Planning your perfect holiday can take a lot of work, from booking accommodation and hiring a car, to organising your daily plans and getting the most bang for your buck from your summer clothes.
For many travellers, though, there's one detail they struggle to plan for: travelling with your pets.
Keeping your furry loved ones safe and comfortable is, of course, a top priority – that's if you can find somewhere that accepts pets – but for many pet owners this is uncharted territory.
Pete Wedderburn joined Jennifer Zamparelli on 2fm to share his tips for travelling with pets this summer.
More than half of Irish households now have pets, which has brought on a change in how we think about them. While many pet owners place their pets in a kennel while they're away, others would prefer to bring them along on their holidays.
"I think our attitude to our pets has changed and we no longer see them as animals that just have very basic needs", Wedderburn said. "We see them as little people who've got quite varied needs. They've got emotions and they've got fears and anxieties and we don't really want to leave them in a kennel where everything is strange around them."
Wedderburn acknowledged that part of this is putting human thoughts in animals' minds, but added that we know more about how animals think and react now.
"Animals don't really like surprises, they like things to change gradually", Wedderburn said. He suggested phasing some travelling in before a big journey, such as short trips around your local area while making sure it's fun for them – ie, a fun park with new sights and smells instead of just the vet.
Giving your pet a treat after a car journey is also a good way to make them associate the car with fun.
If driving with your dog, Wedderburn suggested stopping every half an hour for a short walk and let them go to the toilet, but if the dog is contentedly dozing in the car you can drive for longer.
When it comes to finding accommodation that will happily host your pets, Wedderburn says that Covid – which saw a 20% spike in pet ownership – has played a part, as now there are many more pet-friendly hotels, restaurants and B&Bs.
"They don't just tolerate pets, they actually welcome them."
Keeping your pooch safe during their holiday is vitally important, Wedderburn added. All dogs must be micro-chipped, according to Irish law, but pet owners should double check that the database at the vet has their correct information in case their dog goes wandering.
Travelling abroad has also become easier, Wedderburn says. Pet passports are necessary, just as with humans, complete with optional pet passport photo.
Before travelling, pet owners should bring their pet to the vet, who will scan the micro chip and give the pet a rabies vaccine. The passport will become valid three weeks later and allows your beloved pet to travel to the US and Europe. Before leaving your travel destination, however, you'll need to visit a local vet for a tapeworm tablet for your dog.
How pets travel themselves has changed too, as some ferry lines have introduced pet-friendly facilities so that they no longer have to sit in the cargo hold.
"I love the idea that you can make a journey on a ferry actually a positive thing for a dog", Wedderburn said.
You can find more information about pet-friendly travels spots across the country on Dog Friendly Ireland.
To listen back to Pete the Vet's full tips for travelling with your fur babies, click above.
