How Much Do You REALLY Want to Carry With You?
Before packing, you'll have to know for how many days you'll be traveling and how you want to be traveling. Once you have this information, it's easy to decide on how many suitcases to carry with you. We've created a simple chart below to help you pick and choose:
Road TravelDuring road travel, you can carry as much stuff as fits in your car. As a result, road travel is usually better for either long trips relatively close by or shorter trips a little farther away. (Obviously not good for overseas trips).
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Air Travel
During air travel, you can usually only check in a certain number of bags and then have to start paying, so it's better for medium-length trips or longer trips farther away. This travel option is good for overseas trips or trips farther away.
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Boat/Train TravelBoat and train travel are usually more relaxing, but the number of bags you can carry fluctuates. These types of travel are good for either places far away or close by, but are usually used for day trips to islands or places nearby.
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A Simple Packing List
We've created a simple packing list for you to use while traveling. Just the essentials, of course, and we DID leave out some of the obvious things to take, such as toiletries, clothes, and other things.
- The essentials-clothes, books, money, etc. You know what I mean
- Your dog's essentials-food, water, bowls, a chew toy, etc. If you are only staying somewhere for one night, then you can just take a blanket or have them sleep on the floor.
- A smaller bag-useful for carrying things around on a daily basis. I sometimes substitute this with a purse. If you want your dog to carry his own treats, etc, you can buy vests with pockets either online or at your local pet store.
- Your dog's leash-many places have leash laws, and you don't want to be caught off-guard by one! Even if your dog always walks off-leash, it's always a good thing to carry a leash with you, just in case. Also, dogs can be overwhelmed by so many new scents and smells of new places, so it may be wise to keep them on a leash at first, even if just for a few minutes. Carry this in your smaller bag.
- Relaxation-have some fun! Take books, electronics, and other things to relax you. You're on vacation after all (though it may not seem like it)!
- A towel-you never really know what your dog's going to get into. Just pack this in your suitcase, in case. If staying by the ocean or somewhere with a large body of water, carry this in your smaller bag.
- Water bottles-carry water bottles, reusable or not, to fill with water and carry around. Carry this in your smaller bag.
- Other things to carry-remember to carry your wallet, sunglasses, etc!