Traveling is a great way to make memories, see the beauty the world has to offer and enjoy life in a new environment. However, leaving your beloved pets behind can put a damper on the whole experience.  Thankfully, many hotels, planes, and tourist locations are becoming more and more pet-friendly, allowing you to bring them along on your adventure of a lifetime. Unfortunately, planning to take a pet on a trip adds one more task to your already extensive to-do list. The following are some helpful tips to ensure you have the best experience possible traveling with your pet brought to you by Air Evac International:

General Tips for Preparing Your Pet For Traveling:

Determine What Mode of Transportation You Will Take

Before making a list detailing what you need to do to travel with your pet, you need to determine what mode of transportation you will be utilizing. What you need to take care of will vary depending on if you are going to travel via car or plane.

Evaluate Your Pet’s Current Health

In addition, no matter how you choose to travel or your destination, you need to make sure your pet is healthy enough to make the trip. A visit to your local veterinarian for a good checkout is a great idea. Also, if you plan on traveling out of the country or to a destination where the environment will be extremely different from the one in which you reside, you need to check if your pet might need extra protection in the form of a vaccination. Also, if your pet is old, suffers from arthritis or any condition that would make sitting still difficult/painful for them, you need to ask your veterinarian if your pet needs medication to keep them comfortable.

Microchip Your Animal

Make sure your pet is microchipped before traveling anywhere with them. This will ensure should the worst happen and your pet gets separated from you and your family that there is a way to identify them as your pet. Also, make sure your pet is wearing external tags with your most current information clearly visible.

Tips For Traveling By Airplane

With more and more people bringing along their pets as “emotional support” animals, there are now more pets traveling with their owners via airplane than ever before. This, unfortunately, has led to an 84% increase in reported animal incidents according to Delta. The end result is more policies to follow and rules to adhere to in order to travel with your pets.

• Know The Policies: Because the amount of animal-related incidents have increased leading to stricter rules, you need to know the policies for your specific airline. Are you allowed to get your pet out of their crate? Do they have to be leashed? What are the rules? Each airline differs slightly as does the cost of traveling with your furry family member. Also, some airlines restrict certain breeds from their airlines, so make sure you get breed specific information on the policies of your airline.
• Get Them Crate Ready: If your pet will be riding in a crate while on the airplane, you need to make sure they are prepared to handle this. If your pet has never ridden in a crate, this will be a shock and can overwhelm them. Therefore, before traveling via airplane, make sure you get your pet adjusted to being inside a crate. Place favorite toys and water inside and make sure the bottom is padded and comfortable.
• Prepare a Travel Kit For Your Pet: When traveling on an airplane, you need to make sure you have a travel kit ready for your furry friend. According to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) medical director Lori Bierbrier, this kit should include waste bags, litter, litter box (for cats), medication, bowls, water, food and proof of vaccinations.

Tips For Traveling by Car With Your Pet

If you decided to make your journey in a vehicle, cross county adventure style, keep the following tips in mind that pertain to automobile travel and your pets:

• Invest in a Harness or Crate: Your pet shouldn’t ride loose in your car. This is a danger for you and them. You, because it’s distracting when your pet moves all around the vehicle while you are trying to maintain control of a vehicle and are driving in a new location. Them, because should you have to stop quickly, or get into an accident, they could easily become injured. The way to counteract this is to invest in a harness for your dog that will keep them safe while traveling. If you have a cat, a crate is obviously a better idea.
• Plan Out Your Trip With Plenty of Pit Stops: Make sure you schedule out your road trip with plenty of pit stops along the way. Also, when you get out and let your pet relieve themselves and stretch their legs, make sure you keep them on a leash, even if they normally do fine without one. You never know how they will react to being in a new environment full of fun new smells. They might just bolt off, following their nose, so don’t take the chance. Keep them harnessed and/or leashed but remember to give them an opportunity to get out and stretch a bit at least every few hours.
• Don’t Leave Them Alone: Never leave your pet in your car alone in warm temperatures. According to Diana Fellen, who is a Veterinarian at Westfield Veterinary Group, “any animal is at risk of overheating if left in a locked car on a summer day.” She went on to add that even when temperatures aren’t overly hot, even mild, with temperatures only reaching 60 degrees, the temperature inside a car can rise to over 100 degrees in just an hour. When it’s hotter outside, temperatures can rise to over 100 degrees in just 10-15 minutes. This is even when the windows are opened.

Source

Delta: https://www.travelandleisure.com/travel-news/delta-stricter-rules-for-pets

ASPCA: https://www.aspca.org/