Dreaming of traveling the world with your pet is beyond exciting, but it can be just as scary. For some pets, the stress of traveling, whether by car or plane, can take a serious toll on their well-being.
Although the type of pet you have and their temperament mostly determines how they will take it, there are some general points you’ll want to keep in mind.
This article will help you set realistic expectations for traveling with your pet. We’ll go over how traveling affects pets, the pros and cons of traveling with an animal, and share our tips on minimizing the cons for a great trip with your pet.
How Does Traveling Affect Pets? – The Good and Bad
Upsides Of Traveling With Your Pet:
The upsides of traveling with a pet are plenty! Let’s dive right into the best parts of traveling with your pet:
1) It is the Perfect Opportunity to Bond:
Traveling with your pet creates the perfect opportunity to form a strong bond. You get to explore new places and share experiences with your furry friend. Traveling together will create lasting memories you’ll both remember forever.
2) It Can Be Good for Their Health:
When your pet tags along with you on your travel adventures, all the walks exploring the new area—and even the long walks in the airport—give them additional exercise.
Being in new places and encountering unfamiliar smells provides the crucial mental stimulation pets need, whether they’re a dog, cat, or nearly any other type of animal.
3) You Get to Be With Your Pet When Away From Home:
By taking your pet with you, they won’t need to stay home with a pet sitter. Even if a friend or family member your pet is familiar with could look after them while you’re away, your pet may still miss you, and you’ll also be likely to find yourself feeling homesick for your pet.
Downsides of Traveling With Your Pet:
Unfortunately, traveling with your pet can also come with some drawbacks, which we examine below along with solutions for most potential issues.
1) It Can Stress Your Pet Out:
Traveling is stressful for most pets, especially if it is their first time leaving home. The changes in their environment and being on the move can bring fear and anxiety.
Luckily, there are things you can do to reduce your pet’s stress and make their journey comfortable. We’ll list what you can do to ease the stress of traveling for your pet below.
2) Not Everywhere Is Pet-Friendly:
When traveling with your pet, you’ll soon realize that not everywhere is pet-friendly. Even if you’re traveling to a city regarded as pet-friendly, the hotel or Airbnb you’re staying in may not allow pets, or you may have a hard time finding shops or cafés that will let you bring an animal inside.
Since this can be a hit or miss, research the pet-friendliness of the area you are traveling to thoroughly to ensure your pet’s safety.
3) Traveling Disrupts Your Pet’s Routine:
All pets thrive on a routine, and disrupting their pattern can bring confusion. Your pet may not understand why they had to leave everything they know to go somewhere new.
This confusion can quickly lead to stress, which may make your pet engage in unwanted acts like barking, stress licking themselves, or even destructive behaviors.
How to Mitigate the Downsides of Traveling With Your Pet?
The ups and downs we’ve listed above can help you decide whether or not to take your pet with you while traveling.
However, you can always plan ahead to make the journey more comfortable for your pet. These are not only important for the well-being of your pet but also, to ensure you won’t find yourself frustrated and regretting your decision to take your pet.
Here is how you can mitigate the downsides of traveling with your pet and only leave the positives for a trip that you will remember for the rest of your life.
Additionally, check out our other traveling tips and hacks to get the most out of your trip with your pet.
1. Research, Research, Research:
Before you pack up everything and get your pet ready, do thorough research on how pet-friendly your destination is. If you can’t find enough information, consider asking fellow travelers and locals on social media about their recommendations for traveling with a pet.
Reddit and Facebook groups are excellent places to start for this. Once you know enough about the destination, learn the local pet laws.
If you are traveling abroad, get informed about pet-entry requirements, such as bringing a pet passport. Keep in mind that information available online can be outdated.
Consider emailing the consulate or the embassy to ensure you meet all the requirements for travel to the destination
country.
2. Prepare Their Carrier/Crate:
If your pet will travel in a crate or carrier, make sure they spend enough time and associate the crate with positive experiences before the trip.
Instead of introducing them to the crate or carrier a few days before the trip, do it at least a week prior. Feed them while they are in there, or throw in a favorite toy for them to play with to help them create a positive connection.
Anything that will help them understand that being in the crate is a good thing will work excellently.
3. Visit Your Vet:
Schedule a visit to your veterinarian to ensure your pet is healthy and fit to travel. This is an excellent time to get them up-to-date on vaccinations and sort out the documents you may need for travel.
While there, ask your veterinarian for tips on traveling with your pet. They should know your pet well enough (or at least have a file with their information) to give recommendations.
Also, you may qualify for a service animal and fly with your pet in the cabin for free if you are traveling with a dog and have a mental, emotional, or physical disability.
Although training your dog to be a service animal takes time and effort, there are online psychiatric service
animal training programs that can simplify the process for you.
This will also allow you to bring your dog with you to almost any location or accommodation.
4. Pack Supplies:
Just as you need to pack your suitcase, your pet will need a travel kit with everything they need. Pack essential items like food, water, and collapsible bowls.
If you are going for a while, it may be wiser to look for stores that sell your pet’s food in your destination to save space in your suitcase (although you’ll still want to bring enough for the first few days in case the shops are out of your pet’s food).
When packing, don’t forget to include a few familiar items, like a toy or blanket. Although it may not seem necessary at first, it will ensure your pet finds at least some comfort if
traveling gets too overwhelming.
5. Plan Your Trip:
Pets make the best traveling buddies. They are thrilled to participate in everything planned for the day, even if it is a simple walk to the nearby park.
As long as their favorite human is by their side, everywhere is a great place for pets! However, you should have a travel itinerary to stay organized and not stumble upon places that are not pet-friendly.
Assuming the sites you’ll visit allow pets, your itinerary should be more about the route than the specific places you want to see.
If you walk with your pet, look for routes that offer wide sidewalks and pedestrian-friendly areas. As you plan the route, don’t forget rest stops, like green areas and parks, to take a break.
You can visit our blog about how to plan a road trip. It would help you to plan a save enjoyable road trip with your pet. You might also need to collect your road trip essentials.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
Do you still have questions about traveling with your pet?
We’ve answered some of the most common ones below.
Can I Fly With My Pet?
If you have a small dog or cat, you should be able to fly with your pet in the passenger cabin. The cargo compartment is the only option for those with a larger pet or one not allowed in the cabin.
However, these rules vary greatly. Check the pet policy of the airline you plan on flying to know if you can fly with your pet.
Are Long Flights Safe for Pets?
Most adult pets, regardless of size or breed, do fine on long-haul flights. However, some pets take long-haul flights (or flights in general) better than others – just as with humans.
If possible, it’s a good idea to take your pet on a shorter flight first to see how they handle the stress.Â
What’s the Safest Way to Drive With a Pet?
If you have a dog, harnesses and pet seat belts are equally good for a safe trip. There are also crash-tested carriers and crates that can be attached to the seat belt.
These crates are often suitable for a wide range of pets, making them the safest option for many pet owners.
Have Fun and Stay Safe When Traveling With Your Pet:
Traveling with pets has downsides that may seem scary for pet parents. You may even go as far as thinking that traveling with your pet might have irreversible consequences on their well-being.
However, we’ve covered some helpful points on how you can mitigate the downsides of traveling for your pet. Take all these into consideration and plan everything from the
moment you decide to travel with your pet to help make the experience wonderful for you both.
Although preparing to travel with your pet may take time and effort, it’s such a rewarding feeling knowing your furry best friend is by your side while you explore what the world has to offer.
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Get A Professional Visit With USA Service Animals:
USA Service Animals got everything you need before traveling with a pet. You can register your service animal that includes an ID card with your animal photo and other information. It is helpful for your traveling.
To approve that your pet is an emotional support animal, you need some documents to prove that. USA Service Animals provide with the document along with a doctor, psychiatrist, or mental health professional visit.
Book with them, by visiting the link above or use the barcode below.
Conclusion:
I hope we answer the question on how traveling affect pets, so you can embark on a travel journey with your pet that is stress-free and more enjoyable.
Traveling with your pet can be the best memories that you can look back to and smile. Thus, creates some memories that last a lifetime. Do not forget to bring your camera, so you record the moment.
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