Moving soon and I've got questions!!!

[SladesMommy]

We are about to embark upon the biggest adventure of our lives!

We (my boyfriend, Slade, and Laney) are moving from a podunk town in Georgia all the way to big city Austin, Texas! Over 1,000 miles. Luckily both dogs LOVE to ride in the car, but they've never ridden that far!

We are super excited, but also growing more nervous/stress as the days tick by. Only 35 days left!

Advice would be welcome from anyone!

Some of the things we need advice/help on-

Any tips for traveling long distances with pets. We will be traveling 18 hrs. Suggestions on how to handle potty breaks for pet and food breaks for humans. It will be HOT so leaving the babies in the car while we eat will not be an option (oh yea, and we are driving 2 vehicles)

Hwy 10 will be the route we travel along. Any suggestions of interesting things to do along that route?

We are looking to stop over night somewhere around Lake Charles or Layfette. Any suggestions of hotels/ B&Bs to stay at? We are looking for less than $100 and pet friendly of course.

If anyone is familiar with the Austin area, what are some things we'd definitely want to see when we get there? Best restaurants, dog friendly places, etc.

Thanks a bunch!

[MaddieBoo]

I'm not familiar with your area at all, but last summer was the first time I took Lucas to my family's vacation home 8 hours away. If you are planning to do overnight, then I'm assuming you would be doing about 9 hours a day?

We took breaks every 2-3 hours and sat outside to eat when we ate so that he could be with us. Made sure he had access to water, even in the car, and lots of toys and chews. I think if you split it into 2 days you will be fine Lucas slept most of the way and yours probably will too.

[SladesMommy]

We are hoping to do 12 hrs on day on and 6 hrs on day 2. That way when we get to austin we'll have time to relax and start looking for an apartment.

My dogs are nutbags! I'm not so sure they are going to sleep the whole time!

[DvlshAngel985]

Depending on your comfort level, stop every 2-4 hours. You'll enjoy the chance to stretch your legs and your pups will too.
As far as food, drive through works. Or you can pack a lunch for your first day and picnic at a park. If it were me, I would be researching my route and looking for the nearest parks and dog friendly restaurants (just in case). Good luck and enjoy your adventure!

[RowdysMom]

We travel a lot in the summer too, with our 2 boys. Ours tell us when they need to take a break, usually about every 2 hours.

One thing to be careful of is when you stop and have them out on the leash to potty, watch the ground and make sure they don't eat something they shouldn't. Gas stations and truck stops, etc. have lots of trash/cigarettes/food around the perimeter and I make sure my boys don't eat something on the ground.

We usually carry an ice chest and after we stop for a potty break, they are very hot, so I put some ice into their water (I carry their water in a plastic container with a lid) so that the water is cool/cold. That really helps them to cool off.

We eat at drive-throughs or one of us goes in and orders and the other stays in the car with the boys and then we eat in the car. We have been known to park the car right by the restaurant window, leave it running, go inside and sit right by the window and eat.

Always know where the leashes are in the car, make sure they are within easy reach so that you can get them leashed up in case of emergency.

Now! For Austin - it's HOT here! To cool off, take a dip in Barton Springs pool. Barton Springs, Austin - Things to Do - VirtualTourist it's 68 degrees year round.

Here is a list of the dog friendly places in Austin, and it is not a complete list, but it's a start. DogFriendly.com's City Guide: Austin, Texas

Austin is a very dog friendly city and you will find tons of things to do with them - but it is very hot right now. It's best to wait till fall (October) to get them out and about very much. A fun place to visit is Lofty Dog on 2nd street Welcome to Austin Lofty Dog! The owner is great and they have lots of fun activities and events. We had a Yorkie meetup there a couple years ago.

Of course, you must visit the Oasis at Lake Travis (not dog friendly) - the food isn't the best and it is expensive, but you can go in the evening (to watch the sun set) and have a beer/drink/cola. It's pretty and fun - but HOT right now. Lake Travis itself is great fun - try Carlos and Charlies.

The Hike and Bike trail around Lady Bird Lake is always dog friendly and a really nice place to get out and about.

You can float the river in San Marcos or further down the road you can float the Guadalupe near New Braunfels. Lots of fun and the water is always very cool.

You will find all manner of things to do here, with and without your babies.

Enjoy!

[red98vett]

You just got an excellent reply from Rowdysmom - you'll love Austin - laid back - lots to do and a very pretty city !! (not like houston where I live) My son just moved from there to GA and misses it alot

All the best with your move - that IS exciting !

[flafox67]

I've had good luck with Red Roof Inn being pet friendly. Although, from what I've seen some are much better than others. I don't know that I could recommend all Red Roof Inns.

Good luck on your move!!

[MaddiesMommie]

I belive most Best Westerns are pet friendly.
Good luck on your move, Rowdy's mom pretty much summed it up!

[mojo]

Originally Posted by SladesMommy

We are hoping to do 12 hrs on day on and 6 hrs on day 2. That way when we get to austin we'll have time to relax and start looking for an apartment.

My dogs are nutbags! I'm not so sure they are going to sleep the whole time!

Question - you aren't looking for a place to live until you get there? That can take a while sometimes and requires references etc. What happens if you can't find one for a bit. Maybe you should have that set before you get there?

[BanditSocks2]

When we travel with the dogs one of us will start walking them while the other one goes in to the bathroom and to get food, and then we switch so the dogs are never alone in the car and have plenty of time to stretch. I'm sure your going to be insanely busy, but if possible before the trip tire them out by walking them or taking them to the park. Do they have a doggie daycare they could go to the day before to tire them out? Also, make sure they are securely buckled in!!!

Good luck and have a safe trip!

[SladesMommy]

Thanks for the advice and suggestions everyone! There were some things I had not thought about!

Rowdys' mom, I take it you live in Austin? Are there any parts you would recommend avoiding when we are looking for apartments? Any particular areas that are better than others? As much as I'd love to live near downtown, that isnt' going to be an option with our budget ($850 or less for a 2 bedroom). Most of the places that appear to be in our price range are in the Northwest. Is this a nice area? If end up living in the NW area, how far of a drive is it to the most of the "action".


Mojo, we've never been to Austin before and just don't feel comfortable with committing to a place to live until we get there and see it. Right now we are hoping to find a place to sublease for a month while we look. If we can't, we do have enough money saved to live in a hotel a week or two. We'd rather spend a bit of extra money rather than be stuck living in an apartment we don't like. Austin does have agent (free of charge) that work with most of the complexes in the area and will work to find exactly what we want, so i don't think it will take longer than a week or two.

We were thinking Red Roof hotels since they are pet friendly without extra charge. I'll have to look into Best Westerns too, I didn't realize they were pet friendly


The day before we leave, they are going to get groomed. They of course, don't sleep while they're there so they'll be nice and tired. More than likely that night we'll have family in and out most of the early evening so hopefully they'll be nice and tired!

[RowdysMom]

Just stay on the west side of I35. Also avoid the area around Lamar/Rundberg/Rutland. If you look up the crime stats, you'll notice it is higher in that area. But don't worry, Austin is a very safe city. I think there are some nice places in south Austin too, if you stay west of I35. South Austin is the new "cool" place to live in Austin.

The "action"is downtown or at Lake Travis and it's an easy drive from anywhere, as long as you are not going during rush hour.

If you want to ask me about potential apartments when you get here, I'll give you my contact info by PM.