I have socialized my dog from the very youngest age to the car. She LOVES the car. She’s been on every road trip and vacation I’ve ever taken since she came into my life. I love to travel with her and she loves new places. However, this summer a daunting road trip loomed before us-a cross-country move. Relocating oneself is tricky, relocating an entire family is a next level challenge, but driving 1,292 miles with your service dog, cat and teenage daughter is for sure a massive undertaking with or without a disability. Here’s what I learned.
Meet everyone where they are. I have physical limitations, the animals have a threshold for drive time and everyone gets cranky when they’re hungry. Stopping for gas was always a good time for a stretch and to take a potty break. I personally did not want to bring my service dog into the gas station bathrooms so we dog swapped, I went to the bathroom while my daughter waited with the dog and I took the dog to pee while my daughter went to the bathroom. Isn’t it always about adaptation?
We tried to keep the eating schedule for humans and animals largely the same. You have to adapt on the road, but we did manage not to have anyone fainting from hunger or car sick. Everyone stayed hydrated, too. Hot tip, we learned pup cups were the perfect way to give the cat his pill every morning. Always grab your complementary ice water when getting coffee and pup cups.
Make sure everyone has space of their own. You need the whole gang to be comfortable and safe as possible for the duration, in our case three days in the car.
Accommodations, were the most stressful logistic for me. The first day we drove from Florida to South Carolina at which we picked a town at random from our GPS route and checked Expedia listings for a hotel. I booked a very budget friendly option that Expedia listed as “pets stay free”*. Traveling with just my service dog I wouldn’t have worried about it, but with the cat in tow it was a concern. When we arrived at the hotel, there were aggressive signs everywhere stating there was a $100 fee for each animal, but it turned out we were at the wrong location.
After a 10min drive we were at the correct location, but in fact this hotel was all wrong. They also had signage about pet fees (albeit less aggressive), there was a population of children playing unsupervised in the parking lot who immediately started riding their scooters alarmingly close to my dog, we never found another employee after checking in (they only gave us 2 towels total), the noise in the parking lot and adjoining rooms was dramatic and went on all night, the children started yelling “there’s a dog in that room” and barking outside my door. It was unpleasant and soured me on hotels.
Here’s my takeaway: If you use Expedia or the like, call the hotel and communicate any accommodations you need**. I would have requested a quiet area of the hotel, but a phone call would have eliminated this option anyway. To recap: Call the hotel directly to state your accessibility needs and make sure it’s a good fit. You do not have to disclose your service dog, but you can if you choose to. Make sure both you and your service dog will be comfortable.
The second day we made it from South Carolina to Pennsylvania. This time we got an Airbnb because the pet fees are upfront and there’s a reasonable expectation of privacy***. It was more expensive, but worth the peace of mind after the previous night my service dog and I endured. One word of warning about Airbnbs, not all, but a lot of them are using some kind of AI chat to start communication once you book. If you answer the prompts you can usually speak to your host.
On day three we only had to make it from Pennsylvania to Western New York, but I splurged on the most expensive Airbnb of all because it was last stop before our new home town. The problem with the large rental house (as opposed to the small hotel room or slightly larger apartment) was there were a lot of places for the cat to hide. On the plus side we had a semi-private back yard for my service dog to relief herself.
I was never denied access on my adventure, but I occasionally found people’s expectations of my dog unrealistic. She is very well trained, but she is out of the car after 8+ hours trying to just be a dog, stretch her legs and play. Advocate yourself and your dog, do your research, adapt, use your resources and have adventures!
Where is the farthest you have traveled with your service dog?
* Hotels cannot charge pet deposits, cleaning fees, or nightly surcharges for a service dog.
** You are not legally required to notify a hotel in advance that you are bringing a service dog under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Hotels and other public accommodations must allow service dogs to accompany their handlers into all areas where the general public is allowed.
*** You are not required to notify an Airbnb that you are bringing a service dog and they can not charge fees for a service dog.
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