How To Travel With Pets » General

How To Find Pet Friendly Hostels

Anil P. — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 06:00:35 +0000

There are a growing number of pet-friendly hotels and pet-friendly resorts for travelers but finding any pet-welcoming hostels is fairly difficult at best. Most people associate hostels with dorm rooms and backpackers but hostels aren’t necessarily comprised of either. You can save money by making your next vacation stop in a pet-friendly hostel but you have to find them first.

UpTake Hostel Search

Both the big hostel booking engines HostelWorld and HostelBookers don’t have search filters for pets but travel planning site UpTake does. Searching for pet friendly hostels is a bit clunky and involves searching for a city, then filtering for pet friendly results followed by hostels. It’s not nearly the most intuitive process to follow and what exactly makes a hostel “pet friendly” isn’t clearly defined. You’ll have to call the actual establishment for more details but UpTake gives you a good number of results to sift through for most major cities.

Specific City Results

As I mentioned there are slim pickings for good pet friendly hostel resources and most are scattered throughout the Internet. There is some good information pet friendly hostels in Ireland and highlights that Google is your best friend. Searching for city-specific “pet friendly hostels” seems to turn up the most results, especially in the US, UK, and other pet friendly international cities.

A Lack Of Choices To Choose From?

It might be that there simply aren’t enough pet friendly hostels out there (or enough people searching for them). If you know of any good resources I’d love to hear them and especially so if you own or work at a pet friendly hostel yourself. Feel free to leave links back to your hostel below and let us know why it’s pet friendly.

[photo by: somecanuckchick (dog sleeping on bed)]

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5 Useful Pet Travel Websites

Anil P. — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 06:00:52 +0000

Whether you’re planning or thinking about traveling with your dog, cat or other pets, there are many useful online resources at your disposal. With these listed sites you can plan your next trip with your pet, find out any of the applicable rules and regulations, and get advice from people who travel extensively with their pets.

1. Go Pet Friendly

One of the most useful websites for pet friendly accommodation and those traveling with their pets in the US, this search engine finds all of the pet friendly hotels, restaurants, campgrounds, and activities at your destination and everywhere in between. You can learn more about the co-founders Rod and Amy Burkert in my interview with them last year.

2. Dog Jaunt

This blog breaks down many of the airline regulations and other legalities that can come when flying with your dog. Primarily geared towards owners of small dogs, pet owners will find the Dog Jaunt guides time-saving and enlightening as well.

Dog Jaunt

3. Pet Travel

In addition to a hotel, restaurant, and general pet-friendly search engine, Pet Travel has a long list of resources for travelers taking their pets on international trips. You can find information regarding airline pet policies and pet import requirements as well as print out the necessary forms to prepare for your trip.

Pet Travel

4. Pet Relocation

A very straightforward interface makes it easy to plan out your US domestic or international trip with your pet. Pet Relocation has specific articles for most countries around the world as well as helpful videos and tutorials to make a somewhat complex process much simpler.

Pet Relocation

5. And A Small Dog

From choosing the right dog carrier to keeping you updated with the latest news in pet travel, And A Small Dog has hotel and destination information as well. Frustrated with many of the other pet travel sites when she first started out, Leila Coe hopes to be the accessible and versatile pet travel site she had been searching for.

And A Small Dog

More Good Resources

There are many other good and quite useful pet travel websites out there. Which ones would you recommend and why? Feel free to share in the comments or let us know about what you thought about the sites mentioned above.

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All-Inclusive, Eco-Friendly Resort For You And Your Pet: Xpu-Ha Palace Mexico

Anil P. — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 06:00:57 +0000

This is a guest post about Leila Coe who writes the And A Small Dog blog about travel advice for you and your dog.

Palace Resorts is one of the leading all-inclusive hotel brands in Mexico and they try to cater to all travel tastes and styles. They have family friendly resorts, spa resorts, adults-only resorts and couples only-resorts. They are again leading the industry to be the first fully all-inclusive resort in Mexico to also offer an all-inclusive pet-friendly resort experience.

At the Xpu-Ha Palace, guests with pets (either dogs or cats) will receive special bedding in their room. A litter box and pooper-scooper is provided for felines and plastic bags are provided in the dog walk area outside. There is also a special pet facility on property that offers veterinarian care, boarding facilities and obedience training. And as part of the all-inclusiveness of the resort, grooming is included.

Pet Rules At The Resort

There are some rules to follow for those traveling with pets. They must be under the supervision of their owners at all times (except when being “baby-sat” at their on-site facility or they can be left in a crate in the room). A maximum of two pets are allowed per room – the first pet is free but the second pet will have to pay $50. The maximum weight limit is 55 lbs. per pet. They must be well-behaved, and they must wear and ID collar at all times. Guests must present a copy of the pet’s vaccination records at the time of check-in as well as a certificate of a complete physical exam by a licensed vet (these documents will also be required for entry into Mexico).

The beachside Xpu-Ha Palace, is located in the Riviera Maya which is just south of Cancun. The resort is set on 37 secluded acres, surrounded by the natural vegetation and wildlife. The eco-friendly accommodations look like treehouses and are set amongst the natural jungle that makes up most of the property. All have private jacuzzis and hammocks on the balconies. On-site amenities include an outdoor pool with areas for kids, teens and adults, a swim-up bar, a mini zoo, gym and spa. There is a choice of 5 restaurants and bars on property, but you can add more options by visiting other Palace Resorts in the area for no additional fee. See below for more information on what is included in a typical Palace Resort vacation.

Requirements For Bringing Pets Into Mexico

Requirements for taking a pet to Mexico: visit the Mexico consulate website to find up-to-date information. Currently, you will need a certificate of health for the pet issued by a certified veterinarian within 15 days of departure. You will also need a valid certificate showing proof of vaccinations. The health certificate will need to be endorsed by your states USDA APHIS office. For more information on how to get it endorsed, visit the USDA APHIS website.

Once you have all the paperwork squared away, it will be time to head to sunny Mexico to have a laid-back vacation with your trusty companion! FYI – passports now required for Americans traveling to Mexico!

For more information on vacations with your pets and to receive personalized assistant from pet travel agent, visit www.AndASmallDog.com or follow us on Twitter @AndASmallDog

How To Find Pet Friendly Hostels

Traveling With Pets From The US To Europe

Anil P. — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 06:00:09 +0000

Traveling with pets from the United States to Europe, in particular the European Union nations, is a process that is simple once you know what to expect. Finding good information about the requirements prior to your trip is the most difficult part of the entire trip and most of the work is upfront. Importing your pets and getting through customs is the easy part.

First Steps: Where Are You Going?

This seems like a basic question to ask but you need to take be absolutely sure with the answers to these questions:

What are all of the cities you’ll be in, including layovers?
When is your trip? (You’ll need at most 30 days, at a minimum of 1 week depending on how current vaccinations are.)
Is your country in the European Union?
Which airline or airlines will you be flying and do they have any airline breed restrictions?
Crate dimensions? The airlines will require this before you can make reservations for your pets.
Cabin or not? If your pet is under a certain weight (i.e. 12lbs) you may be able to have them in the cabin with you. Airlines often only allow 2 pets per plane so call them early to ask. Also, if your pet doesn’t do well traveling and defecates, yowls, or has trouble when being transported, to the vet for example, consider having them fly as baggage where most larger animals are.

Many travelers often focus on the import of the pets and don’t thoroughly research these basics. Also, if you’re traveling with an animal other than a dog or a cat make sure there aren’t any prohibitions against importing them at your destination. Don’t just take the word of your vet or the airlines.

Check The Embassy Website

Like I mentioned above, do not get your pet travel information anywhere other than the embassies of each country you will be traveling to. Almost every single EU country will have information about what you need to bring pets in from the United States on their embassy websites. You can find contact information for every embassy in the world using EmbassyWorld and if you are unclear about anything feel free to give them a call.

What You’ll Need

This information is subject to change and is a general overview of what you’ll need to take your dog or cat from the US to the EU.

A microchip
A pet passport (that can be downloaded from the specific embassy’s website) – This ‘passport’ is a certification of health from your vet with the most important piece of information being that a rabies vaccination has been current for at least 30 days. So long as you’ve been keeping up to date on all of the US and state-required vaccinations you should be fine.
This passport must be signed and stamped with your state’s agriculture department. Your vet will be able to let you know where to send it.

Again, you need to verify all of the specific information for each country your animals will be going to and stopping along the way.

How Much Will It Cost?

Flying with your pets from the US to the European Union will hit your pocketbook on several fronts.

The Airline: The price per pet is usually around the $200 range from the US.
The Vet: A checkup plus any required vaccinations can run anywhere from $75-300.
State Stamps: Shipping rates vary but you’ll usually find yourself sending a $50 check for each pet. That’s the fee required to stamp and process your vet certificates of health and EU pet passports.
Crates: The airlines usually have restrictions on the type (i.e. plastic), size, and interiors of pet crates. Check with them to find out what you’ll need. New crates range on the size but start at $50 and can go up to $400.

There are also some miscellaneous costs as well like toys, treats, and chewing bones to keep your cat and dog happy for the plane ride.

Importing Usually Isn’t A Problem

When traveling from the US to the EU you generally won’t have any problems in customs with your pets. Often times they don’t even check your papers if your animals appear in good health. That doesn’t mean though you should try to skip or skimp on any of the requirements though since not having them could result in lengthy quarantines or possible deportation.

Check the requirements early, get your shots done on time, and make sure you’ve got the right crates and have informed the airline at least 10 days before your departure you’ll be booking for your pets as well. Once you’ve done all of the administrative work up front you can usually breeze through customs. The faster you’re at your destination and the quicker you get settled, the less stress your pets will face and the more enjoyable trip for everyone.

[photos by: Paul Schultz, Americatidol]

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