Make money on vacation! Your guide to travelling with pets.

Travelling with pets, especially dogs and extremely well-trained cats, can add a whole new dimension of pleasure and fun to your family trips.

Ozark, a 55 pound rescued lab-mix and his best friend Annie, a twenty five pound rescued heinz 57 both live with their "mom", a work at home stock analyst named Eleanor. They get to travel about fifty nights a year with their pack family, which includes Eleanor, and they behave better in hotels than some children. They have assigned seating in Eleanor's minivan... Ozark on the left, Annie on the right. They both have special seat belts to protect them and their own carry on luggage which contains their biscuits, cool, fresh water and gourmet dog food. They know not to bark in hotels unless there's something really serious and not to mark their place in hotel rooms. They have learned to wait patiently in the car while mom checks in to hotels, loads suitcases and leaves them in the car to fetch food. They've both learned how to ask mom to open the "doggie sniffing windows" in the back of the van so they can break up the monotony of long trips and figure out where they are, and Ozark, the smarter of the two, can actually recognize the golden arches. He learned that rapidly when Eleanor started giving him dry hamburgers every time she went through the drive thru.

If you work at home you're probably quite accustomed to being with your pets most of the time. If you're taking a road trip (not flying) and can't bear the thought of locking them in a 2 x 2 cage while you're gone, consider taking your pets on vacation. You might be surprised how much they add to your vacation.

Here are some tips for taking your work at home job on the road with pets

Remember that for safety, if your pets are not in a cage they should wear shoulder harnesses and be plugged in to the seat belts so they are not thrown from the car in case of an accident. Check with your pets' veterinarian for the safest and most comfortable way for your pet to travel.
With cats, be absolutely sure your cat doesn't ever get away from you; the odds are very, very bad that you'll ever catch your cat again if she gets away on vacation.
Train your pets to travel. Dogs can be trained not to bark at every noise in hotels by creating a new command just for barking on vacation. (Try 'no barking on vacation!'). Dogs also need extra help getting over feeling abandoned by you when you leave them in the car or in a hotel room. Their instincts will tell them that you took them to a new place to die or be abandoned. Your actions will signal to them that you're leaving the pack. This will be very painful for your dog. You can help them learn the traveling routine by taking short trips at a time and simply repeating the travel routine over and over. Over time they will learn that you always come back and then the pack picks up and goes somewhere else together. When you leave them in the hotel room for any reason, listen outside the door for a few minutes. If they start mourning your departure (howling or whining), rush back inside the room and tell them 'no'. Then leave for a short time. Come back and give them lots of attention and spend considerable time together. Even when they're well trained, they may still be sensitive the first day of traveling so it's best to plan lots of 'together time' when you travel with your dogs.
Leave the TV on when you're not in your hotel room. Pets will feel less lonely and it will drown out some exterior noise.
Always train your dogs by lavishing them with lots of love and using very, very consistent, firm commands.
If traveling with your pets, try to get hotel rooms away from noisy areas of the hotel such as the pool, lobby or noisy side entrances. Even if your pets are trained to travel there's no point in subjecting them to provoking noises and making them stay on guard duty necessarily.
When you travel with pets never, never never leave your pets in the car with windows cracked while you're away from the car unless the outside temperature is below 60 degrees AND you have NO SUN shining on your car. Cars heat up remarkably fast in the sun, with or without windows cracked, and your dog will die unnecessarily or suffer permanent kidney failure from heat stroke very rapidly. Dogs are far more susceptible to heat stroke than we are.
Always carry food and water for your pets. Let them drink water and stretch their legs every few hours, more often if it's warm.
Don't forget to take doggie comforts (blankets, toys and biscuits) on the road. They'll help doggie feel more at home and help you train your pets to travel well. Things that smell like home will help your pet feel more at ease in the car and in hotel rooms.
Don't forget to pack pet medicines.
Always keep your dogs on a leash for their safety and your protection. Beware that not all other dogs are friendly.
To find accomodations that accept pets, contact hotels ahead of time or obtain a free directory from your favorite hotel chain(s). They are handy tools that list most of the chain's location by cities within states. Each listing gives you information about that particular location, including whether or not they accept pets.
Some hotels have a deposit and/or a refundable deposit for pets. You usually can find a hotel that does not charge these fees which are unfair to pet owners whose pets don't damage property. Some hotels may charge a modest increase for your furried friends to stay with you. Others may have no extra charge at all.

Work at home

Tips for Traveling with your Pets