Tips for Traveling with Dogs (And for leaving them home too!)

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On this episode, we are joined by Jessica Williams. Jessica is the author of the award-winning Dachshund educational blog, YouDidWhatWithYourWeiner.com. She’s been traveling, hiking, and camping with her dogs for over 20 years. She’s taken her dogs on many extended road trips, covering up to 5,000 miles, and she’s flown with them many times. Her two biggest dog-focused travel aspirations are living in Switzerland for a month to hike in the Alps and spending a year road-tripping around the US with her dogs to hike and camp. You can follow Jessica on Instagram @youdidwhatwithyourweiner, Facebook, or YouTube.

Episode Highlights:

• Most airlines have pet policies that you should review before booking
• To travel in the cabin, the pet needs to fit in a carrier that goes under the seat
• The weight limit is generally 20-25 lbs (although Spirit is higher)
• You need to call the airline in advance to let them know you are bringing a dog on board as there is a limit to how many can go onboard
• You don’t need to pay for a ticket but you do need to pay a pet fee (typically around $150 each way)
• According to the FAA, unless you have a true service pet, the pet must stay in the carrier for the duration of the flight
• Some flight attendants look the other way and you can take the carrier out from under the seat so the pet can see you but technically you can’t even unzip the carrier
• Your pet carrier counts as your personal item so it helps to have a carrier with side pockets for things you need on the plane
• Aisle seats don’t have as much space under the seat in front of you for a carrier. The middle seat has the most space
• In the airport, the dogs don’t always want to use the pet relief area because it smells and is unusual
• In the airport, dogs should be in carriers but not many people are policing that because service dogs are allowed to be out
• To go through security, they come out of the carrier and you can walk through the metal detector but you need to take off the collar so they need to behave to not run away and walk through if they are too big to carry
• Bring along a small water dish, water, and a few treats
• Jessica recommends layering a potty pad in the bottom of the carrier under a blanket so it is easier to clean if there is an accident
• Otherwise, you need to potty pad train them before travel
• Don’t feed them right before a flight. Usually, the last meal should be 2-3 hours before travel
• To find pet-friendly hotels, use bringfido.com
• Hotels usually have a pet fee, which is typically around $20 per dog per night, but it can also be extremely high
• Red Roof, Motel 6, Kimpton, and Virgin Hotels generally are pet-friendly without a pet fee but they are franchises and still can charge a fee
• There is usually a limit of two dogs per room and a combined weight limit of about 150 lbs.
• Some boutique hotels allow you to bring more than two dogs
• For international travel, you can get a pet passport for EU countries
• For Canada, you can drive across the border with your pets
• The United States changed requirements for dogs coming into the country (even by car) that dogs need to be at least 6 months old, they have to have internationally recognized microchips, and have vaccinations up to date particularly a recent rabies vaccine and health paperwork
• You need to fill out a CDC import form
• Some destinations have strict quarantine rules (especially Hawaii and other islands) of 10-30 days
• Visit AdventuresCats.org to learn more about traveling with cats. Note that many hotels don’t allow cats.
• Tamara recommends TrustedHousesitters.com for free pet and house sitting from vetted sitters. Use her referral link for 25% off a membership!