When your dog is a part of the family, it can hurt to leave him at home while you go traveling. It can also be very expensive when you have to leave him with a kennel that charges as much as a hotel room. And, you will be worried about them the entire trip so it will be hard to relax.

Traveling with your dog can be fun for everybody and is the solution to those problems already mentioned. It’s also rife with challenges and is not easy to pull off if you aren’t prepared ahead of time and don’t know what to expect. In this article, we will go over what it takes to be able to travel with your dog and have a successful trip.

1 – Have insurance

An unexpected event can derail your vacation and sometimes cause you to have to cancel and go home. This can be expensive and also be something catastrophic from a well-being perspective.

It is a good idea to get insured before you go. If you or your dog get sick before or during the trip and you can’t make it to your flight or hotel then travel insurance will cover your expenses. There are types that cover natural disasters and others that cover you for any reason.

You should also look into pet emergency insurance so you can access care if your pet gets sick or injured while on vacation so you aren’t faced with enormous vet bills in an unfamiliar place. There is the possibility of an accident happening while traveling, or the dog might catch something from another dog that makes them sick.

2 – Train them well

There are two types of training that you should be thinking about before going on your trip. General obedience training is a must whether or not you plan to travel. However, it is extremely important that you are able to control your dog while you are on the road. Otherwise, you risk things getting out of control and affecting your entire trip.

You should be able to make sure that they stay put when commanded and will not run wild when out in an unfamiliar area.

The second type of training involves teaching them how to actually travel. This involves getting them used to being in a cage or a tight area.

3 – Get them enough exercise

There is going to be a lot of time stuck on transportation. You could be on planes, trains, or automobiles for a long stretch of time. Whichever means of transportation it is, this is going to have a profound effect on the dog.

It is really important to pull over frequently if you are driving to get your dog the exercise he needs to stay focused and happy. If a dog is cooped up and immobile for too long they start feeling anxiety and will begin getting fussy and cause problems. At the end of a plane or train trip, make sure to take them out for a run before moving on so they can burn off some energy.