Welcome to 2022 friends! I hope one of your goals this year is to travel with your dog. If you’ve never taken your dog with you on vacation, then I encourage you to try it! I will be sharing a bunch of tips over the next few weeks to help build your confidence and equip you with the knowledge you need to have a successful dog friendly vacation in 2022.
In this post I’m giving you 5 reasons why you should travel with your dog this year.
Need ideas on where to go? Check out my Michigan Dog Friendly Travel Guide here.
Reason #1: Take Trips Closer to home
Although 2020 and 2021 are behind us and travel is slowly getting back to normal, a lot of people are still leaning towards traveling closer to home. Traveling closer to home is a great opportunity to take your dog with you, especially if it is your first time traveling with your dog. You will also be likely driving vs. flying which is better for dog travel.
If it’s your first time taking your dog with you on vacation, I would suggest going somewhere you’ve gone before, or starting out small with a weekend getaway and working your way up to longer road trips.
I recently read an interesting article relaying travel trends in 2021. Overall the trend is that people are traveling closer to home, going to more rural places, and spending more time outdoors. All of these are perfect opportunities to travel with your dog.
reason #2: outdoor dining is becoming more popular
Because of the pandemic, outdoor dining has been steadily getting more popular. With more outdoor dining, there are more restaurants embracing the dog friendly patio. In a recent study by the National Restaurant Association, they observed that.. “In a September 2021, 65% of restaurant operators said they offered on-premises outdoor dining in a space such as a patio, deck or sidewalk. That’s up from 57% in April 2021, and roughly on par with the 67% who reported similarly in September 2020.“
Of course, not ALL outdoor patios are dog friendly, so make sure to call the restaurant beforehand to make sure.
If you’ve never gone out to eat with your dog before, check out my dog friendly dining tips. I would also suggest starting small by finding a local dog friendly restaurant to try out before taking your dog with you on vacation.
reason #3: forces you to embrace the outdoors / be more active on vacation
Bringing your dog with you on vacation, forces you to plan most of your trip outdoors. Spending time outdoors is great for your health and wellbeing. You will also probably be more active on your trip too which is great for your dog and you!
If you aren’t a nature lover, there are still ways to travel with your dog. Walking downtowns, going to outdoor landmarks, outdoor festivals, and national monuments are just a few to name that your dog could enjoy with you.
Reason #4: improves your dog’s health and wellbeing
If you’ve never looked up your dog breed’s classification or group. it’s enlightening to understand what your dog’s natural purpose is. For example, up to 13 dog breeds are classified in the “working group” and many of those dogs do not “work”. If you have a dog in the Sporting Group, like a golden or lab retriever, you’ll understand why your dog gets so much joy out of a game of fetch. Overall, understanding your dog’s breed will give you a better understanding in how to cultivate your dog’s potential,
This goes beyond traveling with your dog, but taking your dog on vacation does expose them to new experiences, new smells, and works their body and brain a lot more than when they are at home in their comfortable environment.
In addition, taking your dog on vacation also requires effort on your part to invest time and energy into training your dog to be well behaved for them to have those opportunities and experiences. A well trained dog is a happier dog because they get to do a lot more and have a lot more freedom in return.
Reason #5: Travel with your dog can be rewarding
I realize that not every dog or person may benefit from traveling together, but it is worth giving it a shot at least once. Traveling with our dog has been very rewarding. Not only is it great having your pup with you so you aren’t missing them or paying for boarding, it’s a blast to see how much fun your dog has!
Kirby has loved traveling and getting to experience new places, smells, and meeting new people. I can’t really explain the feeling, but seeing him having so much fun, just makes everything better.
I hope this post inspires you to travel with your dog this year. I’m dedicating the next 10 posts to tips and tricks on dog friendly travel, so stick around 🙂
