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Travel Tuesday--How To Travel with A Pet, Select the Right Travel Pet Companion, Find Safe Pet Boarding
Published 6 days ago • 5 min read
Dear Ageless Traveler,
Everyday someone says to me "I can't travel because I have a pet." Or, "I have an older pet and I am afraid to travel with them or board them." I too wonder if my travel life allows for pet ownership.
I have always had a pet. There was Sabra, my poodle, when I was twelve. Then there were Gilbert and Sullivan, the two cats who shared my life for 23 years. And there were my last two dogs, Brigit the elkhound and Cheerio the Springer spaniel. You may notice that I end my letter “Cheers", inspired by Cheerio. Every one of them was a rescue animal.
So in this week's podcast and newsletter I am helping you (AND ME) decide whether to get a pet, and how to travel when you already have a furry friend at home.
Our usual sections focus on pets and travel. We cover:
Ask Adriane: Am I Too Old to Adopt a Pet?
News You Can Use: How Pets May Protect Your Memory, New Rules for Bringing Your Dog Home, and Help With Adoption Fees for Older Adults
Culture Vulture: An Ocean Liner With Kennels, a Sanctuary Sleepover, and Pet-Friendly Palm Springs
Luxury Travel for Less: Free Stays When You Pet Sit, Hotels Where Pets Stay Free, and How to Find Trusted Sitters
This week on The Ageless Traveler podcast, I welcome Lorri Coppola, the Executive Director of the Mt Pleasant Animal Shelter, a no-kill shelter in New Jersey. She is a wise guide for anyone who loves animals and loves to travel.
Never stop traveling
Cheers,
Adriane
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P.P.S. Download our FREE eBook, Luxury Travel for Less: 32 pages of top tips and 75 curated websites.
This Week's Highlights
On This Week's Podcast
How To Travel With Pets, Leave Them Safely, and Choose the Right Pet for You
This week I interviewed Lorri Coppola, a pet and animal rescue expert, for tips on owning a pet if you travel and choosing a pet if you are looking for a new best friend.
She shares practical solutions for traveling with pets or leaving them in care. She also explains how to choose a pet, especially if you are an older adult.
For more than 50 years, Mt Pleasant Animal Shelter in East Hanover has never euthanized animals for time or space.
Q. I am 72, recently retired, and I want to adopt a dog. I travel a lot. Am I too old to take on a pet?
Selma, London, UK
A. You know I will say that no one is ever too old for anything, but you do need to be realistic.
Consider adopting a healthy adult or senior pet. Their personalities are already formed; they are often house-trained. You may go through some aches and pains together, but they are easy to board…if you get the right one.
If you travel often, a cat may be easier to leave with a sitter than a dog. But be careful money-wise…True, I spent $600 one year boarding two cats, but my travels are very long.
Decide who will care for your pet if you cannot. Every state now allows a pet trust, which lets you leave money and instructions for your pet's care.
And ask the shelter about senior discounts. Many offer lower adoption fees for older adults. (See News You Can Use below.)
News You Can Use
Your Pet May Help Protect Your Memory A study published in Scientific Reports in 2025 analyzed 18 years of data from the Survey of Health, Aging and Retirement in Europe on adults 50 and older. Dog and cat owners started with higher memory and thinking scores and showed slower cognitive decline over time than people without pets. Read more
New Rules for Bringing Your Dog Home From Abroad Planning to take your dog overseas? Know the U.S. rules before you leave. Every dog entering the United States, including American dogs coming home, must be at least six months old, have a microchip, and arrive with a receipt from the online CDC Dog Import Form. Check the CDC Dog Importation page to see what applies to you.
Help With Adoption Fees for Older Adults The Pets for the Elderly Foundation gives grants to partner shelters so they can lower adoption fees for adopters age 60 and over. It has funded shelters in 27 states. Ask your local shelter whether it participates, and ask about its own senior discount too.
Culture Vulturing Around the World
Crossing the Atlantic With Your Pet on Queen Mary 2 Cunard's Queen Mary 2 is one of the very few ships at sea with kennels and a Kennel Master. I just took the crossing in September, between New York and Southampton, UK. (Hamburg-NYC is also available). I saw a private outdoor deck for pets with visiting hours three times a day. For 2026 crossings, kennels run about $1,300 to $1,500. Book early, as spaces fill fast. See the kennels
All Aboard With Amtrak Amtrak welcomes small dogs and cats on most routes. Your pet and carrier together can weigh up to 20 pounds, trips can last up to seven hours, and pets ride in Coach or Acela Business Class. There is a fee for each segment. Amtrak pet rules
Volunteer Vacation: Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, Utah In Kanab, Utah, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the largest no-kill sanctuary in the country, cares for more than 1,600 animals on any given day. I took my animal-loving daughter there when she was ten…it was wonderful to see how they cherished the animals.
At Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, you can tour Dogtown, Cat World, and Horse Haven, volunteer for a shift, and even take a dog or cat for a sleepover in the pet-friendly cabins and cottages on site. It is regenerative travel. See last week’s newsletter on “regenerative travel.”
Luxury Travel for Less
Pet Sitters On TrustedHousesitters, pet owners worldwide offer free stays in their homes, from city apartments to country houses, in exchange for pet care. And when it is your turn to travel, the same site helps you find ID-verified sitters for your own pet, with plans for pet owners starting at $149 a year. Learn more
Travel With Your Pet BringFido lists pet-friendly hotels, restaurants, beaches, and attractions worldwide, with policies and reviews from other pet owners. It is free to search.
Board Your Pet On Rover, you can book pet sitters, dog walkers, and in-home boarding. Read the reviews, meet the sitter first, and ask for daily photo updates so you can relax on your trip.
My personal cheapy idea…Young artists and actors need work. They make great pet sitters. If you have an art college near you, put a note on the job board. How do I know? My daughter Rose was a pet sitter in LA until she got her break as a casting director.
Friends Meeting Friends
Please check out the wonderful podcast Dementia Decoded, with host Jennifer Fink.
Loving someone through cognitive decline or chronic illness shouldn't mean losing yourself. On Dementia Decoded, caregivers find practical strategies for everyday communication, coping with anticipatory grief, and making self-care non-negotiable. It's an essential listen for anyone supporting a spouse or loved one while still striving to live a full, intentional life.
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