Traveling with your dog

Five deep-dive guides for the trip you are about to take: 2026 airline crate requirements, real crash-safety physics for the car, the full packing list, hotel crating rules, and a 4-week pre-trip training plan for dogs who have never traveled.

• Air Travel · 12 min read

  Airline crate requirements for dogs in 2026 — what's changed and what gets you rejected at check-in

  The 2025 IATA CR-1 Edition 51 changes, the five structural checks airline agents actually verify, and the airline-by-airline table for in-cabin vs cargo travel in 2026.

• Car Travel · 11 min read

  Dog crate safety in the car — crash testing, sizing, and why 'airline approved' does not mean car safe

  The physics of vehicle crashes, why IATA-approved crates fail crash tests, the Center for Pet Safety ratings, and how to size and secure a crate for real road-trip safety.

• Preparation · 9 min read

  The complete dog travel packing list — what to bring, what to leave home, and how to organize it by trip type

  A categorized, printable packing list for dog travel — documents, crate and gear, food and water, health and safety — with a comparison table by trip type (flight, road trip, hotel).

• Accommodation · 9 min read

  Leaving your dog in a hotel crate — what's actually allowed and how to make it work

  How hotel pet policies really work, why the crate is the difference between being able to leave the room and being stuck, room setup, barking prevention, and welfare time limits.

• Training · 10 min read

  How to crate-train your dog for travel — a 4-week plan before your first trip

  A week-by-week countdown to travel day for owners whose dog dislikes or has never used a travel crate. Introduction, duration, distance, and a full rehearsal week.