If you love to travel but also love your pets, you may struggle to leave them behind when you take a vacation, even if you find a good facility where they can stay. There’s another option, however — bring your animals along for the fun!

There are a growing number of accommodation options that welcome animals, including pet-friendly vacation rentals where the furriest member of your family can have a blast racing over the sand and soaking up the sun. Here are a few tips to ensure everything goes perfectly.

Taking Your Pet on Vacation? Follow These 5 Tips

1. Find a Pet-Friendly Vacation Rental

It’s essential that wherever you stay allows pets. Contact the hotel ahead of time, check whether there are any extra fees, and research activities you can do with your dog or cat in the area. This will help everything go smoothly, since you’ll avoid surprises that might force you to change your plans at the last minute.

2. Help Your Pet Adjust to Car Rides

For animals who mostly stay close to home, a car ride can be a traumatic experience. To help pets adjust before the trip begins, take them for shorter rides around your neighborhood, and gradually lengthen them so your dog or cat will be comfortable on a longer journey to your vacation destination.

3. Make Frequent Travel Stops

During the road trip, keep in mind that your animal needs more exercise and fresh air than you do. Pausing every few hours to let them run around will help prevent messes in the car, as well as motion sickness. It’s not bad for humans to have a chance to stretch their legs either.

4. Bring a Favorite Toy

Amidst all the new sights and smells your animal experiences while on vacation, it can be helpful to provide something familiar. A favorite toy or blanket will remind your pet of home. This can calm them down when they become anxious or homesick and provides a source of entertainment when they get bored.

5. Don’t Leave Your Animal Alone

When in an unfamiliar setting, your beloved pet will fare better around you than on their own. They won’t have a chance to make a mess and scratch the furniture in the hotel room if you take them along on your excursions. You also should never leave your pet alone in a car, even just for a few minutes, and risk them suffering from the cold and heat.

For pet-friendly vacation rentals in Alabama, book your spring or summer trip to Gulf Shores Rentals. They provide beachfront vacation rentals to meet all your desires, with gulf-front condos for families large and small. Enjoy the beauty of the beach and the relaxing calm of activities like dolphin cruises, deep sea fishing, and golf. Learn more today by visiting them online or calling (251) 948-7000.