Findings reveal majority of pet owners don’t trust airlines with pets, spend time worrying rather than relaxing while traveling and some even smuggle pets onto planes and into hotels.
SANTA MONICA, CA – With summer travel season in full swing, DogVacay.com, the leading online home dog boarding and pet services community, released its inaugural survey on the State of Pet Travel in the U.S. The survey provides a comprehensive look at the challenges pet owners face when traveling. Whether people travel with their pets in tow, or they leave them behind, the survey reveals several surprising results. This survey was conducted online within the United States by Harris Interactive on behalf of DogVacay from May 20th–22nd, 2013 among 2,341 adults ages 18 and older, of whom 1,423 are pet owners.
DogVacay’s inaugural survey reveals that people aren’t fully enjoying the benefits of their travel because they are worrying about their pets, even if their pets are traveling with them. While the travel industry did not witness a slump due to these concerns, it is worrisome as vacation is a critical part of preventing work burnout and gives families much needed time together; it shouldn’t be overshadowed by worrying about what’s happening with your pet back at home or back at the hotel.
Nearly three quarters (72%) of those who travel without pets worry about their pet during at least some of the trip, and 64% cite having challenges when making travel accommodations for their pets. When it comes to satisfaction with aspects of pet travel, there is clear room for improvement. An overwhelming 75% of pet owners do not trust airlines to safely care for pets when traveling in cargo/checked.
The survey also found that the majority (82%) of pet owners who ever travel without pets rely largely on their own personal network of family members, friends and neighbors to watch their pets. And 50% of pet owners, whose friends and family watch their pets when they travel, feel bad asking their friends and family to watch their pets.
“We’re thrilled to share the results of our inaugural State of Pet Travel in the U.S. survey to shed light on the challenges pet parents face when traveling,” said Aaron Hirschhorn, co-founder and “Top Dog” of DogVacay.com. “DogVacay was founded to create an alternative for traveling dog parents to board their pet in a loving local home. We hope this survey will inspire more innovation in pet travel so that next year’s survey results will show even more improvement in the options available to those traveling both with and without their pets.”
Traveling Frequency
Despite having a pet, owners aren’t letting their furry friends get in the way of their travel with 79% of pet owners reporting that they take at least one trip that includes an overnight stay per year. Where their pet stays does, however, affect the length of pet owner travel.
- Pet owners on average take 3.6* overnight trips per year spending an average of 15 nights away from home.
- Traveling pet owners who use kennels/pet boarding/vet/pet sitting (79%) are more likely to travel for 5 or more nights away from home than those that use family/friends/neighbors to watch their pets (71%).
Guilt Trip
Although most people associate travel with vacation and relaxation, that isn’t quite the case with pet owners. Whether they’re traveling with or without their pets, the feeling of anxiety is more common than one might think. A whopping 72% of pet owners who travel without their pets worry about their pet during at least some of their trip, and 64% of pet owners traveling overnight would be more anxious traveling with their pets than without them. But the worrying doesn’t stop there:
- 24% of pet owners who travel without their pets worry about their pets during all or most of their trip.
- 73% of pet owners who leave their pets at the kennel when traveling feel guilty about it.
- Surprisingly, male pet owners worry less than female pet owners about their pets when traveling without their pets.
Biggest Challenges in Pet Travel
Those owning pets are in agreement that there are limitations/challenges when making travel accommodations for their pets (64%). While only 48% of pet owners who travel overnight say that being a pet owner makes them travel less, other factors weigh heavy on traveling decisions. So what are the biggest limitations in making travel accommodations for traveling pet owners?
- 50% of pet owners whose friends and family watch their pets when they travel feel bad asking them to watch their pets when traveling.
- 32% say they have anxiety leaving their pet behind.
- 23% say finding a trusted pet boarding/pet sitting option is a challenge when traveling.
- 22% say the cost of pet boarding/pet sitting is a limitation when making travel accommodations.
- 21% point to the difficulty in finding pet-friendly travel options when making travel accommodations.
Cost of Travel
Traveling involves ponying up the cash, but which method of travel is easiest on your pockets? On average, pet owners spend $247 annually when traveling with their pets. When leaving their pets to be cared for by someone else, pet owners spend on average $486 annually traveling without their pets.
Who Watches the Pets?
It’s crystal clear when it comes to whom pet owners would prefer to care for their pet, with the majority of pet owners citing the use of family members or friends to watch their pet when they travel. But what about when those trusty friends and family aren’t available?
- 44% of pet owners who travel use pet boarding/pet sitting services 1 or more times per year on average.
- Of those who use pet boarding/pet sitting services, they do so on average 4 times per year.
Pet-Friendly Airline and Hotel Accommodations
As for satisfaction with aspects of pet travel, specifically pet-friendly airlines and hotels, pet owners appear to be satisfied overall; however, there is clear room for improvement. A majority of pet owners are “at least” satisfied (top 3 on a 5 point scale) with pet-friendly airline and hotel accommodations, prices and availability.
However, it appears that not all believe that airline accommodations and pet-friendly prices are up to par, with nearly a quarter of pet owners being “not at all” satisfied (23% and 24%, respectively).
- 75% of pet owners do not trust airlines to safely care for pets when traveling in cargo/checked.
- More than two-in-five (45%) pet owners report being not at all or somewhat satisfied (bottom 2 on a 5 point scale) with pet-friendly airline accommodations (in cargo/checked).
- In terms of hotels, a majority of pet owners are at least satisfied (top 3 on a 5 point scale) with pet-friendly hotel accommodations, prices and availability.
Pet-Smuggling
Sometimes skirting the rules and costs involved with bringing your pet along seems tempting. Does anyone fess up to this pet owner faux pas?
- 15% of pet owners admit to having smuggled a pet either into a non-pet friendly hotel room (12%) or onto an airplane (4%).
- Interestingly enough, pet owners with children in their household are twice as likely as those without children in the household to say they are guilty of “pet smuggling” while traveling (17% vs. 8%).
Dog Owners vs. Cat Owners
Since the dawn of time, dog and cat owners have been at odds. Dog owners are more likely to travel overnight, and cats may be the more spoiled animal.
- When it comes to overnight travel, dog owners (81%) are more likely than cat owners (76%) to travel overnight.
- In terms of spending habit, cat owners dole out a bit more dough spending on average $304 when traveling with their cat versus dog owners spending $273.
- Dog owners (53%) are more likely to feel bad asking friends and family to watch their pets compared to cat owners (48%).
- Dog owners (46%) are more likely than cat owners (37%) who travel overnight to say it’s difficult to relax because they’re worried about them.
Tatiana is the news coordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes monitoring the hundreds of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skimming the most important according to our strategy.
She holds a Bachelor's degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.
