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beginner’s guide

dOG fRIENDLY tRAVEL tips

Welcome to the beginner’s guide to dog friendly travel!
Here you will find all the dog friendly travel tips and advice to get started.

Where to go
what to do
What To Bring
Helpful Tips
Alia and Kirby
Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

TRAVEL TIPS

BEFORE YOU go

IS your dog ready for travel?

Traveling with your dog is definitely more work than having someone watch them while you go off on adventures. Make sure to assess your dog’s travel capabilities by asking yourself these questions:
1. Does my dog enjoy being around other people or dogs?
2. Does my dog listen to me?
3. Can I get them under control if a situation occurs?
4. Does my dog have anxiety in unfamiliar environments?

plan, plan, plan!

To truly enjoy a vacation with your dog, it needs to be well-planned. That way once you are there, you aren’t worried about where you will eat with your dog or what you can do. 

read more: how to plan a dog friendly vacation

travel tips

travel introduction

Start local

The best way to find out if your dog will travel well is to start local. Take your dog out to eat with you at a dog friendly restaurant nearby, do a staycation in your own city and stay at a hotel for one night. 

What really helped us at the beginning with our dog, was going to a city we had vacationed to many times. For example, I grew up visiting Traverse City, MI in the summers and I know that city so well that taking Kirby there for his first vacation did not come with the added stress of an unknown location. 

work your way up

After starting local and assessing how your dog has done, slowly work your way up and troubleshoot. For example, if your dog doesn’t do well in a hotel, try camping. Do a weekend getaway to a fun city nearby before you jump right into a longer road trip.

read more: 6 dog friendly vacation tips for a great trip
dog friendly vacation tips
Port Crescent Beach - dog friendly beaches
Created by potrace 1.16, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2019

where to go

Top DOG FRIENDLY destinations in the USA

traverse city

Michigan

bar harbor

Maine

Chicago

Illinois

bend

Oregon

asheville

North Carolina

Sanibel Island

Florida

Sedona

Arizona

Austin

Texas

What to do

dog Friendly activities

Explore the outdoors:

Obviously if your dog is going with you on vacation you will be spending most of your time outdoors. However, you don’t have to limit yourself to only hiking or dog parks. 

Make sure to check out if there are dog friendly beaches in the city you are visiting, dog friendly boat tours, walking tours, and any outdoor landmarks that are unique to the city. 

Dog friendly events:

Bring your dog with you on vacation is becoming increasingly popular. Make sure to check for dog friendly events and perhaps plan your trip around that! 

You’ll find it much easier to plan a trip if the city is literally catering to dogs for a weekend. Don’t believe dog friendly events exist? Check out the Dog Bowl in Frankenmuth, MI, Puptopia Festival in Texas (Dallas, Austin, and Houston) or the Dog Day Festival in Nashville, TN.

DIY winery or brewery tour:

You’ll find that a lot of wineries/vineyards and breweries are dog friendly. Not all are, so make sure to double-check. 

If you are going to a destination that is known for its wine or beer, you’ll be able to make your own DIY Winery or Brewery Tour and bring your pup along with you!

read more: dog friendly activities to do on vacation

WHAT TO bring

dog travel packing lists

You can’t go on vacation with your dog and not pack up their gear! Check out these packing lists to help you make sure you are well-equipped for a dog friendly vacation.

Kirby-Paint Creek Trail - Dog Friendly Trails

Packing Guide: Hiking

Whether you decide to walk on an easy trail through a forest or up a mountain, your dog will need to be outfitted with their own dog hiking gear.

Dog hiking gear packing list
Kirby at Mission Point Beach, Traverse City, MI - dog friendly beaches

Packing Guide: Beach

In this packing list, I’m breaking down the 8 essential items to bring in your dog beach bag! Make spending a day at the beach a breeze for you and your pup.

Dog Beach Bag Packing List
dog under shade device

Packing Guide: Camping

Buying camping gear in itself is a lot of fun, but it is even better when you are buying dog camping gear. To make camping with your dog easier, there are a handful of things you need.

Dog Camping Gear Packing List

helpful tips

DOG FRIENDLY TRAVEL TIPS

Every vacation will require you to either stay in a hotel. camp with your dog, eat out at a restaurant, and so on. If you’ve never done any of these things before, you’ll find the below posts super helpful to get you started. These dog friendly travel tips will hopefully help make your vacation with your dog a little easier!

TIPS FOR DINING OUT

TIPS FOR ROAD TRIPS

TIPS FOR HOTELS

TIPS FOR CAMPING

TIPS FOR CAR SICKNESS

DOG TRAVEL BAG TIPS

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