Have Dog, Will Travel

It can be hard to travel when you have pets, especially if you need to fly to wherever it is you're going. Rental cars don't like having pets in their vehicles because they leave behind dirt and hair, putting extra miles on your own car is hardly ever ideal, if you do fly there's always the worry about having to have Fido or Fluffy in the cargo hold, and even the best-rated boarding facilities can't always erase the lingering guilt over leaving a member of the family behind. But travelling with some pets-- dogs in particular-- can be very rewarding for both you and your dog.

Whenever I travel with my dog, we always overland it on a road trip. It can be a bit of a challenge where rest stops and water breaks are concerned (I'm remembering quite clearly a rest stop in Colorado that didn't have running water available ever), and pet-friendly hotels are not always available, but we always manage with minimal difficulty, and have gotten to see some awesome places together in Texas, Louisiana, and Tennessee.

I always try to go to dog-friendly places, or make sure that there are at least places where I can take my dog when I set out to travel with him-- an accomplishment made much easier with the use of the BringFido app (though note that this app doesn't mention every dog-friendly place). I have also been lucky in pretty much always having friends or family to stay with who don't mind hosting my tag-along pup as well.

That is not to say that there are never any hiccups or complications. Case-in-point: My dog is on the verge of being banned from my go-to place to stay whenever I head out to San Antonio because the last time we came around he kept barking at the host. I did try to mitigate it while we were there with minimal success, and while I do hope it was just a one-time thing brought about by hardly ever seeing the guy, I don't really want my dog to make him feel unwelcome in his own home.

For the most part though, my pup is a good little traveler and usually a good guest so long as someone is keeping an eye on him. He is also an excellent hiking buddy and great all-around companion when hitting the streets in strange cities. While I have always enjoyed travel, the outdoors, and seeing new places, I can honestly say that I wouldn't be out and about as much as I am now without this little dog of mine, and I wouldn't have as much of a reason to get out and discover new trails and places to be-- even within my own city.

So, while it may not always be the most practical of ideas, if you love dogs and love to travel, I do highly recommend combining the two. It may limit where you can go in some instances, but the rewards of having your canine companion with you wherever you go are more than worth it.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention that I have traveled cross-country with cats before too-- though unfortunately none of my cats have ever been good with travel-- and on two occasions even my pet mice (actually hands-down the easiest pet passengers I've ever had). However my most consistent and personally rewarding experience has come from traveling with my dog-- mostly because he is able to and actually enjoys going on the journey with me wherever it leads. Not all dogs are like that, and some cats actually make great travel and adventure companions as well.

Happy travels everyone!