Flying with Pets
Whenever possible, keep those shaggy little creatures at home when you fly. That's really the best rule of thumb there is. There's nothing as difficult as trying to deal with your own travel plans, and those of your family; and then also having to make sure that your animal is taken care of. I actually know a woman who flies around the world with her dog. Her dog is small and, are you ready for this, she buys it a seat on the plane. Her little dog is able to fly around the world with her, relaxing in its business class seat and enjoying the good life. But, for the rest of us, flying with an animal means securing it in a cage, trying to keep it calm before and after the flight, and hoping the rest of the time that's it's doing alright in the belly of the plane. It's most better to find someone to watch your animal while you are away, and to rest assured that it is comfortable and well cared for at home.
I was also on a flight once with a small dog. The dog was actually so good that I didn't even know until about the 9th hour that it was there. Poor little thing. It needed to go to the bathroom desperately. The owner let it out for a bit of air, only to hear her name being paged over the speaker. Turns out that the dog ran away, peed in the flight attendants' area and was making a mess everywhere! The embarrassed owners ran around the plane trying to retrieve their animal. Quite a show for the rest of us!
We all love our animals, but we also love our sanity! In addition, most animals don't actually enjoy seeing Tahiti, Japan and Switzerland. Let them stay at home in the routine that they know and love. And enjoy your trip by yourself!
