The pet dilemma
Planning a world trip
By Jaimy de Vries
I’m a big travel and pet lover, so this was a big struggle for me. Sometimes you simply have to choose one or the other, as long-term travel doesn’t mesh well with owning pets. It’s something travelers need to keep in mind, as it’s not fair for your furry friends for you to leave for months at a time. This was one of the hardest parts for me. I lost lots of tears leaving my pets behind, especially my cat Lobaskes.
The pet dilemma
But if you want both, it’s possible, though it’s going to take some work and good friendships to make it happen. The best things for both pet and traveler is to find a friend or family member to take care of your pet(s) while you are gone. This is not easy as asking someone to do this for you is a huge favor. If someone agrees, payment or some other form of thanks is a necessity. If your renting your house to friends, family you can ask them to take care of your pet.
A Van-lifestyle
Before making the decision what to do with my cat I did my research to find out which options are possible for my case. Because my cat was like my baby. I loved him so much and I didn’t want to leave him behind. I read more about traveling by a van. During that time it wasn’t possible to travel by plane due to COVID-19 and traveling by a van got very popular among travelers. And a big advance is it’s much easier to take care of your pet, you can bring them with you!! I got inspired by the social media account of Willow the van cat (@vancatmeow). A guy travels with his cat Willow and he comes along with staying in a van and on hikes. And willow loves it! How cool is that!?
But thinking about it. My cat is not fond of traveling. After a 5-minute drive he gets sick, poor fellow. So bringing him with me is simply not possible – that won’t make him happy. Besides traveling with your pet(s) on your van comes with some down notes. For example there are some national parks where it’s not allowed to bring your pet. And there are some cities and restaurant where it’s not easy to bring your pet with you. Plus you can’t leave your pet behind in a warm van. Another down note with taking your pet with you on your Van and you want to travel the world is: traveling overseas. This is very difficult and expensive. There is only one way to get your van over sea and that is by ship. Before researching I thought I could go on the ship with my pet, but that’s not possible. The ships that transfer your Van are cargo ships and there are no passengers allowed. So you need to travel by plane and flying with a pet is very stressful for them, so better to avoid.
But traveling with your pet is an amazing experience and you’ll always have great company with you, so you’re never alone.
The necessary goodbyes
Sometimes it just doesn’t work out, unfortunately, and you may be forced to give your pets away. It’s heartbreaking and no one wants to do it, but there are plenty of people out there looking for a pet who would provide a great home. And honestly, it will be much easier on your pet to adjust. Probably way more than you.
So I said my necessary goodbyes!
Goodbye turtles
I said goodbye to my turtles a year before my trip. My new neighbors at my parents house, where I stayed the last months (see post housing situation), takes care of them now. They always wanted to have turtles so they were happy to take care of them. They even want to give them back when I come home. So sweet of them! But we’ll see, If they want to keep them that’s okay by me. After I said goodbye and knowing that they are well taken care of I got my peace with it.
So goodbye Udir, Pebbles and Rocky! Love ya and you’ll always have a special place in my heart.
Goodbye Lobaskes
And then the most difficult part, my baby cat Lobaskes. He is like a child to me. My ex and I brought him to our home 5 years ago. 3 years later my ex and I broke up. It was difficult for us to decide where Lobaskes will stay. We didn’t always see eye to eye about the care of Lobaskes. We both thought the cat would be better of with ourself. So we agreed to have contract arrangements about when the cat would be at my place and at his place. But people I learned that this is not good for a cat, especially if he’s car sick. A cat is not made to travel from house to house. It’s very important that a cat feels at home. During this time I saw his behavior change and that broke my heart. And because of my travel plans I took the higher road to give him up and that my ex takes care of him.
A piece of my heart broke when my ex picked him up. I cried for days and writing this text makes me emotional again. I hope when I come back he can live again with me. But let’s see how my ex thinks about that after I come home.
Goodbye sweet Lobaskes! I hope to see you again soon!
Special thanks to Bootsnall.com for all the guidelines and information on how to plan a round-the-world trip!