Pet Holiday Travel Packing List 2015

Like many folks, we are hitting the road this holiday and venturing cross-country to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. Since Paddington will be joining us (of course!), we wanted to share you our favorite travel must-haves and packing list. 

1. Pet Carrier. An airline approved travel carrier. We are HUGE fans of the Sleepypod Air. We also own a Sleepypod Atom, which we prefer for shorter trips, but since we'll be taking a long plane ride want to make sure Paddy has more space to stretch out. You can read our review of both carriers here. 
2. Travel Blanket. While Paddy actually doesn't mind traveling in the Sleepypod without any extra padding, since we're headed to colder climates, we're definitely going to be including the Sleepypod Cloudpuff Blanket, which is a new product for the brand. Our full travel review will follow, but we love that it is compact, snuggly, and the perfect size to put inside of our Air. 
3. Travel dish. Though you'll have to purchase water AFTER security and you'll probably want to limit your pup's snacks and drinks while in transit, a travel bowl is very handy. We love this collapsable bowl from Good2Go, which we picked up at our local Petco. 
4. SNACKS! We always try to pick in-flight travel snacks that will not leave Paddy searching for water, so nothing too salty and no chews. This trip we're packing the Zuke's Mini Naturals Pumpkin treats we recently reviewed (obviously, it being Thanksgiving and all), and these I Love and You Venison and Lamb bites. Love that both packages are re-sealable and can pack pretty flat. Don't forget to also pack enough of your dog's regular food for when you get to your destination! 
5. Wipes. Messes can happen. We received these little travel-sized wipes in a Barkbox and love that we can attach them onto Paddy's carrier for easy access. 
6. "Quiet Toys" - Normally we try to pick something that is not fluff-filled or going to disturb our in-flight neighbors. While Paddy doesn't typically play with them while in transit, she'll often use one as a pillow and I think likes to have something familiar with her on the road. We picked up this cute Thanksgiving themed toy from the Barkbox Shop though I think it is now sold out.
7. Leash, harness + poop bags. The basics, obviously. When you take your dog out of their carrier to go through security, it's a good idea to have them leashed just in case. We typically un-harness and un-leash for the actual flight itself (since she's in her carrier), but you're definitely going to need all of these accessories when you walk pre and post flight. 

Hope this packing list is helpful-- safe travels this holiday season!

Did we forget anything? What is in your dog's travel bag? 



Disclaimer: We received some items mentioned in this post for the purpose of review. For more information regarding our review/sample policy, please visit our disclaimer page.

A Day at the Dog Beach: Leo Carrillo State Park

Believe it or not, dog friendly beaches in the Los Angeles area can be a little hard to come by. While the California coast is basically one giant beach, there are really only two spots to check out if you want to soak up the sun with your pup. As Paddy has never been to the beach before, you can imagine that this was at the top of our "things to do" list, and thus we headed to Leo Carrillo State Park on a recent sunny weekend.

Situated about a 35-40 minute drive North of Santa Monica along the Pacific Coast Highway, Leo Carrillo State Park is 1.5 miles of beautiful California coast. After paying entrance/parking, head to the 2nd parking lot along the beach road for dog-on-leash beach time! (Yep, sadly, there was no off-leash fun to be had, but in many ways felt like this was for the best/safer.)

Despite the large number of people (and dogs), we were impressed at how clean the beach was; everyone was doing a nice job of picking up after themselves and their pooches. LOTS and LOTS of dogs - big dogs, small dogs, fluffy dogs... they were all there and having an awesome time. In fact, almost everyone we saw at this part of the beach had a dog in tow. The beach is by no means huge (in fact it's definitely narrow), but there was more than enough space for everyone to lie out, play in the water, etc.

Though Paddy was not super keen about the ocean, she had a great time playing in the sand and meeting some of the local dog pack.

Location: 35000 Pacific Coast Highway

Details: Dogs on leashes are welcome NORTH of Tower 3 (head to the 2nd parking lot)
Cost: Parking was less than $15 which is a steal, especially if you're planning on spending all day at the beach!
Amenities: There are public bathrooms, but we did not see any places to purchase water, etc. so make sure to bring everything with you! There were a lot of folks BBQing and tail-gating, so check out the website for details as to what's approved.

See you at the beach!

 

Sleepypod Air Review, Part 1

In advance of our exciting upcoming move, we've been doing a lot of research into the best carrier for Paddy's maiden cross-country voyage. Knowing that it's a trip she's going to be doing several times a year, we've been in the market for something that has a good reputation, which is why we immediately zeroed in on Sleepypod and their carriers. We recently received a Sleepypod Air and in an effort to help get Paddy acclimated used it to take her for a car ride out to the family farm.

We were concerned at first after seeing photos online that the Air was not going to be spacious enough, but oh how wrong we were… seriously, this thing is like the Rolls Royce of pet carriers. In addition to a really soft, cuddly lining, Paddy has more than enough room to move around, stand up, etc. The mesh covered openings (both ends and up top) also give her unobstructed vision when it comes to what's going on around her.

Here's an idea of Paddy vs. the bag size 

Getting buckled into the backseat of the car (you are going to want to secure the zippered part of the case before hitting the road!)

Pros:

• Lots of space: definitely don't have to worry about Paddy feeling cramped in here. 
• Ventilation: a mesh panel that zips into the bag allows your pet plenty of fresh air.
• Weight: This thing is seriously as light as a feather! 
• Storage: The Sleepypod folds flat which is an apartment dweller's dream! 
• Good for both the plane and the car -- it was super easy to get the carrier strapped in. 
• Instructions: We adore the cute little safety card that was included with the bag that explains just how to safely secure it in a car/on a plane.

Cons: 

• Size: While there probably isn't a thing such as too much space… we wonder if Paddy is going to not feel as secure since she does have so much room. The bag is a little bit on the larger size, so a solo traveler with a rolling suitcase and a handbag may find it a little unwieldy unless they strap it onto the roll on or use the shoulder strap. 
• The way the bag is setup, it's probably not going to be ideal for car trips-- Paddy has to look out to the side instead of facing forward. However it's definitely safer than the other doggy car seat we've been using. 
• The Sleepypod Air's design does not allow you to easily reach into your dog's carrier. The carrier is either zipped closed, or open, there is no in-between. While good because technically your dog should be safely enclosed while in the airport and on the plane, it is going to prevent sneaking the occasional pats. 

The Air is also probably too big to use on the days when I commute to work with Paddy, which is why we also just ordered the Sleepypod Atom off of Amazon to test out as well. We had previously been worried that it was going to be too small, but after using the Air think it might also be a good option for shorter trips. 

The Sleepypod Air is available for purchase directly from Sleepypod's website ($159) or from Amazon.com.

What is your experience with airline friendly carriers? 

Disclaimer: We received a Sleepypod Air from the manufacturer for review purposes. For more information about our review policy, please visit our disclaimer page. 

Travel Tails: Our New Sleepypod Air!

As you can see from the photo on the left, Paddy is SO over this Polar Vortex business. Currently, she is dreaming of palm trees, sunshine and counting down the days until our move. While we have yet to figure out all of the logistics, we DO know how she's going to be getting from coast to coast-- enter the awesome folks at Sleepypod and their awesome Sleepypod Air, Warmer and Yummy Bowl. Can we talk about how gorgeous the packaging is? AND- we are SO into the fact that the Sleepypod stores flat.

Even though our move isn't until later this year, it's looking like Paddy might be taking her 2nd plane trip a little bit sooner… stay tuned! In the meantime, we can't wait to get Paddy acclimated to her Sleepypod and test out the new gear- keep your eyes here for more detailed reviews!



Disclaimer: Sleepypod provided the above mentioned products for the purpose of review. For more information on our review policies, please click here. 

Slurpabowls!

Heatapocalypse 2010 continues in NYC, and so does our summer series focusing on hydration on-the-go. Check out Slurpabowls- adorable, uber-portable water/treat bowls that make it easy to keep your pet hydrated/fed on the road! Super durable, but recyclable (made out of paper), these cute little folding dishes hold up to 2 cups of kibble or water and can be reused several times (we got about 4 uses out of ours). 

Available from OliveGreenDog.com for $9.99 for six.

xoxo The Barkistas

Disclaimer: This content originally went live in 2009 on our old site, and has been re-posted with updates. Samples were purchased by ME for review.