Top tips for traveling with your dog
Kelly Carter met her longhair Chihuahua Lucy at an airport in 2001. Since then, she and Lucy have traveled throughout the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean and Europe. Carter, a former People magazine and USA TODAY reporter, used those experiences to start TheJetSetPets.com and is now the pet travel expert at the AOL site Paw Nation. In her new book The Dog Lover's Guide to Travel: Best Destinations, Hotels, Events, and Advice to Please Your Pet — and You, she advises travelers on how to have the best pet-cation possible. Carter shared some of her tips with USA TODAY.
Q: Why was this the right time to write this book?
A: As more people travel with their dogs, more hotels have become accommodating to those pet parents. So it's important for people to know what hotels they can stay at as well as what they are going to do at those locations. This book shows pet parents how their pooch can have a true pet-cation.
Q: Flying is difficult enough for humans. What is your advice for dealing with the hassles of flying when you've got a dog in tow?
A: It doesn't have to be stressful just because you're bringing your four-legged friend. I always recommend that people don't make that first trip with their dog coast to coast. Start small. Take a short plane ride from New York to Boston and see how your dog does. People can get calming products. One thing I always recommend is a piece of apparel called Thundershirt. It has the effect of a baby being swaddled. It keeps your dog calm. For people who have to check their dogs (in the cargo area), that does come with its risks. I recommend that people check the Department of Transportation Air Travel Consumer Report, which comes out monthly, to check an airline's track record as far as transporting pets.
Q: You write about dog-friendly vs. dog-tolerant hotels. What's the difference?
A: There are some hotels that will take your money and not provide any amenities. I understand that a hotel room has to be deep-cleaned after a dog is there but it shouldn't be that expensive. Some hotels charge $200 when it costs them about $35. It's just wrong. The reason I love Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants is that it's a pet-friendly hotel chain with dogs of all sizes and no pet fee. If Kimpton can do that, other hotels can do it too. I stayed at the Hotel Palomar in Dallas, a Kimpton hotel, and there's a pet concierge button on the telephone. The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and many of the other pet-friendly hotels in Las Vegas have an area for pets to take care of business. You don't want to walk a dog on the Vegas strip with all the crowds, plus dogs are banned from the Strip during certain hours. Just like the Westin has Heavenly Beds for humans, the Westin has a Heavenly Bed for dogs.
Q: Are restaurants becoming more dog-friendly or tolerant?
A: They are becoming more pet-friendly. One of the trends is a combination dog park and watering hole. Mutts Canine Cantina in Dallas is a dog park and a place to get beer and wine. Someone has realized that it'd be a great idea to have people be able to socialize, have a cocktail or lemonade, and watch their dogs play. Denver also has a few of these businesses.
Q: In your book, you list dog-friendly activities for every state. Are there any states or regions that are more dog-friendly than others?
A: National parks in the USA have not been the most dog-friendly except for the Grand Canyon. Florida can do a better job as far as pet-friendly beaches. Most of California is good but Los Angeles, with the exception of Belmont Shore Dog Beach, is challenging. Then you have those incredibly pet-friendly places. Carmel-by-the-Sea would be No. 1. The entire beach is off-leash. Dogs of all sizes are pretty much allowed everywhere on leash. It's not unusual to see them in wineries or art galleries or patios at restaurants.
Q: If you had to name your three top tips for traveling with your dog, what would they be?
A: No. 1 is finding the proper carrier. Don't just look at style. Consider how comfortable and practical it is. Also realize that the best one for the car may not be the best one for the airplane. No. 2 would be to start small on your trip. Do a trial run and check into an inexpensive, local hotel to see how your dog does in a different environment. . Take a short airline trip if your dog is going to be traveling in-cabin. And No. 3, take your dog to a pet store before you travel. When your dog can walk around that pet store without relieving itself, then you know your dog is good to go to a dog-friendly department store or an art gallery. Keep doing it until they can control themselves.