How to Travel with a Dog?

Ariel loves outdoor activities. She is sweet, obedient, and a bit clingy. I want to bring her with me on all my trips. But she’s a medium sized dog, not easy to fly on a plane. As a result, I tend to have more road trips after having her. Planning a trip with a dog is hard. I have to either arrange dog-friendly activities and venues or book dog day care in advance. However, the effort is worth it. The trip is more fun and fulfilling when I travel with Ariel. Here are some of my tips on how to travel with a dog, specifically a pet dog like Ariel. If you have a service dog, things will be much easier because they have much fewer restrictions.

Transportation

Unless your dog is a service animal, it’s hard to take public transportations when travelling with a dog. Airplanes require small pets in a carrier that can be stored under the seat and big pets in cargo where there’s risk of suffocation. Either way you need to pay at least $100 for each pet. Trains also require your pets in a carrier at all times. Some train companies have weight and size limit. Plus, it’s not that efficient or cheap to travel by train any way. Naturally, cars or RVs are the best solution.

To keep your car clean, I highly recommend a waterproof seat cover. Lint rollers are also helpful for removing pet hairs from clothes and car interiors. Never leave your dog too long in the car by itself, especially in summer. When you have to do so, always keep a side window open.

Accommodation

Hotels or Airbnbs

Many hotels and Airbnbs are pet-friendly. I’ve never had any trouble finding one. Some hosts even provide dog bed, treats, and bowls. However, pet-friendly options are much fewer than normal accommodations. So if you travel during busy seasons, book well ahead of time. Look for the pet policy on the website. Typically, both hotels and Airbnbs will charge a pet fee. It’s a good idea to call or contact your host before booking to confirm that their pet policy has not changed and let the host know a bit more about your dog.

When you walk your dog on the premise, respectfully keep your dog on a leash. Let’s be honest, not all dogs are friendly and obedient. Different people also have different tolerance thresholds for dogs. More importantly, clean after your dog – it’s the law by the way.

Try your best to not leave your dog in the room by itself, especially for talkative dogs. It’s very disturbing to others. Get it occupied with toys or food if you have to leave the room for a short period of time.

Camping

Alternatively, camping is a great choice as well because most campsites are dog-friendly. But still, book in advance for busy seasons. For camping, safety is the most important because dogs may attract predators like bears or coyotes. I recommend to bring a bear horn and a bear spray with you. In addition, store food in the food locker or in the car. Avoid fruity scent in shower gel, shampoo, and skin care products.

On one of my recent camping trips, Ariel and I encountered raccoons that were so smart that they could open the food locker and my zipped cooler. I had to store my food in the car. So yes, you need to protect yourselves from non-predators as well.

Activities

Dog Friendly Activities

It’s not hard to find pet-friendly outdoor activities. Hiking is the most common. I use AllTrails to look for dog-friendly trails.

Another option is water activities like swimming, kayaking or paddling. I bought an inflatable kayak. It can easily fit into my trunk. Inflating and deflating are fast and easy. It’s also pretty roomy that Ariel can move around while on it. However, not all water sites are dog-friendly. It’s better to check online and call to confirm before you go. I find harbors are usually dog-friendly and county parks are typically not. It depends for reservoirs because some are storing drinking water.

If your dog is like Ariel who doesn’t like to be in the water, a beach day is a great choice. They can play with the water without getting completely wet. The weather is cooler by the ocean. Dogs can dig into the sand, play fetch, chase other fellow doggies, or even just watch people while you sun-bathe. But, again, you need to look for dog-friendly beaches and clean after your dogs.

Dog Day Care

If you have non-pet-friendly activities in your itinerary such as musicals, movies, skiing, or entertainment parks, it’s better to arrange those activities on one or two days and book your dog a day care.

Dog day care facilities, including hosts on Rover, usually will require an evaluation before confirming your appointment. So you will have to plan ahead. I recommend to choose two or more facilities or hosts to compare and look for those with many reviews and highly rated – I value recent reviews more than past reviews. Based on the staff and how detailed their information request is, I can get a sense of their professionalism. If you are short on time, PetSmart day care service is always an option. They are reasonably priced. The process is faster if you are a member with them.

Dining

Most restaurants with outdoor seating areas are dog-friendly except fine dining. So I suggest having fine dining on those days that you have booked day care. For other restaurants that I want to try but are not dog-friendly, I usually order takeout and eat in my car or in a park as discussed in my COVID travel blog. Occasionally, I left Ariel in the car with the windows open and ate in the restaurants. But I would finish within an hour and only did that when the outside weather was cool.

Packing the Dog Stuff

No matter it’s packing for myself or for Ariel, I have 5 broad categories: clothes / wearables, eat & drink, sleep, play, and cleaning. I have another blog about dog travel accessories that I have tried or am currently using.

Emergencies

First thing first, make sure your dog is fully vaccinated, registered, and has insurance coverage. It will save you lots of hustle in case of an emergency. When your dog needs immediate medical attention, your best bet is ER at a veterinary. Since COVID, more people have had pets as companions; thus it usually take at least a month in advance to book regular vet visits.

Ariel had urine infection on our trip to LA around Christmas 2021. We not only were away from home but also visited around the holiday time when many businesses were closed. Luckily, I was able to find Valley Veterinary Hospital that took walk-ins on the same day. I have to say the wait time was hours long, but it’s worth it because Ariel was able to get medication and tests.