Vacation Help Needed!!!
 

We are retired and rarely in our 47 years have had a vacation.

Enter Buddybear, now 17 months and hates being in a car about as much as I do. We did make a trip to Colorado when he was much younger. I packed more things for him than us, as I've never traveled with a dog before. We were considerate with him for potty and play breaks. We had reservations for a dog friendly hotel. No problems but we were visiting our son.

How do you decide where to go and what to do when you take your puppy with you? I can't leave him behind as we have no family and my only friends have large dogs. We are somewhat limited in what we can physically do so hiking trails is out. I'm not even considering a kennel. Going to amusement parks is out or anything where we would have to leave him for more than one hour.

My DH has wanted a trip of some sort for a long time.........please give me any suggestions. I feel braindead trying to figure this out. It was my idea to get this precious baby and I refuse to leave him home or leave him in anyone's care that I haven't known for 10 years, lol, yes I'm that protective.

We don't have a RV etc. Budget wise I've heard staying in a hotel is cheaper.

Am I asking for the impossible??????:confused:

Hi, I am the same way, there is NO way I am leaving mine behind with anybody when I go on vacation, the only person I would consider would be his breeder but that would only be an emergency case, such as my husband and me had to be in the hospital at the same time...I would never relax with my pups several hours away.

My husband and I along with the two pups left right after Christmas and went away for the week and had a blast! We went to Asheville, NC, stayed in pet friendly hotel and ate at pet friendly restaurants. I have their stroller and that is an invaluable investment for us. Just about everywhere we went they strolled with us :) I have their car seat and they are comfy in that traveling. We toured historical sites, went in antique stores, shopping, etc. I am not a hiker, stuff like that is just not my thing. We had wanted to rent a cabin however with it being the week of New Years there was none available. Do make sure you child proof the hotel room with light cords and the Heat/AC cords as they are always exposed in ANY room I have stayed in.

My experience is if they are in a stroller I can basically get them in about anywhere. I do not ask stores and malls if they are pet friendly, I have only been asked to take them out of one place. Everybody is typically very receptive to them in the stroller, I mean who can resist a cute Yorkie and poodle strolling :D

Below is a picture of them at the Biltmore House in Asheville...go and have a blast with BuddyBear!

We went on vacation this past summer. Oliver hates the car, but he did okay as long as he was in his crate. We went to Mackinac Island, MI. Had a great time! Stayed in a pet friendly hotel, and we had the stroller, which was wonderful! We also have a bag to carry him in when we go into museums, etc. Most stores, etc. there are very pet friendly.

We have taken Sophie with us on a few vacations now we rent pet friendly houses so she has the run of the place just like at home and we take her crate if we go out without her it's only for a bit. Works well if you have enough of her regular stuff so she feels at home. I work part time so she is use to being alone for four or five hours at home too

I am completely with you. When my husband and teenage son wanted a dog and I caved, I made them understand that I am all in on anything I do. That means my furbaby is not being boarded ANYWHERE -- not here in Mississippi and certainly not on a vacation. Last year, we went to Orange Beach, Alabama and met my sister and mother (they live in Alabama where we are originally from). I've found that in larger cities and tourist towns they are much more receptive to dogs than Columbus, Mississippi is. Zeusy did great, and we ate at restaurants that allow dogs or have patios (Hooter's has a covered patio with ceiling fans, for example). I bought a pet sling off Amazon that Zeusy loves. He hates being "imprisoned" in a crate or kennel. I crossbody the sling, and he is such a good boy (I guess being next to me is better than prison). I guess my point is that you will find "vacation spots" are much more receptive to our pets than we think. I hate the car, too. Zeusy and I both need anti-anxiety medication! I hope y'all have a great time.

Thanks for sharing your information!
Love the picture of the babies in the stroller.

I have a small crate, a sling carrier, and a bag with the hard bottom. I think a stroller might be next as I can't carry him for all day even though he's just barely 7#s.

This will be interesting where we decide to go as it's got to want all 3 of us.......decisions, I could go running down the street pulling my hair out!!!!

I leave mine with an in my home Petsitter. I've been doing it for over a decade. They never feel stressed being in their own homes and I have had good caring sitters during the years.

OMG!!!! That is an absolutely adorable pic!!! I love that pic of those babies in their stroller!!!

And I love all the ideas you offered to original poster....I think you can contact AAA travel club and they can send you for a little $$$, a book about 2 inches thick that lists every single motel in the country and if they accept pets. I know anytime I ever traveled, or crossed the country to buy my dogs, La Quinta accepts dogs....I always got the suite with the kitchenette.....have a ball on your adventure!

You will love having a stroller, even though the babies are light they do get heavy and hot, plus they are not all that comfy after awhile. Don't make the same mistake I did, my first stroller had plastic wheels, it was a rougher ride for the babies and I swear it was made for the height of a 4 year old, it would break my back by the end of the day, but I rolled that sucker until the wheels wobbled. When I got the one I did now I researched and took the advice from another YT member, rubber air filled tires are the way to go!

I hope you find the perfect location soon for your vacation!

Awe thanks! La Quinta is pet friendly and they do not charge per night per dog, a lot of places will charge a crazy amount! Some of the Choice hotels are pet friendly, some Hiltons, some Marriott but they all charge per pet per night. We stayed in the La Quinta in Charlotte and it was very nice, we got the King suite and I was very impressed.

Bringfido.com is a great resource too, it will show you hotels and restaurants in whatever town that is pet friendly, just keep in mind they do not list every one that's accepts dogs, but it does give you some options. Have fun!

Cindy_17, thanks for the tip about the wheels......never thought of that.

I'm going to do a lot of research. Great to know LaQuinta doesn't have an upcharge. We paid about $10 extra per night for Buddybear plus the stupid tax in Colorado, it was expensive.

I'll look into AAA, ARP, etc offers also.

You don't need to pay AAA for that book. Just look on BringFido.com like mentioned above or book La Quinta or Motel 6 which also doesn't charge a fee. There are some Motel 6's in select areas that are doing nicer ones that have inward facing hallways, not like the traditional motel style. Same with LQ's. You can tell on their site or on hotels.com or similar website by the pictures. We always stay at places with inward facing hallways if at all possible. There are a lot of places that will take dogs but most charge $15 per pet, some even per day!

Is it possible to rent an RV for a week and do a road trip?

Cindy, love that pic. It's so cute. The stroller looks like a regular baby stroller too.

I don't have the luxury of being a stay at home yorkie mom (someone's gotta pay the bills!) which is great for me since Kaji has learned that it's ok to be alone for a few hours. That makes outings that are short and that I absolutely cannot bring him tolerable. (of course... the next day I have an outing that's all about him so he's never left out)

For vacations, I've been super lucky to have found great friends on YT (Thank you forever P!!) that I trust Kaji with more than my own parents. But... we're talking trips where the babies can join. Lots of patio seating for meals. Kaji loves it, the waitstaff loves it, some don't even notice he's there, and Kaji gets to enjoy the trip too. After work, and on weekends Kaji goes with me everywhere possible, which made it easy for him to take long road trips (like LA to SF, or to the Grand Canyon) He is a bit of a nervous dog, so he'll cry and scream his head off sometimes, but once we're out of the car and in the store, outdoor patio of a restaurant, or whatever he's ok and super quiet. I think he came with us to see the Rockettes when we were in TN once. He had a long walk and vigorous play before the show. He napped the entire time in his carrier.

I would recommend researching the area you're going to to find dog friendly events you might be able to attend.

Cindy 17, how did you find pet friendly resturants? We live on the border of Fargo, ND and Moorhead, MN. My hubby and I work at the same place and Cooper comes to work with me. We take him everywhere we go, but have had to forego eating out. I don't know of any resturant that will accept a pet?

Most places that have outdoor seating will allow pets, even moreso if it is an order at the counter type place with side walk seating/informal outdoor area. Bringfido.com has a restaurant section too but it's not everything. I just checked for NV and it only has a tiny fraction of who allows dogs here (practically everywhere!)

Capt Noonie is right bringfido doesn't list everything especially concerning restaurants but still a good resource. A lot of times if we are out of town I will just google pet friendly restaurant in blank town and it will pull up different places too. The towns Chamber of Commerce can give you places too. We are lucky here, many of our pet friendly are actually heated patio areas so we can enjoy year around. When out of town it takes a bit more planning with the pups but is very do-able.

Capt. Noonie, I envy you, I so want to go to Vegas and see that part of the country...I really want to see Celine Dion, her husband just passed away this week and her brother just died today, so sad!

Yeah I just read about her brother. How tragic for her. I am not into her music, but she is a really decent human being and gives back to her community, which has been Vegas for the past several years. I thought Rene was getting better bc she announced more shows. She was off for quite a long time.

I understand where you're coming from! I do and have left Jax on occasion for overnights but I am lucky I have my parents (who are the only people I'd honestly feel comfortable leaving him with - he's insanely quirky, my dad especially knows all of his quirks and how to handle him - will often even sleep out in the living room on the couch with him since he won't go in the bedroom w/ him because 1 of his dogs get grumpy at night lol).

Anyway I much more enjoy dog-centric vacations and since I only have him, it's pretty easy for him to come along. I have found more and more places are becoming dog friendly but I guess it just depends on where you are. I am no help on the West coast but it's always wise to just call ahead wherever you are going if there is nothing clearly stated online anywhere. Around this area, many stores allow dogs on-leash (especially little dogs) in stores but you wouldn't know it until you are there. Jackson is quiet & well behaved in public so never causes an issue.

He's been camping, stayed in hotels, etc. If I have to leave him in the hotel (I will only leave him for 1-2 hours tops) I set up a webcam (there's a free app called Prescence that I like -- you can leave an ipad or a laptop on in the room and then connect from your phone so you can see what's going on, 99% of the time he is sleeping... but I like the peace of mind). I am a definite paranoid dog mom LOL. I don't even care anymore. :)

Thanks for the information about the Presence app! We travel with our Yorkie and often leave him in hotels when we go out to eat or to see a show. We've never had a problem, but it will be wonderful to be able to look in on him with this app.


To the original poster - keep in mind that if you stay in a hotel, when you make the reservation, ask if the rooms have doors with direct access to outside. I remember a time that another Yorkie owner reported that the housekeeping service opened their room door and their little dog somehow escaped. They eventually got her back, but it took time , maybe a week or two.

If the room provides access to outside, consider either taking a crate with you, or else put the Do Not Disturb sign on the door so that housekeeping won't open the door to the room. We usually do that anyway. We make our own bed, and just watch for the housekeeper in the hallways to exchange any wet towels for clean ones. That way, we know there is no risk that Wendell will escape.

I love the app for the peace of mind!

and yeah I always put the do not disturb sign on just to be safe and also play the TV somewhat loudly so it can be heard if you press your ear up against the door. I usually only leave him in the evening to go out to dinner etc though so house keeping isn't typically an issue.

That's a really good tip about the app. Never knew about that one.

Another reason for me to get an Ipad!!!

I like to rent a cottage and relax by the lake. Your choice to go on hikes or short walks and swim and or boating or fishing..

Another idea is to rent a houseboat and journey along a rivertrail.

When we travel I like to stay in motels that allow for in room cooking or in summertime I take our portable BBQ and an electric 2 ring plate. You can just about make anything with that setup. It is so much cheaper than dining out and I enjoy homemade food more than restaurant food.

Scenic drives with look out points is also fun.

In the springtime we go waterfalling. Drive to a waterfall enjoy the view take pictures and yes we hike - but usually it is a short walk in to enjoy the falls. You don;t have to do the long walks. It is a day trip or if you want to do a week of waterfalling - plan it out and stay in motels. I like motels mainly as it is easy to walk out the dogs.

Motel 6 Super 8 La Quinta Comfort Inn Suites Some Holiday Inn Express take dogs.

There is a site if you google it that lists the most pet friendly cities in the US