When you travel, spending time with your loved ones is one of the most important parts of the trip. You might bring along some of your family members or your closest friends. However, pet owners often have to leave their favorite companions behind. Most ways of traveling and overnight accommodations aren’t pet-friendly. Having to leave a pet behind can be painful for both the owner and their pet, as pets don’t understand when they’ll be coming home. Fortunately, pet owners have one great way of traveling that allows them to bring their pets with them. By renting an RV, you can be sure that your pet can stay with you the whole trip so you never have to be apart.
While this works for many people who want to travel with their pets, it can sometimes be complicated and requires some extra planning on your part. Here are some of the best tips that can make it easier for you to travel with your favorite fur babies.
Find Pet-Friendly RVs for Rent in Canada
Not all RV rental companies welcome your furry friends. Some allow them at no additional charge while others ask for a cleaning fee to cover sanitizing the RV at the completion of the rental and removing all traces of pet hair from the motorhome. CanaDream is one company that has pet-friendly motorhomes for rent and is happy to welcome your dog or cat as you experience Canada at your own pace by RV.
Find Pet-Friendly Campgrounds
The first step anytime you plan on bringing a pet with you on an RV trip is to make sure the campground you’re staying at allows pets to begin with. While you might assume that every campground is pet-friendly, there are some that aren’t. You don’t want to have a whole trip planned out only to realize after the fact that the campground doesn’t allow cats or dogs. Although not all campgrounds allow cats and dogs, there are many pet-friendly RV campsites in Canada, so this probably won’t require you to go too far out of your way to find the right one.
Pack Your Pet’s Favorite Things
When you’re RVing with pets, making sure they’re comfortable is the most important thing for you to do. Your cat or dog will be in a new environment and won’t understand what’s going on. Pets rely on their owners in times like this to help keep them at ease, especially if you have a pet who you know has problems in new places.
To make this easier for them, bring all of their favorite things along for the ride. If your dog or cat as a toy that they always have near them, bring it with you to help keep them comfortable. Depending on how long you’ll be traveling, you should bring a few different pet toys with you so they have options to keep them preoccupied. A pet bed, if they use one, can also help make sure they feel at home so they’re able to get rest while on the road.
Pack Plenty of Food
Unlike you and the rest of the people on your trip, your pet can’t stop somewhere to get a bite to eat. Figure out how much food your pet typically eats in a day and bring at least that much for each day you’ll be gone. Packing extra snacks that they wouldn’t normally have during the day can help keep them calm while traveling. Snacks can also be used as a treat if your pet is behaving especially well during the trip. You’ll also want to be sure that you have food and water bowls in the RV as well.
Find All the Local Vets
When many people travel, especially to rural areas, they want to know where all the nearby hospitals are. Knowing where to go in case of an emergency can help put people’s minds at ease. If you’re traveling with a pet, you should also be sure that you’re aware of all the local veterinary offices. This is something no one ever wants to think about using, but can make a huge difference in the event that you do end up needing it. Even if you only never end up needing a vet whenever you travel with pets, it doesn’t hurt to know where they are in advance.
Plan for Walks
Your pet might be in the RV for hours at a time while you get to where you’re going. You likely already know from your own experience how difficult long rides can be and how ready you are to stretch out once you get to your destination. These long rides can be even harder for pets, so you can guarantee that they’ll be ready for a walk once you’re parked. At the campground you’re staying at, find the trails that will be most suitable to walk a pet on. For this, you’ll also have to be sure to pack their leash and something to clean up after them with. Before you go on your trip, you should also make sure to check the weather so you know you’re pet will be able to spend time outside.
