Save money on kennel fees by taking your dog on holiday
Thursday, February 19, 2009 1:12Every year we book our holiday without thinking of our poor dog, and then we have to pay a substantial amount to board her in a kennel so she has her own, expensive, holiday. If we stopped to think about her first, we could save a small fortune by taking her on holiday with us. I’m not sure I’d take her on a plane, although I know some airports are geared up to taking dogs, but she’s happy enough on ferries.
If you‘re thinking about saving on kennel fees by taking your dog on holiday this year, there are a few considerations you need to take in to account before you go ahead and book.
Firstly, you need to decide whether your dog will fit in with your holiday – there’s absolutely no point in taking your dog on holiday if your plans involve sightseeing and holiday attractions that aren’t dog friendly.
Like planning holidays with children, holidays with dogs need planning too – your holiday needs to fit around walking your dog and giving it enough exercise. If your itinerary means that your dog will spend large amounts of time sitting in your holiday accommodation, forget it, it’ll be much better off in a kennel.
Secondly, make sure you find dog-friendly accommodation – not all holiday accommodation accepts dogs. Once you’ve found somewhere to stay, make sure that the surrounding area has attractions that you can take your dog to, and make sure there are sufficient areas where you can walk your dog.
Quite often, your dog-friendly holiday accommodation provider will be able to give you tips about where you can and cannot take your dog. Don’t just assume that you can take your dog on all your country walks as some trails, which cross farmland, do not allow dogs.
ExchangeHome says:
February 19th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Home Exchange provides the perfect solution to take your pet on holiday with you, a dog especially, although through ExchangeHomes.com I know one French lady and her husband who travel Europe, home exchanging with their two cats.
As you point out, taking your dog with you on holiday can save you a small fortune on boarding fees. Take into account the hotel or rental costs you have also already saved, plus many home exchangers will also swap the family car, and suddenly, even in these tough economic time, a family holiday suddenly becomes very affordable again.
Jackie says:
February 22nd, 2009 at 12:59 am
Perhaps your readers may be interested in checking out Britain’s first UK only holiday house exchange site. It was launched in January this year and already it is attracting huge interest from people who wish to take their holidays in a home from home in the UK. Every day we are getting new property listings in great locations: rural, urban and coastal. Many, many of these homes are pet (as welll as child) friendly.. why not check it out for yourself. http://www.ukholidayswapshop.co.uk . It is free to list your home on our site and full membership for the year is currently being offerred at only £14.95 (full price eventually will be only £29.95.
Remember our pooches are part of the family and with so many great places to holiday in Britain, they can come too and you can all do this for less than what it would cost for your dog to stay in a kennel for a couple of nights!!
Janet Hopkinson says:
March 15th, 2009 at 2:08 am
Why not read the recommendations of those who take their dogs on holiday with them and have found somewhere in the UK that is TRULY dog friendly. Vist the website of The Real Visitors Book http://www.therealvisitorsbook.co.uk and click on their Really Rated pages to find out the places that dog-owners are recommending to one another.
Dan Hawkes says:
March 23rd, 2009 at 6:07 pm
I don’t comment much on blogs, although I read a lot. I have been following your blog for a while end felt that it was time to say hello. I really enjoy reading your blog.
Mark says:
May 27th, 2009 at 8:04 am
Lovely blog! Thanks for the useful information.
angels eyes says:
June 16th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I typically do not post, but found this to be a worthwhile read. Thank you author.
Frailey|R|Teresa says:
July 14th, 2009 at 12:12 am
Your blog is so informative ? keep up the good work!!!!