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Traveling Abroad With Your Pet? 8 Pro Tips to Keep in Mind

Traveling abroad with your pet could be a unique experience that brings a lot of joy and happiness. However, this brings its own set of challenges.

There could be a lot of problems like airline restrictions, health and safety issues, security procedures, discomfort during traveling, pet anxiety, accommodation, etc. Just imagine you and your dog or cat being stopped right at the airport entrance because of security concerns. That doesn’t sound good, right?

Well, this article will help you in overcoming such issues. So, it’s time to have a deep look at our top 8 pro tips that you need to keep in mind while flying with a pet abroad. 

Top 8 Effective Tips For Travelling Abroad With Your Pet

1. Start Planning Early

This is an important tip when flying with a pet abroad. You will need to prepare and research a lot of things like vaccinations, health certificates, microchipping, etc. 

Not to forget, you will also need to book pet-friendly flights and a room for accommodation. If the country you are traveling to is quite unknown to you, you also need to think about making arrangements for and from transportation from the airport. 

2. Make Sure Your Pet is Healthy

Your pet needs to be in a healthy condition before you make a call to travel abroad with it. It needs to be up-to-date on all of its vaccinations. There are certain countries which have specific vaccination requirements. So, make sure to check with the embassy of the country you are traveling to. 

3. Get a Health Certificate From Your Veterinarian 

When you travel to a new country, it’s better to have your pet’s health certificate ready. Most countries ask for this certificate from a veterinarian for you to enter the country. 

One thing that you need to keep in mind is that this certificate needs to be issued within a certain amount of time before traveling. Therefore, it is important to verify with the traveling country’s embassy for specific requirements. 

4. Consider Microchipping Your Pet

Let us consider that you are chilling near the seashores with your pet, and the next moment, you get to know that your pet is nowhere to be seen. Sounds scary right? This is when microchips can come in handy. 

A microchip is basically used for identification and can help you find your pet if it gets lost when traveling abroad. It is a small device which has a unique identification number. If by chance your dog or cat gets lost, this number can be scanned by the concerned veterinarian or animal shelter to identify your pet and contact you.

5. Be Mentally Prepared For Long Travel Times

There is a whole lot of difference when you are traveling alone and when you are flying with a pet. It’ll take more than usual time when it comes to airport check-in, customs and immigration clearance, and any quarantine periods if required. 

Be prepared for all these additional travel times and most importantly have patience.

6. Pack Light & Bring Everything Your Pet Needs

When you are packing your luggage, keep your pet(cat or dog) as your priority. You might have a lot of options while traveling including food but that isn’t the case when you are flying with a pet especially if you own a cat. 

Food, water, bowls, bedding, toys, and medications are some of the important things that you need to keep in mind while packing. It would be a great idea if you could purchase food from a reliable source so that your cat doesn’t face any stomach upset. Additionally, you could have an extra copy of your pet’s health certificate and vaccination records.

7. Keep Your Pet Calm & Comfortable During Travel

The behavior of pets varies from one breed to another and from one animal to another. Traveling can usually be stressful for pets like cats. Hence, it becomes important to do everything that’s possible from your end to keep it calm and comfortable.

Take them for a good walk before you board in and make sure they have a comfortable place to rest and sleep during the journey. You can also carry a calming pheromone diffuser or a spray that can reduce their stress levels to an extent.

8. Be Aware of Laws & Regulations Regarding Pets

Different countries have different laws and regulations regarding pets. So it’s important to get in touch with the destination country’s embassy or consulate before you travel.

Some countries have restrictions on certain breeds of dogs and cats, some have quarantine requirements, and there are countries with different vaccination requirements.

The Final Word

Flying with your pet can be a fulfilling experience. But at the same time, there is a sense of responsibility that comes with it. So keep yourself calm and keep your mind open so that it becomes easy to make wise decisions for your pet. 

And lastly, we hope that you gained a lot from this blog and hopefully this helps you when you are flying abroad with your pet. If you have anything else to add to our list of top 8 pro tips, you are more than welcome!