If you are a cat or dog lover and feel anxious about leaving your pet alone while you travel, fret not. Nowadays, you can travel with your pet with numerous pet-friendly hotels and cafes everywhere. It can be made quite comfortable for both of you if you can plan and organize carefully for a delightful journey. While it can be fun traveling with your pet, you must ensure it is safe for you and your pet. Here are a few things you need to know in the form of a basic guide for traveling with your pet.

Traveling by air is one of the most popular ways of seeing new places with your pet. Find out from your veterinarian if your pet is fit for flying. Is it too young or too old? Is it healthy enough to travel in a crate in the passenger cabin or the cargo hold? And, most importantly, will it enjoy traveling at all?

Once you have decided your pet is going to travel with you by air, research the safest and most pet-friendly airline for your destination. You could read material on past experiences of passengers on how well the airlines handle pets. Read and understand all airline rules, regulations, policies, and safety measures for traveling with a pet.

Ensure the necessary travel documents, health certificates, and vaccination records are obtained before the date of travel. Make your ticket reservations many weeks in advance because airlines offer only a certain number of pets on board at any given time. Book yourselves on a short flight with fewer connections to your destination, and preferably an early morning or late night one when the weather is suitable for travel. Try to avoid extremely hot or cold weather during travel. Moreover, pick a relatively quiet time of the year to travel with your pet when airlines and airports are not crowded with holiday-goers.

Familiarize your pet with its crate and prepare it for the travel in advance. Let it learn to stay in the crate for a few hours every day before the date of travel. Your pet carrier/crate should fit the allotted dimensions and also be comfortable for your pet to travel in. It should be able to stand, sit, turn around, or lie down comfortably for the entire duration of the flight. It should be durable, have strong handles, be well-ventilated and leak-proof. Clear legible labels with your name, address, and multiple contact numbers must be affixed on the pet carrier for people to refer to at a glance. A distinct sign with ‘live animal’ written boldly on it with an arrow showing which side is upright must be fixed to it.

Your pet must at all times wear a tag with its name, address, your contact number, and its latest vaccination details around its neck on a sturdy collar. You could additionally have your pet microchipped for travel, this would make it easier to locate her in case it gets lost.

Be well-informed and enjoy your airplane travel along with your pet with the help of this guide for traveling with your pet.