š¾ “Planning your next adventure and bringing your pup along for the ride? Donāt hit the road without these must-have dog travel essentialsāIāve tested them all so you donāt have to!”
Basic Must-Have Items
1. Harness, Collar and ID Tag
It sounds so simple, but these are easy to forget when packing up your pet for an adventure because theyāre usually stashed near your walkie āloading dockā as we call our mud room. Itās important to make sure and grab your dogās harness, collar, and dog tags (including their vaccine tags). This is your best defense in case your pup has any Houdini moments because we donāt always know how they may react in a new environment. If they were to get loose at the park, chase a squirrel in the wrong direction, or get separated from you, these can be tools that easily reunite you with your pet.
Harness: Ellie’s harness that she’s had since her adventures began.
Personalized Dog Collar: Though I don’t have this yet, it’s on my wishlist for my upcoming birthday. If heading to a busy spot or festival, this could be helpful. Though, ladies, please take your safety and privacy into account if traveling with your pet alone.
Larger Print Dog Collar: I find that sharing larger pets’ names can make people less intimidated. Everyone loves coming up to my mom’s mini aussiedoddle but Ellie usually gets mixed reactions. Having your dog’s name printed on their large collar can present a friendly face, but take into account safety, privacy, and your surroundings.
ID Tag: An oldie, but a goodie. I make sure Ellie has her ID tag, her rabies vaccine tag, and her National Park Bark Ranger tag whenever we leave for a trip.
Note: Vaccination Documentation
While traveling with your pet, you may find that requirements vary greatly depending on where you are adventuring. You want to make sure that you have vaccine documentation for hotels, day facilities, or perhaps any pet-sitting establishments. While road-tripping, I may have a day where I leave my Ellie with a Rover sitter or day facility so I can visit a museum, amusement park, or other spot that doesn’t allow dogs. Having the documentation is always helpful to have on your trips away from home.
2. Variety of Leashes – 6 ft & Longer
Having a variety of leashes with you on longer trips can be extremely helpful because you may be visiting different types of locations. Most city laws in the United States require a 6-foot leash for dog-friendly spots. Therefore, itās essential you have one of those. However, we love visiting places like Austin or Phoenix that have amazing local parks and dog-friendly hiking spots. For that, a longer leash may be easier so that your pup has room to run and play, but is still protected and law-abiding. Pictured is our afternoon at a Texas vineyard enjoying a bottle of wine on the patio while Ellie had space to stretch out on her 15 ft pink leash.
3. Water Bottle and Bowl Combo
Battling the Texas heat on our local trips is essential. I keep my dogsā water cold in this thermal bottle/bowl combo that has a strong, but easy screw-on attachment. Iāve had the foldable plastic versions (of bowls and bottles) but they just donāt last and can be hard to sanitize back at the hotel.
4. Backpack and/or Fanny Pack
Whether weāre heading out on a day trip or a multi-day adventure, I prefer having either my dog backpack or a fanny pack with all my necessary dog accessories. Inside I have hand sanitizer, the ever-necessary poop bags, water, tissues, and small treats. Having a backpack or fanny pack allows me to stay hands-free to love on Ellie and take lots of photos, while also having the essentials with me.
Plus size fanny pack with extender
Many of my friends LOVE the Loungefly bags too. Here are three of my favorite for carrying your pet items.
5. Backseat Protector and Car Comfort Items
My small SUV has light-colored cloth seats, and I have a black lab who sheds mercilessly and enjoys getting her paws dirty on our adventures together. Therefore, a backseat protector is a MUST for me. It also keeps her from jumping into the front seat on longer rides.
If weāre heading out on longer trips, I also make sure to lay down a comfortable pet bed and bring her favorite comfy blankets. Then, when we get to the hotel or housing, I use those as her resting spots to protect friendsā and familyās furniture.
6. Doggie Seatbelt
Now, my Ellie has never attempted to escape out the back window of the car during a trip but I have had other dogs in my car who did. My momās dog even jumped out of her MOVING Toyota Tundra one day because she had to go potty so bad, and didnāt want to go on the truck seats. To say our hearts stopped is an understatement. Therefore, we make sure to travel with dog seatbelts. These elastic belts allow for roaming around the backseat a bit to get comfortable, but protect them from any super harmful scenarios. Just a note: Some dogs may struggle with these, so practice is key. The first time they experience a seatbelt shouldnāt be a long road trip. Make sure to try little drives first to make sure they donāt get caught in it or struggle too much.
7. Your Pet’s Own Suitcase (Tote Bag)
Now, this one is a personal preference because some pet parents like to pack light and combine all of their petsā items with their own to have more space and have less to carry into their hotel or overnight stay. However, I like to keep my dogās items and mine separate. This helps keep my items fresh and free from any smells, germs, or spills that might happen with my petās items. So Ellie has her own tote bag when we travel. In her tote bag are her food, bowl, accessories listed here, and medications. This also helps me ensure I have all of her items together, and not just thrown into my suitcase (thatās how items get forgotten accidentally). I also love how excited she gets when her tote bag comes out. Her tail starts WAGGING something fierce when she knows sheās getting to go on the adventure too!
8. Paw Wipes
After a fun day hiking, playing around the lake, or just exploring fun sights, your pet may have some pretty messy paws. I used to just keep a towel in the car, but that didnāt always get the full mess. Now, I carry these paw wipes before we get into the car or when we are ready to get into bed. Just like traveling with children, wipes are never a bad idea!
9. Poop Bags
This one is more of a reminder, because I swear it happens more often than it should – I put my hand into my backpack pocket to get a poop bag and my hand comes back empty! Though some places are kind to have poop bags stationed around the dog-friendly areas, itās important (and the law!) to clean up after our pets no matter where we are in our adventure. You can just never have enough.
10. Pill Box with Pepto Bismol and Benadryl (and any prescription pain meds)
While on the road, sometimes dogs may put their nose somewhere it doesnāt belong or get exposed to something that doesnāt sit well with tthem that causes discomfort. While at Saguaro National Park I stayed extra vigilant with where Ellie stepped and sniffed, but once we were at a Tucson dog-friendly park I let her roam free and Ellie got into something that made her sick. Luckily, I keep a few dog-friendly medications with me for this reason. I keep Pepto Bismol for upset tummies and Benadryl for any allergy reactions that may happen. Before administering, itās important to check in with your vet, though. Because Ellie is 70-pounds we have a certain dose we use, and we must call her vet back if the problem persists after a day or two.
Itās also essential to have her pain meds with me on each trip now. As Ellie ages gracefully into her geriatric years, her double-TPLO knees cannot handle the adventures we once had. If she overdoes it on the activities, or has a hard time getting into the car, our vet has instructed us to administer the appropriate anti-inflammatories and pain medication. Ellie LOVES to be with me on my adventures, but itās also important to think about her capacity these days. For shorter adventures she still comes with me, but she usually needs a bit of relief at the end of the day.
Having a small pill box in her tote bag keeps me organized with small doses for the trip.
Pepto Bismol Update – Safe in small doses, but consult your vet before administering. Because Ellie now takes Librela injections for arthritis relief, she cannot take this. The typical dosage is 1 teaspoon per 10 pounds of body weight, given every 6-8 hours.
Benadryl Children for small dogs
11. High Value Treats
When traveling with our pets they can get VERY overstimulated. Theyāre seeing new places and getting lots of new smells, so they may tend to misbehave a bit. Okay, maybe itās just my dogs! But I have to be prepared. One of the ways I can grab their attention when there is so much happening around them is with their favorite treats. Though not the most nutritious option, my dogs will do ANYTHING for these bacon bites. I use the smaller versions when I need to keep their attention regularly , and/or to reward their great behavior.
BONUS: Stroller for Large Dogs
Years ago, Ellie underwent double TPLO surgery due to knee injury. From then on, I’ve had to consider her mobility on our adventures. One of the ways that I’ve continued to include her on longer walking adventures is with this stroller for large dogs that my mom got me for my birthday. It provides plenty of room along with multiple windows that I can unzip for her. The wheels are very stable and it’s easy to maneuver in crowded areas. We recently went to the Dallas Farmers Market and I loved that I could keep Ellie and Audrey secure in the busy aisles. They got a lot of attention and free pets that day.
Hot Weather Items
12. Paw Oil Balm
Living in Texas, at least a quarter of our year is spent in the heat. But it doesnāt stop us from having fun. My birthday is in late July and Ellieās Gotcha Day is July 1st so we still like to celebrate, we just have to be smart about it. One way to protect Ellieās paws is with this oil balm. After hiking, or watching on concrete during a festival, this can help soothe her tired paws, and the massage that goes with it is usually much appreciated LOL.
13. Portable Fan
We also know that we have to be smart about helping our dogs cool down during hot weather. Iāve learned on TikTok lately, how dangerous over consumption of water can be for our pets, so Iāve gotten better at cooling them down with a portable fan and cooling towels. During our adventure to Austin in May, it was much needed as the sun was out with a fury! We still had a great time, but we definitely needed some sun relief. I love that the fans can be used for everyone on the trip, and I bring this with me on my solo adventures too.
14. Cooling Towel or Bandana
Also helpful during hot weather are cooling towels or cooling bandanas. These are the little microfiber towels that are given away at most festivals when temps are high. They soak in water and you wear them around your neck, the same applies to dogs. When we have our beach days on the Texas coast we always make sure to put a few towels in our cooler. Or, you can go straight to the pet bandanas to keep on your pet. This makes it easier for your pet on the move.
Cold Weather Items
15. Sweater or Jacket
As a lab, Ellie gets cold. We have to be careful when visiting cold places. So, when we went to Sedona in December, or South Dakota in November, itās necessary to bring her sweater and jacket. These two styles are her favorite and she loves having them on. Just like with other items, she gets so excited when she sees them come out of the closet because she knows sheās going on a fun adventure with her mom!
Other Preparations
Bonus: Micro-chipping
Lastly, traveling with your pet can be a challenge. You navigate unfamiliar spaces and have many obstacles to overcome together. Iāll never forget when we went to Marfa, Texas and there was not a blade of grass to be found at our motel. Ellie had to potty on the rocks, and she was a real trooper. Our pets are family, and I wouldnāt travel without making sure Iāve attended to every preventable measure I could. Because anything can happen on a trip, I made sure to have Ellie microchipped before we left on our first adventure together. This puts me at ease in case the unthinkable happens. I know weāll be reunited if something happens that I couldn’t plan for.
I have absolutely loved every single adventure with Ellie. They are some of the most memorable times of my life. I canāt wait for you to make the same kinds of memories with your pet! Preparation is key to a great time. I hope you and your pets have fun traveling the world together!
Note: As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases.
If you found the travel guide helpful and useful on your upcoming trip, please consider a small contribution here:
Your donation helps keep this website free of ads with easily accessible information.