Find Pet-Friendly Lodging

Sure, you can schlep Fuzzy with you, but when you get where you’re going, where will she stay? “Not all pet-friendly lodging is the same,” says Chris Kingsley, cofounder of the pet-travel site Petswelcome.com. “They may charge you a $150 fee to bring a dog or put you in a smoking room to conceal your pet’s odors. You really need to get details about what they mean by ‘pet-friendly.’” Kingsley also encourages travelers to think about what they’ll do with their pets when they’re not in the hotel room. “The standard rule is you can’t leave your pet unattended in the room,” he says. “You have to work out a strategy. You can use pet sitters or find a doggie day care or a kennel.” Some concierges will have a list of pet-sitting services, but Kingsley says that most often pet owners are left to their own devices when it comes to finding daycare for their animals.

Get Proper ID

Most pets already have identification tags displaying their home addresses. “But when you’re traveling with your pet, it’s important to have a temporary ID tag that has the address of where you’re going to be staying and your cell-phone number,” says Kim Salerno, president and founder of Tripswithpets.com. She also recommends carrying pictures of your pet with you in case the unthinkable happens and Spot runs off. If you’re traveling by air, Salerno recommends that you clearly print your pet’s name and your name, address, home phone number, and contact information for your final destination right on the carrying case. Airlines will have your details in their computers, but having it on the kennel is a quick, convenient way for them to reach you if your pet gets sick, is misplaced, or needs your attention for any reason.

Ease Pet Stress

Familiarize your pet with the idea of traveling by introducing it early to the carrier it will be transported in. “Get them accustomed to it in the house, then put it in the car and drive around the block,” Salerno says. Both experts recommend stashing inside the kennel some comfort items with familiar smells, but keep in mind that if you’re traveling by air, the types of items you can keep inside a checked airline kennel are often limited to food and water dishes and an absorbent bottom layer (a blanket, say). “The best thing you can do is sleep in an old T-shirt the night before you travel, then use that T-shirt in the bottom of the kennel as the absorbent material,” says Lisa Schoppa, manager of Continental Airlines’ PetSafe program. “That helps alleviate stress.”

Even with all these precautions, some pets will still be nervous when traveling by car or plane — you and your vet are the best judges of the stress your pet can handle. “Most pets have enough experience traveling in vehicles that motion sickness is not a problem,” says veterinarian Kim Nicholas, past president of the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association. “Fear and anxiety are more of an issue.” However, he and the American Veterinary Medical Association recommend against sedating animals during air travel, since the altitude induces sleepiness and can cause respiratory or cardiovascular problems.