Traveling with pets – they’re part of the family too!

For many people, pets are more than simply animals; they’re much loved family members and companions. We share our homes and our lives with them. We play and laugh together, and when things aren’t great, our pets are the kind of friend that doesn’t have to say a thing – they’re just ‘there’. So when you plan your next caravanning trip, plan to take your best friend with you!

Pet identification

Remember to have all your pet identification tags with you. It’s especially important that they wear a collar at all times when traveling. Even better, have your pet micro chipped so they can be easily identified by any rescue or veterinary clinic if they become lost at any time.

Pet health and safety

Make sure that your pets have had all their necessary vaccinations and worming, and inquire about remedies to help with car sickness if necessary.

Flea and tick prevention is really important if you are traveling to a paralysis tick area. Ask your family vet about preventive medication before you leave. Make sure that you have suitable transport restraints fitted to you vehicle to prevent injury in the event of sudden braking, and be sure that your pet is used to traveling in a vehicle and accustomed to the restraints. A long trip is not the time to introduce a pet to traveling in a car.

The comforts of home

Pets can become stressed very easily, especially when they sense a change in their environment, so include some of their toys and blankets in their travel container so they feel familiar even in an unfamiliar environment.

Take along a good supply of your pet’s regular food. Introducing different food to what your pet is accustomed to is not ideal when you’re traveling. You don’t want to holiday with a hungry and unhappy pet!

Time to adapt

Whenever possible it's preferable that you stop at your destination during daylight hours so that your pet can familiarise itself with the surroundings and sniff around the grounds under your supervision. It’s important that you spend some time with your pet and give it special attention so that it feels safe in its new surroundings. With dogs, be sure to keep them on a leash for the first couple of days whenever you are outdoors.

Pet friendly parks

When it comes to accommodation, Family Park owners have widely recognised that when people travel they like to take their pets with them – so over 70% of their caravan parks accommodate for pets. In fact, Family Parks claim to be the most ‘pet-friendly’ holiday park chain, with over 130 parks Australia wide.

Naturally, park owners have important responsibilities for the comfort, care and safety of all customers, so you might find there are some obligations you are required to fulfil when checking in with your pet. For the most part the rules are fairly standard and requirements are as you would expect anywhere when traveling with pets. Check out their website www.familyparks.com.au for all the parks that are pet friendly- they’re marked with a little green dog next to it!