Chloe and I are always chasing down our next crazy dog venture. Whether we are traveling across the country for work, or taking a weekend trip to the Red Woods forest; we always have something up our paws! Except for right about now; because it’s a global pandemic. However, when we go on adventure we take every precaution to be smart about it! (Read about road trips during a pandemic HERE).
I’m craving a get away so badly; so I figured yall might be in the same boat! I thought I could share the strategies we use to plan a pet friendly get- away! From where we will eat, where we will sleep and what we will get up to during the day; a dog friendly get away definitely awaits!
Step One: What Kind of Adventure Are You Seeking?
This is a huge consideration when you are planning a dog friendly get-away! Whether it’s a weekend on the ocean, winter camping or exploring a new town: The type of adventure you seek makes a huge difference for how dog friendly it will be!
National Parks
I love the national park service, and truly am astounded by the incredible beauty that encompasses the United States within each of our National Parks; as well as every national park I’ve encountered abroad (Kilarney in Ireland was a favorite). However, National Parks in the US are the least pet-friendly outdoor places pretty much ever. They are usually SUPER busy, with millions of visitors per year. Though the park service does the utmost amazing work lowing the effects humans have on the habitat, it is pretty obvious that humans have made an impact in most of the National Parks.
However, some research goes a LONG way! Try doggie daycare (Rover and Wag apps are a win!) on the days you want to do some longer hikes within the parks! Then bring your dog with when you are driving around for sight seeing, or if you are exploring the more quiet, less populated national forests that surround the parks. I highly recommend that you do NOT neglect the national forests surrounding the parks! Two of my all-time favorite hikes were found in National Forests outside of North Cascades and the other was outside of Glacier. I also have pet friendly hikes outside of Yosmite and the Tetons on my bucket list! They are more quiet, untouched and (da Dada DA!) Dog Friendly.
Road Trips
I love me a doggone roadtrip! This is definitely my favorite type of get-away with Chloe. We love to hit the road and see where our impulse takes us! Chloe and I are always ready for everything on a road trip adventure. From hiking, town explorations, eating at a fancy restaurant or dogging rainy weather! One of my favorite road trips was down to Key West when I was living in South Carolina (talk about a fun drive)! We loved the dog friendly beaches that we found, and the dog parks too! We found some incredible take-out and had a picnic at the beach; savoring the turquoise waters. Road Trip adventures are super dog friendly because you can always drive along to a better stop if you don’t like the first one 😊
Town Time
Taking a get-away to a new city can be extremely exciting! I love to bring an assortment of fanny packs to fill with treats, my camera and dog booties as needed for those warm summer months (pavement gets hot!). Our favorite dog friendly city spots are farmers markets, flea markets, outdoor events (music, grape stomping, ya know whatever we can find). Chloe and I had a blast exploring Salem Massachusetts when she was a puppy over Christmas! We like to use the bring fido website to find super stellar dog friendly parks, foods, and hotels!
Outdoor
I know I said road trips were my favorite… but I might have to take it back for outdoor get aways. I honestly feel like most dogs love to be outside in nature, surrounded by the silent beauty and occasional animal noise that comes from untouched outdoor areas. Chloe and I camp regularly in either our hammock, truck or tent. We also do a lot of backpacking, kayaking, and have recently taken up skijoring (where she pulls me around on cross country skis!). We just had a SUPER fun outdoor adventure in Wisconsin near Bayfield, looking at as many of the frozen sea caves as we could this winter!
Step Two: What are you going to do on your adventure?
Fido Friendly Food Finds
When I am taking a vacation, eating is of the utmost importance to me. Personally; I love to make my own breakfast and lunch. This is easiest if I am at a VRBO or Airbnb! I will stop at a grocery store (or order delivery during these COVID days using the instacart app) and ensure I have the grub I need!
Usually Chloe and I will have fun finding some awesome dog friendly dinner spots. Fun Fact! Most outdoor dining is pet friendly. If you see a place that has outdoor seating; give them a phone call! Ask if they would allow you to sit with your dog outside. Often times they are happy to allow your pup to join in.
Breweries and Food Trucks are also awesome options for Fido Friendly Food! I remember in Portland, Oregon there was this incredible nacho food truck right outside this pet friendly brewery that had a get together. They were chill with dogs, and food from the food truck in their brewery!
When you have that particular craving for some fancy Italian where there is no outdoor dining available; why not get it for take out and enjoy it with an amazing view on a picnic? Chloe loves picnics, and I particularly remember a day where we hiked in to sit by a river outside of Detroit Lake in Oregon; and had some delicious Alfredo.
Happy Hiking Hounds
I personally LOVE hiking while I am on adventures. Hiking is my primary mode of exploration and I spend a LOT of time outside in nature just walking around! We use the All Trails app for finding local hikes that are dog friendly. We love that you can filter dog friendly hikes and that it tells you if the trail is light, moderate or heavily trafficked.
Digging that Doggone Adventure
Have you ever looked at facebook events? Definitely give it a try! I love finding the different community going-ons by looking on Facebook. I found the grape stomping festival outside of Charleston, South Carolina; the Frostival in Fargo this winter and so many other fun adventures simply during my daily facebook scroll!
We also check out the meetup app, Airbnb experiences, and the town Chamber of Commerce page for upcoming events in whatever community we are off to explore. I will never forget back in 2016 when I went to Leavenworth, Washington just for a weekend outdoor adventure and ran across Octoberfest! It was super fun and a great event to be a part of but I was definitely not prepared for so many people!
I also love to allow Chloe to explore dog parks in new towns. We love to try new things like ice climbing, and skijoring up north in the Winter, and beach days when we are down south! There are so many fun adventures to be had that are pet friendly!
Of course we focus on training before we try new things, like crowded areas and skijoring. Training for adventures is a SUPER fun way to start looking forward to them, while bonding with your dog and allowing them to feel 100% safe and confident.
Step Three: Where will you Sleep on your Adventure?
Silly Hounds Sleeping Sound
And yet another shout out to BringFido.com! I love how BringFido will tell you a ‘five bone’ rating for how pet friendly hotels can be. Reviewers also will explain what made their experience more or less pet friendly! It is incredible. Check out hotels using BringFido; but know that most La Quinta Inn and Suites are pet friendly, Super 8’s are significantly less sketchy than they used to be after being bought out by Windom (and are also pet friendly). I also love to suggest doing a simple google search, and looking at the ‘about’ portion where they will tell you if a place is pet friendly!
Chloe and I use Airbnb pretty often as well, where we will filter for the pet friendly options.
We also love to use hipcamp for some private camping and unique adventures! We are SUPER determined to find a pet friendly tee-pee this summer, but have loved the tiny houses and wineries we’ve gotten to explore using this app!
Last a shameless shout out to our favorite way to find free camping- freecampsites.net! Yes, it looks sketchy; and you definitely only want to stay somewhere that has reviews. However, I have used it successfully for years and love to help the environment by cleaning up any left over trash, while also saving money by camping for free, instead of paying for better shelter and facilities. You can also checkout my post HERE about finding free campsites on the road!
I’ve also referenced how to find pet friendly lodging HERE and longer term adventure housing HERE.
Step Four: What do I need for my weekend get-away?
The ultimate question that haunts many brains late into the night- what if I forget something? Here is what I have to say: You will probably forget something. I mean, I pretty much always forget something (for myself, I always remember Chloe’s stuff for some reason). But just to help ease some anxiety; here is a list of things you might want for your dog on this upcoming adventure.
- FANNY PACK!! Day Bag, Backpack etc
- Treats, Dog Food, Dog Chews
- Crate, Dog hair blanket shield or sleeping pad
- Dog booties (always), coat if it’s cold or rainy
- Water bowl, Food Dish
- Money for the thing you’ll probably forget to bring
- Cooler for Groceries and to keep food safe from the doggo
- Leash, long leash, extra collar, make sure you have the dog tags current and microchip up to date!
- Walking harness, and bright colors for any evening adventures
- Ensure vet info is saved on your phone
These suggestions are what you’ll always want to consider bringing for your dog. As for what you need to bring for yourself, that is largely dependent on the type of adventure you’re seeking and I’ll let y’all do that part for yourselves!
During these crazy pandemic days, it is SO hard to feel stuck at home all of the time! I hope this advice will help you all to keep looking forward to your next pet friendly vacation 😊 Stay safe and well dogventure friends!
Where are you planning to go adventure next? What type of dog friendly get-away is your favorite? And how do you guys find fun pet friendly things to do for your vacations? I hope you all have many happy tails and happy trails!
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Awesome read! I have definately been craving a getaway! Although I think our next adventure won’t be until we head to California. Awesome tips cousin! Definately keeping the hotel suggestions in mind for when we embark on our journey to our new home! You always find such great resources and fun things to do! Where did you get the dog booties for Chloe. Just curious about which brand you like for her. As always I love your adventure stories, your photos and your puns!
Thank you!! Oh yes keep bringfido in the back of your mind for when you’re looking for hotels on your drive!!
We use ruffwear for her winter boots, and a cheap Amazon brand (Brite something) for her summer ones! Ruffwear is super spendy so we have to be watchful if one goes missing; but they work well on icy and cold surfaces!
Omg I’m so sorry I didn’t reply earlier!! Chloe has simmer booties and winter booties. We have just a 14$ Amazon pair for summer called bark Brite? They’re awesome! We tried a few winter boots and really struggled to find a pair that would stay on, and not pack snow into her boots since she has big feet and teeny ankles. I finally invested in ruffwear and they’re expensive but work the best! We still get some snow packed in deep snow unfortunately; so I might have to try socks next!