Pets are hitching a ride on the travel boom

Travelers have been crowding into airports in record numbers this year — including on four legs and leashes.

Travelers have been crowding into airports in record numbers this year — including on four legs and leashes.

Tom Carpenter and his wife travel with their Havanese dog whenever they can. “His day care would be $350 for a 10-day trip, so paying hotel fees and $100 each way to take him on a plane is worth it,” the 67-year-old Anacortes, Washington, resident said. “Plus, Mori hates being left alone.”

The Carpenters are among the many pet owners who are getting more comfortable bringing their animals on their journeys, adding to the broader demand for pet-related services far afield of veterinarian offices.

Tom Carpenter’s dog, Mori.Tom Carpenter“I saw an uptick in people traveling with their pets early in 2024,” said Heather Eisenstadt, founder of Top Dog Pet Travel, a central Florida agency specializing in pet-friendly bookings.

She recently helped a client bring her dog on a trip to Europe for a Taylor Swift concert by landing in Paris and taking Le Pet Express — a minibus for those traveling with pets — through the Channel Tunnel to the U.K. (A second Swiftie was interested but balked at the cost, Eisenstadt said.)

https://www.nbcnews.com/business/travel/pets-airlines-hotels-cat-dog-owners-rcna168862

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