Comments on: Travelling With Pets

By: Stella

Stella — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 23:09:27 +0000

Thank you for this! It is a very timely post for me as I am getting ready to relocate from Philadelphia to Phoenix and am very anxious about bringing my cat, Ginger, on the plane with me. I have been researching soft carriers so that she will fit on the plane under the seat. My heart would break if I had to cargo her!

Thanks again for all your advice!
Stella

By: Courtney

Courtney — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 01:33:52 +0000

Ugh. We are moving from TX to Singapore in January and I am having a mild panic attack about shipping my pet. She’s a St. Bernard…I don’t think we can bring her on the plane since she’s 130 lbs and not exactly “under the seat” size. Any suggestions you’d have that I can look into would be great!!

By: Hygge House

Hygge House — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 00:13:11 +0000

Grace was born in Canada so that’s not really international but crossing the border with her, I had to have all of her paper work up to date and it was a rather quick process.

I have flown with her once and I paid for a first class ticket. My reasoning was that when you fly first class, you get treated a lot better and can get away with taking on more. I had a smaller carrier for her so I could take her on. First or business is hardly ever full and there is WAY more room. So I was able to fit her underneath the (unused) seat next to me and whilst flying, bring her up and sit her next to me. This was a relatively painless experience.

I’ve heard too many horror stories about putting pets in cargo. If you have to do it, do some google research about different carries, don’t fly when it’s really hot or cold, don’t do connecting flights etc. But it’s really one of the most traumatising things for a pet. Even though business or fist might be expensive, it’s worth it if you have a cat or small dog. It’s just more relaxing for everyone, more space and less full means less noise/stress to the pet. Or consider buying to coach tickets side by side so you have extra room next door.

As for European travel, I plan to do this with Jack but I’m going to do the Queen Elizabeth II ship from NY to Southampton. They have luxury kennels on board and you can visit your pets. I’ve had a few friends go this route and it was a great experience (and they have a lot of deals).

The great news about Europe is that most counties now to NOT quarantine pets! So as long as you have all your paperwork showing their shots/vaccines are up to date, then you will generally have no problems. I have friends who travel all over Europe with their dogs and haven’t had issues.

Hope that helps!

By: james

james — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 16:00:17 +0000

hi alex! i know you travel quite a bit internationally — do you take your pets with you then, or board them? if you do take them with you, do you have tips on how to make it easier on the pet? i have a cat and will need to take her across the ocean in the future, so experienced advice is welcome. thanks!

By: Courtney

Courtney — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 13:43:04 +0000

This is great information – thanks so much for sharing. Have you ever traveled internationally with your pets or know someone who has? Can you recommend any great companies to use for this?

Thanks!