Photograph of Ginger: the Canine Concierge at The Muse New York.
One of the things that are of concern to pet owners when planning a vacation is to consider what types of arrangements are available for their pets.
For some folks, leaving their beloved fur kids home is not the option they wish to choose. But what kinds of alternatives are available? What about taking your pet along with you on your trip?
Some questions do come to mind when considering this option. Is it preferable to have your pet travel with you? Is it better to leave your pet in a boarding facility or to hire a pet sitter?
These decisions of course are up to us as pet slaves, but purrsonally, if I had my "druthers", I would feel more comfortable having my cats accompany me. Being close to them, knowing exactly what they are doing would be less stressful for me, and more than likely less stressful for my kitties. They do miss us when we are gone!
So while mulling over the idea of bringing my cats on vacation with us, my next step was to begin researching "pet friendly" facilities.
During this quest, I discovered the Kimpton hotel chain which affords pet friendly accommodations in major locations across North America.
Pioneers in the field of Pet Friendly hotels they were the first group which opened their doors to pets in the early 1980s The amenities that they offer to pets in addition to excellent lodging for their human caretakers rings the bell.
It was indeed refreshing to find lodging where not only is my pet welcome, but will be pampered. I was very happy to find a pet friendly "home away from home" where we could enjoy travel and at the same time enjoy our feline company. I view it as a wonderful win-win situation.
I was so impressed with this leading Pet Friendly hotel chain that offers fabulous facilities for our pets that I offered to do a feature about them on my blog. I do hope that it is helpful to folks who are considering this option.
At the same time it is also helpful in making the decision whether to travel with your pet to compare the cost of boarding or hiring a pet sitter to visit your home several times a day.
Bear in mind, however, at the same time, it is equally important to remember the emotional impact on our furry companions when we get those suitcases out and suddenly disappear, leaving Fluffy or Fido in a strange environment or with a caretaker at home.
So if you have decided that bringing your pet with you when you travel is your best option, why not explore the Kimpton Hotel web site.
For further information, check out the pet packages offered.
Have you ever traveled with your pets? What were your experiences. Please share by leaving a comment.
2 comments:
We got Morgan while we were still on the road and traveling with the show. We picked her up on a Saturday night in Houston, TX when she was just a little over 6 weeks old, and the following day she had been introduced to show life and had seen a tear-down and headed for New Orleans. Her travel carrier looked like an overnight bag and that first year she stayed in some of the best hotels all over the United States {LOL} To this day she loves to travel and especially loves staying at hotel/motels. We are very experienced traveling with her and know the names of all of the chains that allow pets!!
I often go away out of the country for weeks at a time so it's important to me to have a reliable, mature sitter who is bonded and insured. A local teenager isn't going to be able to handle medical emergencies or clean-ups as well as an adult. There is a national pet sitter organization to help you find one: http://www.petsit.com/
Also, my local PetSmart has a "Pet Hotel" and I love going over there to see the dogs playing and having a ball. A good friend's son is the manager of the Pet Hotel and he's told me that his employees at the hotel love to sit on the side, staying at the owner's house with the pet while they're gone.
While I have a very competent pet sitter, I'm going to check this out for my upcoming trip.
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