10 tips for traveling with your pet during the holidays

A dog or cat does not experience a holiday trip as a celebration. It experiences a broken routine: a strange crate, a loud terminal, a car that runs for hours, a house full of new smells and people. For an animal that depends on regular meals, familiar spaces and a predictable day, those changes add up quickly. That is why the logistics of a trip matter as much as the destination.

Traveling with your pet during the holidays also means planning around a calendar that everyone else shares. Airports fill up, flights sell out and hotels reach capacity. Pet sitters and boarding facilities book up too. Each airline also caps how many animals can fly in the cabin on a given flight. A pet's spot is not guaranteed just because a human seat is still available.

The rules themselves are scattered. Each airline writes its own policy on carrier sizes and fees. States and countries set their own health and vaccination requirements. Federal agencies, including the TSA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, add their own steps for screening and entry. A requirement that applies on one route may not apply on another. A policy that held last year may have changed since.

The 10 tips below follow the order a trip usually takes. They start with the question of whether a pet should travel at all. Some animals are better off at home with a sitter. The list then moves through the vet visit, health paperwork and identification. It covers flying in the cabin, getting through airport security and the risks of cargo travel and sedation. Road trips get their own slide on restraints and rest stops, the basics of a pet-friendly road trip checklist. Later slides address U.S. entry rules for dogs, Hawaii's quarantine program and how airlines now define service animals. The last two cover hotels and relatives' homes, then the holiday foods and decorations that can harm pets after arrival.

None of this replaces a direct check with the airline, hotel, host or government agency involved. Policies differ by carrier and destination, and details can shift from one season to the next. Treat these holiday pet travel tips as a framework. Then confirm the specifics for your own route before you book.

Illustration: Quartz

Not every pet belongs on a holiday trip. Animals that are nervous, elderly or medically fragile are often safer staying behind with a pet sitter or at a boarding facility while the rest of the household travels.

A long drive, a crowded terminal or a house full of strangers can push an anxious animal into panting, pacing, drooling, hiding or refusing food. Some dogs and cats also get motion sickness in the car. That can mean vomiting on the road.

A short practice run can show how a pet copes. A drive around the neighborhood, or an hour spent in a travel carrier at home, previews how the animal reacts to confinement and movement. A pet that stays calm through these trials is a better candidate for a long trip than one that cries or struggles the whole time.

Cats call for particular thought. Many are strongly attached to their home territory and can find new surroundings stressful. For a cat, a few days at home with a visiting sitter can involve far less disruption than a trip across the country.

A sitter and a boarding facility solve the problem in different ways. An in-home sitter keeps the pet in familiar surroundings and on its usual schedule. The same sitter can often bring in the mail and keep an eye on the house. A boarding facility offers staff on site, but it places the animal in a new environment with other animals nearby. Many boarding facilities ask for proof of current vaccinations before they accept a pet.

Booking as early as possible improves the odds of securing a preferred sitter or facility during the holiday rush. A meeting with the sitter, or a visit to the kennel, before the trip lets the owner check the arrangement in person.

Whoever takes over care should receive written instructions. These should cover feeding amounts, medication doses and times, and contact details for the pet's regular veterinarian.

Illustration: Quartz

Book a veterinary appointment before any holiday trip with a pet. The visit confirms that vaccinations, including rabies, are current. It can also produce the health certificate that many airlines and states require before an animal travels.

A health certificate is a signed statement from a licensed veterinarian. It says the animal was examined and showed no signs of contagious disease. In the U.S., the document is often called a certificate of veterinary inspection, or CVI. Airlines may ask for one at check-in. Some states require one for animals crossing their borders.

The timing of the certificate matters. It has to be issued within a set window before departure, and that window differs by airline and by destination. A certificate signed too early can be rejected at the counter. Owners should check the exact requirement with their carrier and with the destination state before booking the appointment. They can then schedule the exam to fall inside that window. Veterinary clinics can be busy during holiday weeks. Reserving a slot early lowers the chance of a last-minute scramble.

The exam is also a chance to raise health concerns that travel could make worse. Heart or respiratory conditions, anxiety, recent surgery and advanced age all affect how well an animal handles long days in a car or on a plane. A vet who knows the pet's history can say whether the trip is reasonable and what precautions make sense.

Bring up motion sickness at the appointment. Some dogs and cats drool, pant or vomit in moving vehicles. The vet can suggest ways to manage it. For dogs, one option is the prescription anti-nausea drug maropitant, sold as Cerenia. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved it for preventing vomiting caused by motion sickness in dogs.

Ask about the destination, too. Parasite risks such as ticks, fleas and heartworm vary by region. A vet can confirm whether the pet's preventive medication covers what it may encounter there.

Leave the clinic with copies of everything. Carry the health certificate, rabies certificate and vaccination records on paper. Keep photos or PDFs of the same documents on a phone as a backup. Pack enough of any regular medication to last the whole trip, plus a few extra days in case of travel delays. Save the clinic's contact details so a vet at the destination can request records if the pet gets sick.

Illustration: Quartz

A microchip can reunite a lost pet with its owner only if the registry record linked to it lists current contact details. Before a holiday trip, confirm those registry details and fit a visible ID tag to your pet's collar.

A microchip is a small implant, roughly the size of a grain of rice, placed under the skin between the shoulder blades. It has no battery and no GPS. It cannot show where a pet is. It stores an identification number that a scanner reads when a lost animal is brought to a vet clinic or shelter.

That number is useful only when it leads somewhere. Staff who scan a found pet look up the number in a registry database to reach the owner. If the record lists an old phone number, a previous address or a former owner, the search stops there. Pets adopted from shelters or bought from breeders sometimes carry chips that were never transferred into the new owner's name.

The U.S. has no single national microchip database. Several companies run their own registries. The American Animal Hospital Association offers a free online tool, the Universal Pet Microchip Lookup, that checks a chip number against participating registries. It shows which registry holds the record. Once the registry is identified, owners can contact it to update the name, phone number and email on file. Owners who don't know their pet's chip number can usually find it on adoption paperwork or ask a vet to scan for it.

A collar tag covers the gap a chip leaves. Anyone who finds a dog or cat can read a tag without special equipment. That means a stranger on the street can call the owner directly. The tag should carry a mobile number that will be answered during the trip, not a home landline. The collar should stay on for the whole journey, including car stops, hotel stays and time at a relative's house.

Some owners add a second, temporary tag with the address or phone number of the place they are staying. For cats, a breakaway collar is designed to release if it snags on something.

A recent photo stored on a phone completes the set. A clear image of the pet's face, size and distinctive markings helps when describing a lost animal to shelters or posting notices. It can also help prove ownership once the pet is found.

Illustration: Quartz

In-cabin pets generally have to ride in a carrier that fits under the seat directly in front of the owner. Before booking, check three details: the airline's published carrier measurements, its per-flight pet cap and its fee. One airline's rules rarely match another's.

The size limit is the first number to check. Airlines publish maximum carrier measurements for length, width and height, and those figures differ between companies. They can also differ between aircraft types at the same airline. A small regional jet often has less room under the seat than a larger plane flying a longer route.

Soft-sided carriers are a common choice for cabin travel. Their walls can compress slightly to fit a tight space, which a hard plastic crate cannot do. Many airlines accept either type as long as the carrier stays within the posted limits.

The animal also has to fit comfortably inside. Airlines commonly require that the pet can stand up and turn around in the carrier. The pet generally has to stay inside the closed carrier for the whole flight, including boarding and taxiing.

Pet spots in the cabin go to travelers who reserve them first. Add the animal to the reservation as soon as the human ticket is booked. Many airlines require travelers to call or add the pet through the booking system rather than simply arriving at the gate with one.

Seat choice matters too. Passengers traveling with pets cannot sit in exit rows. Bulkhead rows usually have no seat in front, so there is nowhere to stow a carrier during takeoff and landing.

The pet fee is typically charged for each direction of travel. On many airlines the carrier also counts toward the cabin baggage allowance. It takes the place of a personal item or carry-on bag. Policies on international routes can be stricter. Some airlines do not accept pets in the cabin to certain destinations at all.

Letting the pet spend time in the carrier at home before the trip can make the flight less stressful. Short sessions with familiar bedding help the animal treat the carrier as a resting spot. Before booking, travelers should read the pet policy on their own airline's website. They should confirm the details for each leg of the trip, including any connecting flight operated by a partner airline.

Illustration: Quartz

At U.S. airport checkpoints, the TSA requires owners to take their pet out of its carrier and carry it through the metal detector. The empty carrier goes through the X $TWTR-ray machine separately. Knowing that sequence in advance makes the brief moment at the belt easier to manage.

The pet itself never goes through the X-ray. Only the carrier passes along the conveyor belt, along with any blanket, toy or bag stored inside it. The animal stays in the owner's arms, or on a leash, as the owner walks through the detector.

That handoff carries the greatest risk of escape. A checkpoint is loud and crowded. Plastic bins clatter, alarms sound and strangers move in every direction. A cat that feels exposed can twist out of a grip. A startled dog can slip a loose collar. Once free, an animal can vanish into a busy terminal within moments.

A harness reduces that risk. It spreads pressure across the chest rather than the neck. It is also harder for an animal to back out of than a flat collar. Fitting the harness at home, rather than at the airport, gives the pet time to get used to wearing it. A short leash clipped to the harness gives the owner a second point of control while carrying the animal.

The carrier is the safest place for the pet while the owner waits in the screening line. Opening it early adds minutes of exposure in a crowded space. A better moment comes once the owner reaches the conveyor belt and other belongings are already in bins. Then the owner can lift the pet out, keep the leash attached and hold the animal firmly through the detector.

Practice at home helps. Lifting a pet out of its carrier again and again, and holding it close while someone makes noise nearby, can make the real moment feel more familiar. A carrier with a top opening can also make removal quicker than a side zipper alone.

Holiday travel periods bring heavier crowds and longer lines at security. Arriving early leaves room for a calmer pace at screening. That avoids rushing a nervous pet through the most chaotic part of the airport.

Illustration: Quartz

Several airlines restrict or refuse snub-nosed dog and cat breeds in the cargo hold. These animals are prone to breathing trouble, and the airlines treat the hold as a riskier place for them than for other pets.

Veterinarians call these breeds brachycephalic. The group includes dogs such as pugs, bulldogs, French bulldogs, Boston terriers and shih tzus. It also includes cats such as Persians and Himalayans. Their shortened skulls and narrow airways make it harder for them to breathe efficiently. Stress and warm air add to that strain.

Each airline draws its own line. Some carriers bar these breeds from cargo entirely. Others accept them only under specific conditions. Some airlines no longer carry pets as checked cargo at all. A breed list on one carrier's website does not apply to another. The owner of a short-nosed animal should read the policy for the exact airline and route before booking.

Cargo travel carries its own planning demands for any breed. Airlines generally require a hard-sided crate with ventilation and secure latches. The crate must give the animal enough room to stand, turn around and lie down. Many carriers base those requirements on the International Air Transport Association's Live Animals Regulations. Some airlines also suspend or limit pet cargo during periods of extreme heat or cold. In the Northern Hemisphere, December travel falls in winter, so a cold-weather restriction can affect a holiday itinerary.

Sedation is a separate decision. Many owners consider it for an anxious animal. The American Veterinary Medical Association has advised against sedating pets for air travel except in unusual circumstances. The AVMA's reasoning is that sedation can raise health risks for an animal in flight.

An owner worried about a pet's anxiety can raise the question with a veterinarian well ahead of the trip. The vet can weigh the animal's health history and discuss whether any option is appropriate for that pet.

A crate-shy pet can also get used to its travel crate before departure. Leaving the crate open at home with familiar bedding inside lets the animal explore it on its own terms in the weeks before a flight.

Illustration: Quartz

A dog or cat on a holiday road trip should ride in a secured carrier or in a crash-tested harness fixed to a seat belt. A loose animal can distract the driver. It also has nothing holding it in place if the car brakes hard or crashes.

Carriers suit cats and small dogs. The carrier itself needs to be anchored so it cannot slide or tumble. One way is to thread a seat belt through it. Another is to wedge it on the floor behind a front seat. An unsecured carrier offers little protection in a sudden stop.

Cats should stay in their carriers for the whole drive. A cat loose in the car can hide under the pedals.

Larger dogs usually travel in a harness that connects to the car's seat belt. Not every harness sold for car use has been tested in a collision. The Center for Pet Safety, a U.S. nonprofit, runs a crash-test certification program for pet restraints, including harnesses and carriers. Its certification gives shoppers a way to tell a tested product from one that is simply marketed for travel. A restraint should attach to a harness that spreads force across the chest. It should never attach to a collar, which puts that force on the neck.

The back seat is the safer place for a pet. A front passenger airbag deploys with enough force to injure an animal, even one inside a carrier. Dogs should also keep their heads inside the car. Road debris and insects can strike an animal's eyes through an open window.

Never leave a pet alone in a parked car, in hot or cold weather. A closed car heats up quickly in the sun, and cracking a window does little to slow it. In winter, a parked car loses heat and can leave an animal dangerously cold. Some U.S. states have laws covering animals left in vehicles.

On long drives, plan regular stops so a dog can drink water, relieve itself and walk. Clip the leash on before opening the door. A nervous pet at an unfamiliar rest area can bolt into traffic. Pack a water bowl, the pet's usual food and cleanup bags to keep each stop short.

Illustration: Quartz

Dogs entering the U.S. have faced stricter rules since August 1, 2024. Each dog now needs a CDC Dog Import Form receipt and a microchip, and it must be at least six months old.

These requirements cover dogs returning home from abroad, not only dogs imported for the first time. A family dog that spends the holidays with relatives in Canada, Mexico or Europe has to meet them on the trip back. The import form asks for the dog's microchip number. That makes the chip a paperwork requirement as well as an identification tool.

Additional paperwork depends on where the dog has been. Dogs that spent time during the previous six months in a country the CDC classifies as high risk for dog rabies face extra vaccination and documentation requirements. Federal rules can change between the time a trip is planned and the time it happens. Confirm current requirements on the CDC and USDA APHIS websites before booking flights.

Travel in the other direction carries its own requirements. Each destination country sets its own entry rules for pets. These often include rabies vaccination and a health certificate. USDA APHIS publishes pet travel requirements country by country. It also endorses health certificates for pets leaving the U.S.

Hawaii is a special case within the U.S. The state is free of rabies. It runs its own rabies quarantine program for dogs and cats arriving from outside the islands, including from the mainland. A pet that meets the state's advance requirements may qualify for a short stay or direct release. A pet that arrives without that preparation faces a much longer quarantine. Meeting the requirements can take months. A holiday trip to Hawaii with a pet needs planning well ahead.

Service animal rules for flights also changed. Under the 2021 U.S. Department of Transportation rule, airlines no longer have to treat emotional support animals as service animals. Only dogs trained to do work or perform tasks for a person with a disability count as service animals for air travel. Psychiatric service dogs remain covered.

Airlines may handle an emotional support animal as an ordinary pet. In that case, the same cabin and cargo policies that apply to any other pet apply to it. Airlines may also ask owners of service dogs to submit Department of Transportation forms covering the dog's health, behavior and training.

Illustration: Quartz

Confirm a hotel or rental's pet policy directly before you book, including any fees and size or weight limits. A relative's home needs the same planning: tell hosts well in advance that a pet is coming, especially if they have animals or small children of their own.

A "pet-friendly" label on a booking site can mean different things from one property to the next. Some hotels accept only dogs. Others cap the number of animals per room or set a weight limit that rules out larger breeds. Charges vary as well, from a nightly pet fee to a flat cleaning fee or a refundable deposit. A phone call to the property gives a clearer answer than a listing. A written copy of the policy, such as a confirmation email, helps avoid disputes at check-in.

Ask whether a pet may be left alone in the room. Some hotels require animals to be crated or accompanied at all times. That rule shapes plans for holiday dinners, religious services or outings where the pet cannot come along.

A stay with family raises different questions. A relative may have a dog that guards its territory, a cat that has never lived with a dog or a household member with pet allergies. Advance notice gives the host time to decide whether the visit works and how to arrange it. Resident and visiting animals tend to settle more easily when they meet gradually, with separate spaces at first.

Small children need their own plan. Toddlers may not know how to approach an unfamiliar animal. A stressed dog or cat may snap or scratch when grabbed or hugged. Adults should supervise any contact and make sure the pet has a way to retreat.

A quiet room gives a visiting pet somewhere to settle away from crowds and noise. Set up the pet's own bed and crate there so the space smells familiar. Bring food and water bowls from home, along with the pet's regular food, to keep its routine as steady as possible.

Holiday gatherings mean doors open often as guests come and go. A pet kept in its room during the busiest arrival times is less likely to slip outside unnoticed.