1. Properly identify pets with ID tags and microchips: Make sure you have your pets’ ID, current rabies tags and that they’re microchipped. To be extra cautious, attach an additional tag with the address and phone number of where you will be staying for the duration of the trip to your pet’s collar, in case they get lost after you arrive.

2. Train pets to travel in their crates: Whether you’re heading to your holiday destination by plane, train or automobile, getting your pets used to their crates will make the entire traveling experience less stressful. Even when away from home, pets still view their crates as a safe haven from stressful situations.

3. With a crate, size does matter Crates should be large enough for pets to stand and turn around in comfortably. Remember to keep water inside the crate or allow for breaks every three hours so that your pets can drink and stretch.

4. Never leave your pets unattended: Just as you would never leave a child unattended, never leave your pets alone in a car.

5. Be prepared: Take your pets’ health records with you, just in case they need to see a veterinarian during your trip. Be sure to ask your veterinarian if she recommends heart worm prevention or treatment for fleas or ticks for the area in which you are traveling. Keep pet dishes in your car, as well as extra water and pet food, in case of car trouble or bad weather.

6. To fly or not to fly: As a rule, puppies and kittens, sick animals, animals in heat, and frail or pregnant animals should not travel by air. If a pet is too large to fly in the cabin with you, perhaps a stay at a boarding kennel would be a safer choice. You should also plan ahead because many airlines have restrictions regarding pets, and your pets may need a health certificate to fly.

7. Visit your veterinarian: Your vet may prescribe a sedative to help reduce your pet’s stress level while traveling. However, sedatives are not always safe for pets so be sure to give your vet the details of how your pet will be traveling and how long the trip will take.

8. Boarding is an option: If your pets are too large to fly in the cabin with you, or if a long car ride might be too stressful for them, boarding your pets at a kennel may be a safer choice. Or you could hire a licensed pet sitter to take care of your pets in the comfort of your own home.

9. Try to keep pets on the same “schedule”: Stop when you would normally let your pets out at home and at feeding times.

10. Plan lodging ahead: Research your route, make reservations and carry a list of pet-friendly lodging along the way. Also, ask for a room on the ground floor so it is easier to walk your pets. Never let your pets stay in the car.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

10 Holiday Travel Tips for Pets

The CoPilot Seat Cover from Kurgo is a multi-tasker. Not only does it cover the entire seat in a washable rugged polyester, it also has two large pockets in the front for storing things like an MP3 player, cell phone, and even CDs or a GPS unit.

The material withstands not only dirt and pet hair, but it repels odors as well. I can appreciate the lure of something that repels pet hair. It seems after we’ve taken one or another of the animals to the vet for whatever reason, there are cat or dog fur floating around for weeks afterward.

The seat covers are available in khaki and black with orange accents, and retail for about $34.99. They can be purchased online or at a brick-and-mortar retailer.

[image: kurgo]

Post from: Blisstree

Pet Seat Covers from Kurgo

The first two properties to offer the service are the brand new African-themed Lopesan Baobab Resort (Melonaras, Gran Canaria) and the Blue Lagoon Resort (Kos, Greece).  First Choice expects to roll out the program at a number of their other resorts as well.

Here’s how the program will work:

The Clubs will be split into different age groups, Twinkle Stars for ages 1-3, Little Stars for ages 3-5, and Super Stars for ages 6-8.  The club sessions will be run by UK-certified individuals, and offered FREE to guests.  Twinkle Stars will primarily be babysitting, while the Little Stars and Super Stars will offer age appropriate activities to keep young hands (and minds) active and engaged.

Parents, what do you think?  Would you take advantage of these kids clubs?  Is this a resort amenity that would make a difference in your booking choice?

Source: Travel Daily News

Photo credit: SXC

Post from: Blisstree

Premier Hotels to Offer FREE Childcare

Image: sxc.hu

Perhaps that helped to reinforce our memories, so that 40 years later, we still talk about those ventures across and up and down our country, traveling from our New Hampshire home as far west as Idaho.  These trips were for pleasure and business, and incorporated research for my travel writing as well.  Most of the time we drove and only occasionally flew.

They included:

• Visiting relatives in Ohio
• Exploring the Gros Ventre Mountains of Wyoming on horseback and on foot
• Spending some days at Disney World and Epcot
• Watching the first night space shuttle launch from a Florida beach
• Crossing the border in northern Vermont to visit Quebec, Canada
• Following portions the Oregon and Mormon Trails
• Visiting the old section of Denver along Cherry Creek
• Spending time with friends in Laramie, Woming
• Exploring Mammouth Cave
• Stopping at Hershey, PA and eating chocolate
• Viewing the Nubble Lighthouse in Maine

Along with pinning your trips on a map, you can make up scrapbooks and photo albums, create slide shows (now on computer), and write about them in journals.

Post from: Blisstree

Pinning Your Trips on a Map

Image: Rand McNally

Relive your past trips or plan for the next one with the Pin Your Journeys family of wall maps from Rand McNally. These pinable foamcore maps are professionally finished in an elegant wood frame and are ready to hang anywhere in your home or office. Each map includes a personalizable title bar as well as 50 push pins to help mark destinations, or to attach your trip photos and memorabilia. The Pin Your Journeys Wall Maps are great for scrapbookers and make the perfect “memory map” for your wall!

WHAT YOU CAN WIN:
1 Pin Your Journeys Blue Ocean World Wall Map
1 Pin Your Journeys Blue Ocean US Wall Map
1 Pin Your Journeys Antique World Wall Map
1 Pin Your Journeys Antique US Wall Map

*maps retail between $80 – $95.

HOW YOU CAN JOIN:
Visit this link between July 19, 2009 and July 30, 2009 to sign up for Rand McNally’s email list. After completing the form, add a comment to this post stating that you signed up. Four winners will be chosen at random on August 3, 2009 and will be announced on this blog. Prizes will be sent to all winners within 10 business days after they have been notified.

Post from: Blisstree

GIVEAWAY: Win 1 of ‘Pin Your Journey’ Maps

Image: sxc.hu

If your summer involves traveling, do you need activities to keep youngsters busy on long rides, in airports and on planes.  Whatever did my parents do with four of us in a car in the days before electronics?  

We took fairly long trips from our home in NYS to New Hampshire, Virginia, Washington, DC, Montreal Canada and even New Brunswick.  My parents stayed sane, we children squabbled some but not excessively, and gathered good memories. 

When our daughter was younger, my husband and I drove from NH to Wyoming with her for camping trips in the Rockies.  That was before the days of electronics. 

 When I saw a dad setting up a DVD player at the supermarket parking lot the other day for his youngsters, I wondered what they’d do if the DVD player quit.  Did the youngsters even see the country they were traveling through or could they have stayed at home and watched the same DVD in less confined quarters?  Probably the destination was worth the movie or game.

Why not try some of these activities that involve the whole family?

•  License plate game – How many can you find?
• Types of cars
• Different animals
• Telling and writing stories
• Drawing and coloring on lap desks
• Puzzles
• Audio books

 Nowadays we add electronic games, movies, ipods, and cell phones (with text messaging) to the travel totes. 

 How do you keep youngsters occupied on long journeys?

Post from: Blisstree

Travel Theme Week for Families

1.  Trips where you have a guide book with highlighted pages and detailed descriptions about every landmark that you want to see.  You plan each day to fit in as much as possible to squeeze every valuable moment out of the time spent travelling.

2.  Trips where you just relax.  You bring a book and a journal and you plan nothing.  You enjoy the beauty of your surroundings and the calm that you can’t find when you’re working everyday.

Sometimes the best medicine for a troubled relationships is a big dose of Trip Option #2.  Go somewhere quiet and beautiful where you can find peace within yourself and peace together.  You don’t need to talk about “issues” the whole time, but you can remove the stresses that are caused by everyday life and give yourself space to breathe.

I recommend this specific type of trip because sometimes an action-packed vacation to a crowded and touristy destination could actually cause more stress and tension in a relationship.  Travelling is difficult and busy!  When every day is filled with activities then you don’t always feel like you are able to relax or even fully enjoy each other’s companies.  Obviously trips like this are amazing, but not always the best option for a relationship that is in need of some R&R.

Take a truly relaxing vacation together to a place that is quiet and beautiful.  Bring activities that you can do together but also activities that you can enjoy independently.  Enjoy silence and laughter.  Take deep breathes and find the calm that comes when you don’t have to do anything at all.

Image: sxc.hu

Post from: Blisstree

Take A Relaxing Relationtrip

The Weekender bag at PlanetDog.com can help you with the latter! Holding up to the 30 cups of dry dog or cat food, the portable bags allow you to take care of pet feeding without lugging around a giant bag of food.

Available in several different colors, the bag is made of poly-canvas and is water resistant and machine washable. You can find it at PlanetDog for $16.95.

[image: planetdog.com]

Post from: Blisstree

Weekender Travel Feed Bags

They’ve recently launched their first commercial, and their website is now taking bookings for flights starting in July. I like being able to visualize how they’ve got things set up now, since people aren’t allowed on the flights! They also provide tips on preparing your cat or dog for travel, tips for cat owners, and a company blog.

Pet Airways is a pet-only airline where pets actually fly in the main cabin, not in cargo. A pet attendant takes care of the pets at all times, and get the best care available during their flight.

The “pawsengers” are checked on every 15 minutes, get fresh water and food, and regular potty breaks. All you need to worry about is dropping your pet off and then picking them up at the Pet Lounge at your destination. You can even monitor their progress along the way — from drop-off to pick-up — for peace of mind.

There are only a few destination cities so far — New York, Balt./Wash D.C., Chicago, Denver and, Los Angeles — but more are apparently in the works!

Post from: Blisstree

Fun Friday: Pet Airways Commercial

The biggest drawback is that if your pet isn’t small enough to ride in the cabin with you (under the seat, of course) then they have to fly in the cargo area with the luggage. Some carriers have a limit on how many pets are allowed in the cabin on one flight, so even if your pet is small enough they might end up in cargo anyway.

One company didn’t like this idea very much and has created Pet Airways, an airline that specifically caters to pets — in fact, human passengers aren’t even allowed on the aircraft!

The “pawsengers” get the best care available during their flight: They’re checked on every 15 minutes, get fresh water and food, and get regular potty breaks. All you need to worry about is dropping your pet off in the first place and then picking them up at the Pet Lounge at your destination. You can even monitor their progress along the way — from drop-off to pick-up — for peace of mind.

They don’t have many flight cities yet, and the first ones opening in July will be New York (NJ,CT & Philadelphia), Washington DC/Baltimore Area, Chicago, Denver, and Los Angeles. Be sure to let them know what cities you’d like to see them expand into!

Introductory fares are currently $149 and reservations can be made online.

What do you think? Would you use it? I think I’d be a little worried about my pet flying without me, but knowing that they’re comfortable and being taken care of would ease that, I think.

[image: flickr]

Post from: Blisstree

Pet Airways Launching in July