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Pet etiquette for hotel stays: Preparing for holiday travel

by jmaloni

Submitted

Sat, Oct 18th 2014 07:00 am

by TripsWithPets.com

With the holiday season fast approaching, many families are planning their travels ... and bringing along Fido and Fluffy to stay with them at pet-friendly hotels! Be sure to plan ahead and take all the necessary precautions to ensure your pets' travels during the holidays are happy and safe.

For many, holiday travel means staying at a pet-friendly hotel. It's important to make sure you and your pet are prepared. Following some simple tips will help to ensure your hotel stay with your pet is an enjoyable one.

•It's recommended to book a room on the ground floor and by an exit. This will make it much easier for you to take your pet out for bathroom breaks.

•Make sure to always clean up after your pet.

•Be sure to exercise your pet - this means walks. Ask hotel personnel about the best places to walk your pet.

•Treat the hotel room with respect - this means covering any furniture and beds your pet may be allowed on.

•If traveling with a cat, place its litter boxes in the bathroom. This will make cleanup much easier.

It's recommended to not leave your pet unattended in your hotel room. Even the best-behaved pets can bark and become destructive when in new surroundings. If you must leave your pet alone, be sure it's for a very short time. Alert the front desk that your pet is alone in the room and try putting on the TV or a radio to make your pet more comfortable.

If your pet travels with a crate or kennel, place him in it when leaving the room. In addition, place a note on the hotel door indicating your pet is in the room.

Don't leave any pests behind. Before leaving home, be sure to give your pet a good cleaning and de-flea and de-tick them. This means a good flea and tick bath along with utilizing preventative flea and tick control. Leaving behind a stinky smell or, worse, fleas or ticks, is the kind of thing that makes accommodations change their pet-friendly policy. In addition, if a deposit is required, these types of things could very well prevent you from getting it back.

Accidents happen! Even pets that have never had an "accident" indoors may do so under stress. Bring along a disinfectant as well as a rag in the event you have to clean up after your pet. Not doing so could also cause a loss of deposit.

To ensure you're welcomed back, keep your pet on a leash and avoid taking it into dining rooms and other restricted areas.

Following some common sense rules will help ensure you and your pet have a happy and safe trip.

About TripsWithPets.com

TripsWithPets.com is an online resource for pet travel. Named best pet travel site by Consumer Reports, TripsWithPets.com's mission is to offer resources that ensure pets are welcome, happy and safe while traveling. The website features a directory of pet-friendly hotels and accommodations across the U.S. and Canada, as well as airline and car rental pet policies; pet-friendly restaurants, beaches and events; a user-friendly route search option; pet travel tips; pet travel supplies; and other pet travel resources.

Author Kim Salerno is the president and founder of TripsWithPets.com. She founded the pet travel site in 2003 and is an expert in the field of pet travel. Her mission is to ensure pets are welcome, happy and safe in their travels.

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