One of my favorite parts of being a pet owner is traveling with my dog. It’s like having a built-in travel buddy anywhere I go.
Parents always say that Christmas is 10 times more fun when you get to experience it through your kids’ eyes, and that’s kind of how I feel about going places with Bo. I love seeing his eyes light up when we pull his travel bag out of the cabinet and how he goes nuts when we arrive in a new place and how passing drivers think it’s hilarious when they see him sitting in his seat like a human. Plus, it’s way more fun bringing him along than leaving him with a sitter or at a kennel and worrying the whole time (hi, travel anxiety!).
There’s one thing you should know about Bo: he’s the wildest dog I’ve ever met. He can’t be off his leash anywhere in public, and he goes batshit crazy when he meets anyone for the first time.
I mention this because a lot of people have reservations about traveling with their dog, but if we can travel with Bo, you can travel with your dog. We’ve brought him on trains and multiple cross-country road trips, and he even came along when we stayed on a house boat for a few days. It might take a little practice, but traveling with your dog makes the trip so much more fun.
Here are my best pieces of advice for how to travel with your dog without stress.
How To Travel With Your Dog
1. Give him his own suitcase
Yes, really. Bo’s is a big green carry-all that’s vinyl and indestructible. We keep it packed with a bunch of stuff we use every time we travel with him so that when it’s time to go out the door, we just grab it and go.
A few of the things in Bo’s bag include:
- Blanket
- Small jar of peanut butter and box of plastic knives
- Spare KONG toy
- Chew bone
- Squeaky toy
- Plastic bags
- Paper towels
- Giant water bottle (handy to fill up for hikes and long car rides)
- Yoga mat (Bo likes to stay fit while on the road) (no, not really)
Riding on the train
2. Keep some of his travel stuff only for travel
Like most dogs, Bo’s obsessed with squeaky toys. He has one special one that we only break out when we’re away from home. This is key.
Bo tends to lose his mind even more than usual when we’re in a new place, so I like to have the squeaker toy at the ready to instantly command his attention if he’s getting too bonkers while we’re making a pit stop or settling into a hotel room. It’s guaranteed to get him to focus, if only for a few minutes while we get done whatever we need to get done.
It’s also become part of his travel routine. When the squeaker toy comes out, he knows it’s a special occasion and that he’s getting rewarded. I’m no dog psychologist, but I feel like Bo knows he’s lucky to be going along on an outing and tries extra hard to be a good boy. At least that’s what I tell myself.
3. DO NOT try to be clandestine about having a dog
I know it’s tempting. Whether it’s a park with a NO DOGS ALLOWED sign—so rude by the way—or a killer apartment that’s not pet friendly, there are so many situations where you might choose to try and sneak your dog in.
Traveling is not one of those times. This is one of my most important tips for traveling happily with your dog.
It doesn’t matter how much money you might save on the hotel room or rental car: don’t hide the fact that you’ll be traveling with a dog.
Being up front about it rules out any questions about whether pets are allowed where you’re going and eliminates so much anxiety. Plus, with the popularity of sites like AirBnb, you’re no longer limited by hotels and their crazy pet policies. Which brings me to my next piece of advice…
4. Stay in AirBnbs instead of hotel rooms
This might not make that much of a difference if you have a small dog, but if you have a medium to large dog it’s a game changer!
Instead of being cooped up in a cramped hotel room while you’re gone, your dog will have a whole apartment or house to sniff around and relax in. It’s also much easier to get in and out of than a hotel room; you don’t have to go traipsing through the hotel lobby every time you want to take your dog out.
Me and Bo peeping the snow from our AirBnb window
We’ve had nothing but awesome experiences staying in pet-friendly AirBnbs.
If the host is listing their place as pet friendly they’re obviously cool with pets, so it’s much more relaxed than the Holiday Inn charging you an extra $50 a night to stay with your pet and having Susan at reception giving you judgey eyes as you frantically yank him away from the potted plant next to the check-in desk. Dog owners, is there anything more panic-inducing than when your dog starts sniffing near a plant that’s NOT outdoors?!
Get a $40 travel credit when you sign up for AirBnb using this link! I’ll also get a $20 credit, so it’s a win-win.
5. Embrace activities you might not do otherwise
One of the reasons traveling with a dog is so great is that it forces you to get out and see the outdoors wherever you’re visiting.
If we didn’t have Bo with us, John and I might have never gotten out of bed for some of the beautiful early-morning hikes we’ve been on or ventured off the beaten path to explore trails and fields and streams. We’ve shown Bo a ton of places, but we’ve also discovered some of the coolest spots because of him.
Checking out a creek in the Catskill Mountains
And, this is probably obvious if you have an active dog, but tiring your dog out is a big part of making sure everyone involved has a fun trip. If you give your pup plenty of exercise, you don’t have to be with him 24/7 on the trip. Bo loves nothing more than crashing on the couch after a morning of adventures, which leaves the afternoon/evening free for John and I to do whatever.
6. Make it the same every time
Dogs thrive on routine, at least that’s what Caesar Milan told me. Help your dog travel like an old pro by doing things the same way every time.
Use the same bag and same travel toys like I mentioned above. Have him ride in the same spot in the car. Offer food/water the same way each time (Bo’s a champ at drinking out of his water bottle) and take potty breaks at regular intervals.
You can also establish a routine for when you’re about to part ways so you don’t feel bad about leaving for a few hours. For Bo we hang out awhile until he’s settled down, then he gets his KONG packed with peanut butter and we head out the door. We usually come back to find him zonked out, barely having noticed we were gone.
A word about planes
*Steps onto soapbox*
Please, I beg you, do not travel with your dog by placing him in the cargo hold of a plane.
There are so many horror stories (just Google it, it’s heartbreaking) of perfectly healthy dogs who’ve been placed in the hold of a plane and not made it to their destination. I know that for every horror story there are a thousand that end just fine, but why oh why would you risk it?
If you have a small dog, you can easily travel with him in the plane’s cabin in a kennel. If your dog is too big to go under the seat, I’m a firm believer in leaving him at home with a trusted friend or sitter.
But also, don’t rule out the option to turn your air itinerary into a road trip! When we lived in South Florida, we planned to travel to Washington, D.C. to be with John’s family for Thanksgiving. Instead of leaving Bo with his sitter, we decided to drive so he could come along.
Was it a long drive? Sure, but we did it in a day and it was mostly painless. We would have spent at least half a day traveling anyway, even if we flew. The most annoying part was stopping every few hours because I had to pee and had nothing to do with the dog.
We were able to introduce Bo to Johnny’s other family dog Roscoe, which was adorable, and it was so nice to have him around when the entire family was gathered together.
Bo and Roscoe waiting for those good good Thanksgiving scraps
Traveling with Bo is one of my favorite things to do, and with a little practice you can have just as much fun bringing your dog along for the ride. Do you travel with your pup? Leave me a comment and tell me your tips and tricks!
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