How to Have a Pet Friendly Vacation

One of the challenges with family vacations is deciding where you are going to leave the pets. You can drop them off at the grandparents, a friends, take them to a kennel, or… take them with you. Despite what you may have heard, bringing a pet along for a family vacation is not as complicating as you may think. While it is true that there are a lot of hotels that do not exactly welcome our four-legged family members with open arms, there are plenty that do. Here are a few helpful tips to make your next pet vacation go as smoothly as possible.

Tip #1 – Plan ahead. Once you make the decision to bring your pet on vacation, the quicker you start planning, the better. Reason be, there are many other pet owners that will be thinking the exact thing you are, and there is only so many rooms that most hotels have designated for this purpose. In general most hotels will put pets into smoking rooms, allowing for their remaining rooms to stay both smoke and allergy free.

Tip #2 – Think rental as opposed to hotel. While there are indeed many hotels today that accept pets, one of the most convenient ways to vacation with a pet is a rental unit. The restrictions are usually a bit more lenient, as you will not have surrounding guests to come into daily contact with your pet. In addition, rentals are often set up to accept large groups and have already taken in account that this may very well mean a few animals in that mix.

Tip #3 – Book directly. Booking directly for your airline ticket and room, allows you to speak to the representatives directly, so that you understand their policies. This is your chance to straighten out any problems up front, such as breed and size regulations. Unfortunately, you will find that not all breeds are welcome at every hotel or rental. There is also a matter of any extra charges per animal.

Tip #4 – Come prepared. In order to have a successful stay with your pet, you will need a few items, such as water bowl, food, blanket/mat, litter box, leash and/or pet carrier. Keep all food, water, and liter in the bathroom to minimize mess. Bring a blanket or mat for your pet to lay on to keep the hair dander to a minimum.

Tip #5 – Keep the front desk/housekeeping aware of your activities. If you decide to leave your pet in the room unattended, you’ll want to give housekeeping fair warning in case they should need to enter your room to clean, or turn down the bed. You should also keep a “Do Not Disturb” sign of the door at all times when you are away and your pet is alone.

Pets can be a fun addition to any vacation, but planning ahead will make the difference between a smooth, pleasurable, trouble-free trip and a rather stressful one! Be sure to check out the many helpful websites out there that will guide you on your way to a successful pet friendly vacation.

For a further details on pet friendly vacation rentals visit http://www.abetterstay.com/post/2008/11/22/pet-friendly-vacation.aspx

Chad Rutt is the Director of Marketing for the online lodging site http://www.abetterstay.com