Is Traveling With a Dog Worth It? Real Pros & Cons

Is traveling with a dog worth it? Our dog Kimmy Kibbler has traveled through more countries than most people I know, so we’ve had plenty of time to figure it out.

She’s road-tripped through France, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, and most of the United States. At this point, she’s basically collecting passport stamps.

Traveling with a dog can be incredibly rewarding, but it also changes the way you travel completely. You can’t just book any hotel, pop into every museum, or spend 12 hours wandering a city without a plan.

At the same time, traveling with a dog has also led us to experiences we probably never would’ve had otherwise. We’ve discovered hiking trails we’d never have found, spent more time outside, and created memories that wouldn’t exist without her.

After years on the road with our dog, here are the pros and cons we’ve learned along the way.

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PRO: You get to have your dog around.

For us, this is the biggest one.

Kimmy brings us so much joy. She’s hilarious, weird, affectionate, and full of little quirks that somehow make every trip more entertaining.

She throws sticks to herself. She does little sassy dances when she wants something. She has opinions about everything.

Sometimes it even feels like she’s genuinely having fun exploring somewhere new, especially when she starts zooming around a new trail or beach. Those moments become essential pieces of the trip.

Instead of coming home and talking only about the places we saw, we also end up telling stories about Kimmy.

And if you’re someone who sees your dog as family, having them there makes a trip feel more complete.

CON: There’s sacrifice involved.

A dog awaits whatever is cooking in the oven.

Traveling with a dog means your trips probably won’t look the same as they did before.

Kimmy becomes the priority when we’re planning. We have to think about where she can go, where she can’t, whether there are parks nearby, if a day will be too long for her, or whether a place will feel overwhelming.

Sometimes that means skipping things. We’ve looked at museums and restaurants and thought, “That looks amazing,” while also knowing it just wasn’t realistic with Kimmy along.

Note: This may look different for small dogs that can fit in a cute lil’ backpack carrier, but that’s not our girl!

You stop planning around only what you want and start planning around what works for everyone, because pets are family too.

PRO: You save money on dog sitters.

Traveling with Kimmy often saves us quite a bit of money.

We have wonderful dog sitters in France who Kimmy adores, maybe a little too much if we’re being honest. She has one favorite where she practically launches herself toward the gate when we arrive.

Still, dog sitting costs add up quickly, especially if you’re traveling frequently or taking longer trips.

Bringing Kimmy means fewer logistics, fewer drop-offs, and more money left over for the actual trip, or for spoiling Kimmy.

CON: “Pet-friendly” can have different meanings.

Some places simply don’t allow pets, especially hotels. Others allow them with daily fees attached. Some only allow small dogs, with weight limits attached. (Our furry friend is a big girl. Our last dog was a large dog, too.)

Then there are the places that call themselves pet-friendly accommodations but seem a little less thrilled after you check out.

We’ve definitely had Airbnb hosts complain about finding dog hair afterward. We clean, vacuum, and do our best, but if you’re inviting a large dog into your space, a few hairs may survive.

We’ve found great places over the years, but sometimes the most pet-friendly options aren’t necessarily the places we would’ve picked otherwise. That goes back to that idea of sacrifice again.

PRO: Your dog gets new experiences.

A dog looks out at a pond in a new place.

This is one of our favorite things. Maybe we’re projecting human emotions onto a dog, but it really does seem like Kimmy enjoys seeing new places.

She gets new smells, new walking paths, new beaches, new national parks, and little routines that come with being somewhere unfamiliar.

Dogs experience places differently than we do. We might be admiring the scenery while Kimmy is intensely investigating a random bush, figuring out who used it as their bathroom earlier that day.

Fun fact: Dogs can break down complex scents into components. So when Kimmy is obsessively sniffing a bush, she’s reading a full story of other animals, people, food traces, weather changes, and who has been there recently.

Sometimes she’s so focused on sniffing that she misses farm animals standing directly in front of her face. I’d say she’s an introvert like us, but she loves other dogs and humans.

In any case, it’s fun getting to experience a place through another perspective.

CON: The guilt trip is real.

If we’re staying somewhere for a while, we’ll occasionally leave Kimmy for a few hours to do something we know she wouldn’t enjoy.

Maybe it’s a museum, a fancy restaurant for date night, or a venue with live music. Percussion and “white man on guitar” is probably toward the top of things she hates the most.

She doesn’t always know we’re making the choice to leave her behind for her. The second she realizes we’re leaving, the performance begins, with those big eyes and the sad expression. She acts as if we’ve betrayed her.

Fun fact: Dogs don’t just react to departure, they react to the sequence of departure cues. Things like putting on shoes, picking up a bag, or even changing your posture can trigger what trainers call pre-departure anxiety.

That’s until I tell her to go to bed, which usually means a special treat is coming, and suddenly she’s ready for us to leave immediately.

PRO: You spend more time outside.

Pet travel naturally pushes us toward outdoor activities. Sometimes that means finding a great dog park or hiking trail. Kimmy absolutely LOVES hiking, especially on trails that aren’t super crowded.

Other times it means discovering a terrace café or quiet outdoor space we probably would’ve walked right past otherwise.

Instead of defaulting toward indoor activities, we end up outside more, moving more, and seeing places from a different perspective.

It’s a different style of travel, but it’s one we’ve grown to love, and it’s good for us, too.

Note: Bad weather doesn’t mean you have to skip the outdoor activities with your dog, at least not for a dog like Kimmy. She loves rain because fewer people are outside.

CON: Dogs come with baggage.

I mean this literally. Traveling with Kimmy means bringing food, bowls, towels, treats, wipes, blankets, medications, and approximately 17 other things that feel essential in the moment. For longer trips, the food alone starts taking up serious space.

Then there’s the car setup. Her bed has to be positioned correctly, and if something isn’t right, she lets us know immediately.

That usually comes in the form of panting in Brian’s ear while he’s driving or heavy sighs to vocalize her displeasure.

Road-trip packing has become less about figuring out what we need on the road and more about prioritizing Kimmy’s stuff first.

PRO: You can be more spontaneous.

One of the biggest perks of bringing your pet along is not needing to arrange dog care every time we want to leave.

That’s basically how our trip to the Netherlands happened. We had some free time, looked at each other, and decided that spring is springing, and we should see some tulips. So we packed up and went.

There are still logistics involved, but removing the need for a sitter eliminates a huge barrier.

Sometimes, if the weather looks good or we suddenly have a few free days or we’re feeling stir-crazy, we can turn it into a road trip. That flexibility makes travel feel a lot more possible.

CON: Dog anxiety is real.

Kimmy is a little sensitive.

Road trips work best for her, which already limits our travel options. But even then, certain things can be stressful.

She’s freaked out by leaves blowing in the wind, roofers, live music, unexpected noises, maybe even her own shadow.

Traveling with Kimmy means paying attention not just to where we’re going, but how she’ll feel there.

We’re constantly reading the environment through her stress level and adjusting as needed. Sometimes that means cutting a day short in a city we were psyched about seeing.

Or maybe we skip something altogether because we’re sure it’ll be too loud for Kimmy. That’s come from trial and error, and we still make the wrong call sometimes.

She had no business going to the cheese market in Alkmaar, for example. It was way too crowded, and the enclosed spaces made her anxiety worse.

She’s not perfect, but neither are we.

Is traveling with a dog worth it?

For us, absolutely, but only when it’s the right kind of trip.

We’re not putting Kimmy on unnecessary flights to suffer through cargo and airline regulations. We’re also not forcing her into situations that make her anxious just because it’s convenient for us.

Traveling with a dog isn’t always easier. Sometimes it’s cheaper, but not always. And sometimes it definitely isn’t simpler.

But it has changed the way we travel in ways we genuinely love.

We don’t really think of it as sacrificing travel. We’re just doing it differently now. Ahonestly, we wouldn’t want to do it any other way…because she’s Kimmy, and she is the best.

More destinations we’ve loved with our dog:

More travel tips from life on the road:

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