Five Tips for Traveling with Fido!
Mark, Avi & Texas
Inevitably for most pet owners the day comes when you want to travel, maybe for an extended period of time, and then there’s the dilemma: what to do with Fido! In our case “Fido” is a sixty pound Husky. Let’s say you ‘re taking off for a few days to go hiking in the mountains or hit the Big Apple, boarding is usually not a problem, or most of us have friends that don’t mind having an extra dog or cat around for a few days. The problem gets more sticky when we add that phrase, “extended period of time”. Many airlines will no longer allow large pets to go below in cargo and even when they did, there was always a risk involved in this type of air travel. Boarding gets expensive (and it’s not like the boy’s in a home) and a friendship’s bonds can get frayed when pets overstay.
So, for many of us taking man’s/women’s best friend along on the jaunt is the best alternative. Recently we drove across the U.S. in a small S5 two door Audi with our boy Avi in the back seat and actually managed to have a great time. We found though, that traveling with a dog this size does present some special challenges. But, with some planning and research one can make a trip fairly seamless and enjoyable for both you and your pet.
HOW TO FIND THE BEST PLACES TO STAY
Sometimes the hardest part of traveling with a pet is just finding a place to stay. Many hotels claim they are pet friendly but in fact many discriminate against pets over thirty pounds, or charge exorbitant cleaning or daily fees. You really don’t want to be that person, checking in late at night after a long day of travel, only to discover that the hotel you’ve chosen won’t accept your pet!
BRING FIDO
Start by downloading the Bring Fido app. Although it’s not a perfect hotel search engine, it will give you hotels etc that are pet friendly. A nice thing about this is that they start with the most “friendly” accommodations at the top. As you scroll down you’ll get to the more persnickety places. Unfortunately, Bring Fido, like all hotel booking apps, may not list ALL of the pet friendly locations in your destinations, so if you’re particular about where you stay, as we are, you will want to cross reference your search with other booking engines.
BOOKING.COM
We found that booking.com is pretty helpful in the “pet friendly search”. When you click on a hotel that you like, it is very easy to scroll to “policies” which always include whether the hotel in question is pet friendly. Sometimes, unfortunately the phrasing in this policy area is a bit inscrutable with vague sentences like “some fees may apply”. That’s a blinking red light telling you that you need to investigate the property you just fell in love with further!
HOTEL WEB SITES
To do this go to the hotel’s actual official web site and try to find their official policy on pets. Sometimes a hotel’s website fails to have the information and then one has to take the drastic step of calling the hotel the old fashioned way. That is assuming you haven’t gotten so fed up with the particular establishment and moved on to another place. When you do call to ask about how welcome your Anaconda will be at the hotel and the person says they love Anacondas at the hotel, be sure to get that person’s full name and title when booking! On a side note, establishing friendly contact with an actual person, in this day of anonymous booking can lead to all sorts of nice things like upgrades and treats and food bowls in the room. Hotels are staffed by actual people and being friendly and outgoing to them can make a big difference.
2. PET FRIENDLY CHAINS
Several hotel brands tout themselves as being pet friendly most notably in the mid to high end are Kimpton and Thompson. Many hotel groups that claim to be pet friendly, in fact have severe limitations, the most common of these being a thirty pound limit on the size of the pet. Others have fees that can add up fast. Kimpton is very pet friendly and doesn’t have any hidden fees or restrictions, the question is will YOU enjoy the hotel! On our recent cross country trip we stayed in two Kimpton, the first one, in Nashville was perfectly pleasant and had one of the best restaurants in town on property. The second place we found the rooms to be beat up and dirty. As in all hotel chains, the quality in the property can vary wildly depending on the actual property owner’s investment. In San Antonio we found that the Thompson not only had a very pet friendly policy, it had the most charming staff from the valets to the concierge, hip cool rooms, a great rooftop bar and a terrific restaurant. Hands down the Thompson was the best overall experience on our long trip!
3. PLAN FOR YOUR AND YOUR PETS COMFORT
If you want to keep your travels with your pet stress free as possible, it’s helpful to think about what equipment you might need for your pet, since we were not driving an SUV we purchased a heavy rear seat cover which worked well to protect the car’s upholstery. A set of of stacking non slop bowls and a rubber mat for under fit perfectly into a large backpack in which we also had a Rubbermaid food container, water bottle, dog treats etc. The backpack was easy to carry into hotels and carried all that he needed. Don’t forget to bring copies of your pets vaccinations and licenses as well as medications: you may well need them on your adventure.
4. I CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!
From time to time even the most loving pet owner needs a break. No matter how pet friendly a city or town might be, you’re probably not going to be able to take Rover to the Opera or that art museum you’ve been reading all about. That’s when it just makes sense to board your angel for a few days. Planning ahead for this, although not always necessary, can be very helpful. Having multiple copies of vaccinations and shots will be essential in booking a few nights away. A couple of days without the responsibility of caring for your pet can really make a difference in enjoying your trip.
5. MAKE IT FUN
We found that you can do a lot of fun things with your pet. Frequently there are great running and walking areas where we were able to enjoy our boy and get an intimate look at the town we were visiting. We also found that many cafes, shops, galleries and even bars are pet friendly. People seem to love animals wherever you go, and you will undoubtedly make friends with all sorts of great folks when you’ve got a pet along! So, plan ahead, do a little research, and we are confident you’ll enjoy your trip with your pet!