baby too. They also need to stretch their legs! Let your animal walk around for a few minutes at every rest stop as well.
Flying with Your Pet
If your pet has a “flat” face, found in some dog breeds like Pugs, they may be more prone to oxygen deprivation. Be careful when choosing to fly, and try to see if the airline will allow you to keep the animal in the cabin with you (for an additional fee). You will have to call the airline in advance to make sure this is possible.
Hotels and AirBnBs
Some hotels and AirBnB listings will allow pets, but most of them will not. You have to do your due diligence in specifically calling or looking at the listing to see if they allow pets. Even if the website says they do, it’s still a good idea to call and make sure, or ask if there are any additional fees for bringing a pet.
Is it Better to Bring Them or Leave Them?
Traveling isn’t always comfortable for pets: being stuck in a crate for hours with limited visibility and not understanding what’s going on is enough to make any animal anxious and uncomfortable. This is truer if your trip involves flying. If you’re driving cross-country, having your pet with you might be a fun ride!
If figuring out logistics for bringing your pet along is starting to become a huge hassle, it may be time to consider either leaving them at home and hiring a pet walker, asking a friend to check in on them, or boarding them for a few days.
While it might be fun and less expensive to take your pet with you on a trip, it will also take a lot of planning their meals, water, bathroom breaks, etc. If you’re only going out of town for a few days, it might be better in the long run to leave them behind. If you’re going to be gone for quite some time, like 2 weeks or more, then it would make more sense to bring your pet with you.
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