How to fly with a pet
My tips to travel lighter, cheaper, and faster with your pet
I’ve always been known to travel light; “carry-ons only” was my refrain, no matter domestic or international, a weekend or 2 weeks.
But that was all before I got my now 8-month-old cockapoo puppy, Mr. Bean.
At 20 pounds, he’s now the perfectly-sized travel companion and goes mostly everywhere I go. The catch? A complete overhaul to the way I pack my bags.
Specifically, I’ve gone even leaner with the amount of stuff I travel with, to avoid begrudgingly check a bag. It’s been a challenge to get down to basics, but I really only pack the basics and do a lot of laundry, otherwise ship the rest or ew—check a bag.
It’s not the end of the world when I do–I’m more concerned about the time lost waiting at the baggage carousel than a lost bag. Though there are Airtags now, airlines are getting worse at keeping track of your luggage.
After landing, it’s more important for me to get out of the airport as soon as possible–this is even more important now that I have Bean, so he (we) can get outside, to fresh air and a grassy patch. (Note that I’m not one of those people who springs out of their seat when the plane has barely stopped taxiing, nor do I have to be first off the plane.)
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One thing about service animals: If your pet has a “service animal” certification, then they can travel for free and aren’t required to travel in a carrier. But, service animal training is expensive and can be upwards of $2,500. I do plan on going that route eventually with Bean, but for now this is our plight.
Here’s how I air travel with a pet.
If your pet has anxiety
Luckily for me, Bean is great on planes. Like, not even a peep, and some people (and airlines) can’t even tell there’s a dog with me.
In fact, the day I picked him up, he went straight into a carrier and on a plane with me. Our average flights are between 1.5 to 3 hours, and our longest flight together was around 6.5 hours.
If your pet has anxiety issues on planes that manifest in the form of barking and whining, and in the form of laser beam glares and annoyance on behalf of other passengers, then be a courteous and responsible pet parent and learn how to introduce and calm them to carriers and air travel, respectively.
Start by letting them sniff a carrier or two, get inside and comfy, and ride around on car trips inside the carrier. Treats help too, along with these tips.
The luggage you use for yourself and your pet are the biggest factor for successful travel.
When Bean was younger and smaller, he was able to fit in the Away Pet Carrier. It’s a chic and practical carrier, and works well with your Away luggage, but I eventually had to replace both my own Away bag and his carrier.
Here’s why: not only did he outgrow it, but I found it skewed hot and didn’t allow enough ventilation for Bean.
As for me, my hard-sided Bigger-Carry-On suitcase didn’t have the necessary outside pockets (Away discontinued their version) to quickly access my laptop or iPad, which I use on flights. So I began the hunt for adequate front-pocket carry-on cases.
I went to Target and purchased a Swissgear pocket-front case; but because the weight equilibrium was off and poorly distributed with the closure at the top instead of the middle of the case, it tipped over too easily.
Both Bean and the luggage nearly tipped right over several times on escalators and any time we went over small bumps in sidewalks, or even just standing upright!
I finally buckled and upgraded to the Rimowa Cabin Essential Sleeve. Though costly, it distributes weight fairly evenly, glides smoothly, and allows me to quickly pull out my laptop or iPad before stowing my luggage.
As for Bean, he’s now using this Amazon Basics carrier. It’s roomy, flexible, and offers plenty of ventilation. It’s a bit bigger and won’t fit all the way under a plane seat without some negotiation, but it does the trick.
Supplies
When I travel with Bean, I pack the following:
Two leashes: one short and one retractable leash
Dog food to last 3 or so feedings plus a buffer, so ~2 cups.
1 or 2 stuffed toys
Small collapsible dog bowl
For longer trips, I typically ship the rest of the food, bully sticks, and poop bags to my arrival destination, or visit a pet store and get the latter two. I have even shipped soft dog crates to arrival destinations, for peace of mind that he has a secure place to sleep at night
Costs
Most airlines charge roughly $125 to travel with your pet, domestic or international.
A little bird told me that sometimes you can get away without paying a fee, especially if 1) your pet is quiet, and 2) your pet carrier doesn’t look like a pet carrier or is concealed.
If your pet carrier is obviously a pet carrier, or you draw attention to yourself by checking a bag at the counter without registering your pet, then you’re going to be questioned and you will most likely have to cough up the fee. Just saying, be prepared, and that’s just another reason to travel light.
It also helps if you’re flying first class; when traveling first I’ve always sailed through boarding and was never asked about Bean.
Plane seats
You can’t sit in an aisle seat, or bulkhead (front row), or exit row when traveling with a pet.
Exceptions
There are obviously times when I won't travel with Bean, for example, an extended international tropical holiday where it wouldn't be possible to have him with me.
In these cases I would board him or leave him in the care of family or friends (I’m grateful I have these options) with, say, additional visits from a Rover dog walker because he needs a lot of exercise.
For now, this is how we're rolling, so if you see us on the road, then say “Hi!”
And if you have any other tips of your own, then please do share because I'd love to learn and hear from you.
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Until next time,
Shindy
On Instagram + TikTok
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P.S. After publishing weekly for almost 8.5 months straight, I missed a newsletter last Friday. Life happens and I wasn’t able to hit “publish” by the usual time. I’m re-prioritizing and rearranging my weekly productivity and planning tactics, so I can stick to my cadence without fail. A hint for next week’s issue. 😉
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