Being able to take your dog with you on vacay is one of life’s simple joys.
As we normally prefer city escapes to those in the country (we love the countryside also guys, just generally prefer city adventures!), we thought we would give you our ultimate packing guide for hotel adventures with your dog.
More and more hotels are insisting on dogs being crated while left unattended in hotel rooms. Because of this, we always pack a travel crate to keep the little ones safe. They are also very helpful if your dog is used to being crated for toilet training issues or similar as you can bring your dogs familiar crate.
It is the law in many countries that dogs are in a carry bag while in transit. Because of this, we use a travel bag for airline trips and public transport outside of the UK (in the UK, dogs don’t have to be in a carrier on public transport, but are NOT allowed on the seats).
We are in love with this travel bed from Pippa and Company. It is absolutely perfect for any adventure, and rolls up into a perfect travel bed for all sizes of pups. We have the medium size which fits three small dogs, or one giant Chaplin shaped Saluki.
Pippa and Company luxury dog beds are comfortable and machine washable making them perfect for hotel travel with dogs. We have our stored in the car for all occasions…and spontaneous getaways.
I use a backpack style diaper bag to store all the dogs things for an adventure away. It has lots of compartments which are perfect for storing all the paraphernalia associated with dogs. It’s perfect for storing shampoos, conditioners, and sprays in an organised manner.
Within the bag, I have different bags for medication and supplements which I decant into individual daily doses. Make sure you have a first aid kit and various other meds that may be needed (eye gel, activated charcoal, etc)
I then have a separate bag inside the backpack for “toilet” related products. I have belly bands, knickers for Broadway (if she is in season), reusable pee pads, disposable pee pads (which I am phasing out and only for emergencies) and urine clean up spray (should there be an accident!)
Then of course, we have the obvious food, treats and snacks. We always like to pack a variety of goodies so we are never short, and the dogs don’t get bored
That’s it
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WOW … you pack WAY more than we do. 🙂 But I think that’s because we don’t do hotels – but rather AirBnB. So no crate, no bed/blanket… etc. And we make our dog food so we don’t travel with food. We don’t even travel with treats. They can get a bit of whatever we are having. I’ve had no need for belly bands (knock on wood) and baby girl had an OSS so we are ok there. If they need a bath for that one time – they will get washed with my non-scented organic soap/shampoo bar … we travel carry on only so no liquids.
Missing:
-Only one toy each
-Cooling Vests. My two needed them in Costa Rica, Florida, Sailing in Croatia, etc.
-Dog metal water bottle (we don’t want plastic)
-I am stunned at the amount of poop bags needed. And because we insist on biodegradable/compostable … we bring our own.
-Extra leash and harness. Learned the hard way that it’s good to have an extra leash and harness. When Montecristo was a pup he chewed through his harness and we lost both harness and leash. Took us 2 days to find a store and it wasn’t an ideal fit because of their tiny size.
You have to remember that I have 4 dogs and sadly hotels are often stricter than airbnb style accommodations.
The crates are always in the car so it makes life easier. Mine also don’t sleep on my bed or furniture so I need to carry something for them to sleep on. I don’t like using the hotel towels/blankets as they are for humans so always pack our own (sometimes only a blanket, but they much prefer something padded like this travel mat). Again, it’s always in the car so nice and easy to remember.
Mine don’t really play with toys much, but there is one in their diaper bag in case they change their mind. One toy, and one tennis ball.
Cooling vests are a great addition if going somewhere hot. This human needs her air conditioning so the pups are fine inside with the AC on thankfully.
I stopped using the metal water bottles but will ask the hotel for a glass/ceramic bowl for water.
Poop bags are life. Absolutely always carry wayyyyyy more than needed.
Extra leashes and collars are a good shout. I carry spare slip leads (collar and lead combo) in the car but should get in the habit of packing a few extra collars also.
Would love for you to do a minimalist travel guest post for us if you are ever in the mood.
Great list! I love the idea of a travel crate. We bring some of their favorite toys. They love a game of fetch. Cedric has an “emotional support” stuffed animal that he likes to get intimate with. Hehe
oh my goodness. What an absolute cutie pie. What kind of toy is it?
You travel with so much! Don’t know how you cope with 3-4 dogs PLUS all their stuff. We travel much lighter but a foldable bed is a good shout.
I have to be super organised and often sacrifice my own space in a suitcase to make sure the dogs have everything they need. Noone really cares what I wear anyway lol