Do you really need to travel with your pet?

Traveling with checked baggage can be complicated enough, but throw a live animal into the mix and you have got a whole new world of potential chaos to deal with. Traveling with a pet is never going to be easy but certain problems and catastrophes can be avoided with the proper planning.

Do you really need to travel with your pet?

We all love our pets, but before taking on the extra stress of traveling with a pet, you really need to look at the pros and cons. Yes, you will get to share your traveling experience with your furry best friend, but how much time and money is this going to cost you? If you are just going on a short vacation, consider leaving your pet with a close friend or even a nice boarding facility.

For the sake of this article, I’m focusing on flying with a pet, which is a lot more complicated than driving with one. I would much rather take my car-ride loving dog on a road trip than a flight.

Do your research

There are a lot of restrictions and strict policies involved with pet travel and you need to know all of the rules and regulations backwards and forwards.

The first thing you need to research is the destination. If it’s within the US you won’t need to worry about as many documents, you’ll basically just need current vet records and up to date rabies shots. International travel, on the other hand, is a whole different battle. All countries will require current medical records with updated rabies shots and many countries have specific forms that you have to get from their consulate. These forms often have to be mailed from far away offices and cannot be faxed because they have special seals or need to be filled out in triplicate.

The forms, however, are the least of your worries. You will need to read and re-read all the strict policies specific to the country you plan to visit. Many countries require a period of quarantine for any animal entering the country. This time period can be up to 6 months. Other countries will only require a quarantine for animals intended for sale, meaning personal pets are exempt. If you’re extra lucky, the country will not require a quarantine at all. Make sure you know what kind of situation to expect upon arrival.

You will also need to take a close look at the wording regarding the vet forms. Many countries write the requirements in a way that it almost sounds like a riddle; “Rabies shots must be up to date within the year and also renewable within the next year and given no earlier than 30 days before departure and no later than 10 days before departure”. Yeah, try to decipher that. You have to be 100% positive you are following all the rules; giving your pet a rabies shot a day too late or a day too soon could affect their entry into the country.

Some countries may also require a separate entrance fee for animals, so make sure you are ready to pay that fee as well.

Airline restrictions

Each airline has their own very specific set of rules regarding traveling with pets. Many airlines will allow smaller animals to travel in the cabin, provided the flight is domestic and you have the proper pet carrier. In general the rule is the pet must fit in a soft carrier that can fit under the seat in front of you. Some of the more pet-friendly airlines will allow you to keep the pet on your lap after take-off, but don’t count on it. Other airlines will only allow pets to travel as checked baggage, which requires a totally different pet carrier. This carrier has to be hard and have very specific dimensions and attachments. The general requirements include that the carrier must have 3 small windows of some sort for the pet to see through. The pet must also be able to stand, sit, lay down and do a full 360 turn within the carrier. You must also be able to attach a water dish that can be filled from the outside, which means no water bottles.

If you manage to get past the head-spinning rules, get ready to take a seat and a deep breath as you look into the fees involved. Most airlines will charge you an “excess baggage” fee and also a “pet fee”. These fees can be upwards of $200, easily. This is per flight so if you have a connection, you will have to pick up your animal, re-check them and shell out some more cash.

Check the weather

This sounds like a completely unrelated topic, but it is very relevant. Many airlines place temperature restrictions upon pet travel. If it is too hot or too cold in either the city of departure or the destination, the animal will not be allowed on the plane at all. The most common temperature restrictions are that no pet can travel if the temperature is below 45°F/7.2°C or above 85°F/29.4°C. Make sure you check average temperatures for the season of each location on your itinerary. You maybe have to suffer long layovers in order to fly only in the early morning or late night hours.

Make reservations

A lot of airlines require you to make a special reservation for your pet. Even if you specified that you will be traveling with a pet at the time of purchase, you should call the airline to confirm. This can get tricky when you go through travel sites as the airlines and travel sites will often try to shift the responsibility to the other, leaving you stuck without a reservation. If this happens to you, as it did to me, there is a last resort option. Call the airline or travel site and get a cooperative agent on the phone (this may take several tries, just keep asking for their supervisor if you have to). Once you have some one willing to help you, do a conference call and call the other involved party. Once they are both on the line, explain the situation and let them battle it out. One of them will give in eventually and you will have your pet reservation.

You will also need to call again 24 hours before your flight. It may be quick and painless, it may be miserable, but trust me, it is much better than bringing your pet to the counter and being told the reservation was never confirmed.

Traveling with a pet will undoubtedly add complications and higher costs to your traveling experience but rest assured, it can be done. I survived it and so can you.