Road Trip With Dogs Planner – What you’ve been dreaming of for so long has finally come true… you’re planning a trip with your pet! With a little preparation and caution, your trip can go off without a hitch.
You can almost feel the wind in your hair (or feathers). And just imagining new places and smells along the way gets me excited. It would be great! But there are a few things you need to do before heading out on your next trip with your pet. We’ll walk you through the process of planning a pet-friendly road trip you’ll never forget.
Road Trip With Dogs Planner
The first thing to decide when planning a trip is where to go! Whether you’re moving, visiting family or friends, or traveling for another purpose, the end of your trip may already be in the cards.
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When you’re planning a vacation and there are so many options, choosing a destination can be overwhelming. Start by imagining your perfect vacation. Can you see them relaxing on the beach? walk? Want to enjoy the scenery of a pet-friendly national park? Taking photos of yourself in the right places will help you determine the “purpose” of your trip.
After that, decide how many days you will be driving and for how long. Maybe you want to maximize the time you spend there by making a straight line to and from your destination. Or maybe you enjoy traveling, and on a road trip you want shorter driving times, more time to relax, and the opportunity to explore different places along the way.
There are no right or wrong answers. In fact, we’ve done both types of trips! And we think it’s important to consider your pet’s needs when deciding on a dog-friendly travel style.
Dogs and puppies taking their first road trip will appreciate the frequent stops and shorter drive times. Pets who travel a lot may be comfortable on long trips while taking long naps in the car.
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When you travel may influence your decision. Winter travel, where the weather can be unpredictable, may require longer drives when the weather is nice. On the other hand, traveling in summer can spoil you during the day. You can spend the cool mornings and evenings sightseeing, and enjoy riding in the afternoon when temperatures are at their highest.
The most important thing is to plan your trip so that you and your pet can enjoy it. Whether you’re an early riser or someone who sleeps in and skips your morning coffee, everyone is different. So, do what makes you happy! Once you’ve chosen your destination and decided how long it will take to get there, your travel plans begin to take shape.
It’s all old-fashioned, but I believe the best way to plan a cross-country trip is with a paper map. So grab a roadmap or a map of the state you’re going to and get started!
Planning your road trip using a physical map can give you a good picture of your route. It’s also easier to prioritize when many interesting places are close together. Organizing your plans on a map will help you see how far you’ll travel each day and help you remember what’s coming along the way.
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Start by finding a starting and ending point and focusing on the most direct route between your current location and the destination of your road trip. Then, using different colors, draw a circle along the route you can take, from stops you want to see to places you can relax.
Remember that the most direct route is not necessarily the best route. Your road trip style and how much time you plan to spend traveling will determine whether you take the highway or the back roads.
The most common mistake people make when planning a trip is trying to do too much. It’s something wrong with the way our brains work. We find the 1,000 most popular things to do, put them all on our itinerary for the week, book them, and then be surprised when things don’t go our way. There is no way to relax!
Flexibility is important when traveling with pets. The weather may not be good on the day you plan to hike. Or you can decide if you want to sleep on the beach on the day of your planned tour. So tread lightly when planning a stop.
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We like to keep a list of “ideas” and book only those things that would ruin our trip if we booked them when we arrive. In fact, you can often check availability for most places by calling at the last minute. And since there is no deposit to lose, you will feel very free. It’s a vacation after all!
We recommend estimating how much you can do, but we also recommend keeping a trusty travel map and “idea list” handy. If you’re lucky enough to have some free time, check out the map to see what’s nearby and let silence fill the void in the most wonderful way!
One of the things you’ll want to book in advance is where you’ll stay during your trip. Booking a pet-friendly hotel, vacation rental, or campsite can be a challenge, and not being able to arrange accommodations can be stressful.
Check the highlighted map to calculate how long it will take to drive from point to point along the route. Add bathroom breaks, meal breaks, and gas breaks. Also consider the time needed to visit attractions and rest stops along the way.
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Then, based on all this information, decide where you want to end each day of your trip and circle that location on the map.
Once you have decided on where you will spend the night, you can start looking for pet-friendly accommodations. A great place to start! Enter your destination city name and click ‘Accommodation’ at the top of the page. You can compare pet-friendly hotels and available accommodations, as well as their pet policies. Here you can search for pet-friendly restaurants, activities, and service providers in your area.
More and more shelters welcome pets, but not all shelters are equally pet-friendly! The following questions will help you find the best place to stay with your pet.
Rental policies for hotels and lodging change quickly, so it’s important to check whether the accommodation you’re considering still welcomes pets.
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Pets are generally not allowed in breakfast areas, restaurants, swimming pools or gyms. Please inquire in advance to ensure that pet policies and restrictions can be adhered to.
This is where pet-friendliness really comes into play. Some hotels welcome pets for free, while others charge more than the room rate per night!
Make sure you clearly understand the costs before booking. Check whether the rate is per night or for the entire stay, and whether it is per pet or a flat rate regardless of the number of pets. Also, ask if a portion of your fee will be refunded if your hotel room is not damaged during your stay.
It is common for shelters to have weight restrictions. If you find an option that’s perfect in every way except that your child is too big, ask if they’d like to make an exception. Most hotels have some leeway in their size restrictions and will try to determine this upon request.
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This is an important consideration if you are traveling with multiple pets. Some pet-friendly hotels only allow one pet per room.
Determining whether your pet can be left alone in your hotel room while you go out to eat or conduct business will help you plan accordingly.
Hotels are primarily concerned with two things when leaving pets unattended. This is the barking noise that damages the room and disturbs other guests. To alleviate this problem, some hotels require your pet to be crated when you leave on your trip. Following these tips for staying quiet will help reduce your concerns about barking.
The most important facility is always a comfortable, grass-fed animal shelter. However, some pet-friendly hotels also offer treats upon check-in, in-room pet beds and bowls, doggy room service menus, spa treatments, and pet sitting services.
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It’s always a treat when a hotel has a restaurant with a pet-friendly courtyard. And some dog-friendly hotels even host ‘happy hours’ in their lobbies every evening! It’s up to you to decide how much you want to pamper your pet. Another good thing to ask is, is there a dog park nearby?
After planning your route and booking your accommodations, the next step is to make sure your vehicle is “ready.” It’s best to go home safely together.
