Essential Pet Travel Links
To start, we needed a dog friendly accommodation app. The 3 main websites or apps we use are BringFido, which is a dog travel specific site, Booking.com and Air B&B which have pet filters.

Getting Ready to Travel with Your Dog

12 Months to Go: The Big Prep
A year before takeoff, we kicked off the planning process for Yoki's big adventure. From travel training to securing her pet passport and booking flights, we made sure to cover every base. Pro tip: Check your country’s specific flight requirements early—rules vary wildly!

8 Months to Go: Vet Visits
At the 8-month mark, Yoki had her first travel consult. This included a general health check and the all-important rabies vaccine. If you're heading to the EU, this step is crucial. A rabies antibody titration test is mandatory, and here’s the timeline:

1. The test must be performed at least 30 days after the rabies vaccine.

2. If the test is successful, you’ll need to wait an additional 3 months before your furry friend can travel.
   Make sure an authorised vet handles this process to meet all legal requirements.

Travel Training: Prepping for the Journey
Every dog’s training needs are different. Boston Terriers like Yoki are clever yet a little stubborn (if you know, you know). Luckily, she’s calm and patient, so we focused on three key areas:

• Staying at our feet: This is essential for public transport like trains and ferries. We made Yoki two identical cotton mats with durable, insulated backing and trained her to sit on them everywhere we went. Now, whether she’s on a ferry or in a café, she knows her designated spot. She’s always on a leash and harness when outside for added security.

• Toilet training: Puppy pad training was a game changer. On long journeys or during freezing RV nights, Yoki now confidently uses a pad. The trick? Introduce the pad early, lay it in a private spot, and use a consistent command. Clean, hygienic and convenient!
  
  

• Carrying her own luggage: Yep, Yoki pulls her weight! Since she loves wearing harnesses, adding a saddlebag wasn’t a big adjustment. On travel days, she carries essentials like her mat, puppy pads, a toy, treats, and a waste bag. Meanwhile, we handle her snow parka, raincoat, collapsible bowl, towel, and pet passport.

Gear and Safety Tips
Nearly everything we needed was a quick Amazon find. Her saddlebag includes a tag with our contact details, and her microchip ensures added peace of mind. You never know what might happen, so it’s always better to be prepared.

About Yoki.

Muzzles: Navigating the Rules (and the Looks)

When planning our travels, we dove deep into research—scouring websites, YouTube, and blogs to understand the rules about dogs on public transport like trains and ferries. Official sites frequently mentioned the need for muzzles, but most seasoned travelers reassured us it’s rarely enforced. Still, we didn’t want to leave anything to chance.

For brachycephalic breeds like Boston Terriers, a “muzzle” often translates to something resembling a foldable Hannibal Lecter mask—chilling to look at and undoubtedly uncomfortable to wear. But rules are rules, so we bit the bullet and began training Yoki to tolerate her new accessory. No fava beans or Chianti were involved!

To give ourselves options, we also invested in a folding canvas pet carrier. In many cases, carriers can be an alternative to muzzles, and it’s always nice to have a backup plan. With both tools at our disposal, we’re ready to keep Yoki comfortable—and compliant—wherever the journey takes us!

Pet crates/carriers; There is a vast range of pet carriers available in pet stores and online from backpacks for small dogs to large foldable crates. Yoki is too big for the backpack variety so we chose a lightweight, foldable canvas and mesh crate that folds flat and fits inside our own luggage. This brand is Royale in medium and was purchased on Amazon. Your dog needs to be able to turn around and lie down comfortably.

Who's a pretty girl?