Friday, June 8, 2018

Traveling with Your Pet: Tips and Advice

Traveling with your pet can be such a rewarding experience! However, there are also a lot of things to consider when taking your pet with you on your next adventure. And it is a bit more complicated than packing extra things for them! Pets need to be safe in the car or plane, require proper paperwork for domestic and international air travel, and need pet-friendly hotels and accommodations! To help you out, we’ve put together some advice and helpful tips to make you and your pet’s travel as smooth as possible.

Making Plans: Packing and Where to Stay
While your pet may not need an assortment of outfits for the trip, they do have essentials that need to come with you. Your pet’s travel supplies should include:

- Food and water, and their dishes
- Bedding
- Litter and litter box
- Leash and collar with ID tags
- A first-aid kit
- Medications if needed
- A favorite toy or two to remind them of home

Additionally, make sure you have a recent photograph of your pet to help identify them in case they get lost. Consider a microchip as well, if they do not have one already.

When looking for places to stay, make sure they are pet-friendly. Most hotels will have it listed in their amenities section. There are also several sites with directories that specifically list pet-friendly hotels and accommodations such as pettravel.com and officialpethotels.com.


Travel Requirements: Carriers and Paperwork
If you are traveling domestically by car, there are only a few things to worry about. Cats need a carrier secured by a belt to keep them from bouncing around, while dogs require either a carrier, or a harness depending on their size. Air and international travel, however, is another story.

If traveling by air, your pet will need to be placed in an airline-appropriate carrier. You can get these from a number of pet supply stores or directly from the airline. The carrier should have enough room for your pet to sit and lie down in, but not so much that they can be tossed during travel. For added safety, line it with towels, bedding, or shredded newspaper. They should also have food and water with them. If your pet gets motion sickness or has severe anxiety, consider administering the proper medication to help them cope with travel.

If traveling outside of the continental US, you will have some regulations to adhere to. Hawaii, for instance, requires a 30- or 120- day quarantine for all dogs and cats. Additionally, Canada and Mexico each have their own policies and health certificates required before your pet can cross the border.

If traveling overseas, please research your destination country’s legal requirements and if they require any quarantine, health certificates, or additional paperwork. You can often contact the embassy for the country for more information, as well as ask your veterinarian!

Traveling with your companion typically brings about an enriching experience for both you and your pet, but make sure you are properly prepared. Follow these tips, do your research, and have a great trip!