We Thought We’d Have to Leave Our Dogs Behind

It was the hardest decision we ever had to make. Do we live out our dream of seeing the world? Or do we stay at home to be with our dogs? This is what we were struggling with just a few years ago. After years of dreaming and planning, we had an amazing opportunity. We could finally realize our dream of becoming full-time travelers and visit all those countries on our bucket list. But how could we immerse ourselves in a life of travel when we had two toy poodles to look after?

During this time, we were expats working in Singapore. We originally moved to Asia for the adventure but that was many years before. Eventually some of the magic and novelty wore off. Yes, we were living in a tropical paradise. But we were also just regular people working stressful jobs and taking care of our two dogs, Jasper and Huxley. 

To relieve the pressure of corporate life, we loved to travel. At every opportunity we’d go off and explore another part of Asia. We’d just drop the dogs with a sitter and away we’d go. But of course we’d miss them, they’d miss us and we’d always want to rush back to be with them.

All this time we were dreaming of a different life. We had fantasies of saying goodbye to our corporate jobs and finally seeing the world. We’d already had a taste of some adventures. We had hiked around Mont Blanc; we’d climbed Kilimanjaro; we trekked to Everest base camp. And we wanted more. We wanted to overland across Central Asia and motorcycle down Vietnam and visit the Antarctic. We wanted all these adventures but they were all things you can’t really do when you have two little dogs along for the ride.

We saw ourselves as epic adventurers but instead we were boring, responsible dog parents. 

But then something changed. What was just a fantasy for so long was finally within reach. All the time that we were working in Singapore, we’d done a really good job saving and investing our money. We were about to become financially independent meaning that our investments could fund our lifestyle on an ongoing basis. 

This was it; our big moment. We could finally quit our jobs and do whatever we wanted with our lives. And of course, what we wanted to do was travel. But what about the dogs?

We did have some experience of traveling with a dog. When we first moved from Canada to Singapore, we had an older dog that of course we had to bring with us. Getting her to Singapore was really complicated. She was too big to go with us in the cabin of the plane so she had to fly as cargo. The whole thing involved tons of paperwork; pet relocation brokers at each end; a 10-day quarantine in Singapore; and a very hefty price tag. 

It was a stressful experience and not one we ever wanted to repeat again. If it was this difficult to move one dog to one country, how could we bring two dogs for a trip around the world? But we had to try. So began months and months of research. 

The logistics of traveling with two dogs to multiple countries are overwhelming. First, how do we even fly with them? When we looked into the options, it turned out that they were small enough to travel with us in the cabin of the plane instead of down with the luggage. That turned out to be the easiest thing to figure out. The rest was much more complicated. 

Not all airlines even accept dogs in cabin so we’d have to base our travel plans and itinerary on those that would. We’d also have to get carriers and train our dogs to feel comfortable in there for 8 to 10 hours at a stretch. We’d also have to figure out all the entry requirements for every single country we wanted to visit. And then double and triple check everything so we wouldn’t get turned away at a border.

We’d have to line up vaccinations, blood tests, health certificates, lots of other paperwork. And what happens after we land? How would we find accommodations that would accept us with two dogs? And what if they got sick or injured? How would we find an English-speaking vet in some random country? It was all too much. We felt defeated even before we got started.

Then we started to discover other people traveling with their dogs just like we wanted to. They were bloggers like Gigi Griffis with her dog Luna or Montecristo the traveling chihuahua or Schnitzel of Travelnuity who’s been to 35 countries. 

But we still had our doubts. Yes, people were hopping on planes with their dogs and we could too. But what about the big epic adventures we had in mind. What about all the multi-day treks we wanted to do: scaling mountains, exploring remote areas.

Could we really climb the Matterhorn with a couple of toy poodles?

Well, we probably couldn’t climb the Matterhorn with them. But we could enjoy a few weeks of trekking through the Alps. If we wanted to have it all — a life of adventure and a life with our dogs — there would need to be some compromises. We would need to come up with different adventures; something that would be accessible for all four of us. And that’s the life we have today. 

In 2019, we bought a one-way ticket from Singapore to Poland. We’ve been traveling full time with Jasper and Huxley ever since. In fact, they’ve already been to 10 countries. Of course, the first couple months were about just figuring out how to be on the road with our dogs. In our previous life, their biggest excitement was going to the beach on the weekend. Now, they had to get used to being in new environments and moving from one Airbnb to another. They had to learn how to be on a train for the first time. They were encountering new people, new dogs, new smells. And after we settled down in one place, it was off to the next. 

After getting them used to the basics, then the real adventures began. We headed to the Turquoise Coast of Turkey. This was the perfect place to stretch their little legs and put in some miles. We set up a home base and tackled a few segments of the 500 km Lycian Way.

Next we headed to Lake Como in Italy where they did some serious uphill hikes to take in those epic views. Then we explored rock formations and ancient monasteries in Northern Greece. And the four of us had a very romantic sunset together. In Croatia, we went up and over Mount Srd and capped the day with lunch in a local village.

These might not be the adventures we originally imagined. There was no scaling mountains or white-water rafting. But they were still amazing experiences. We’ve come to accept that the travel we do with them is different from what we would do with just the two of us. But it’s actually even better because we get to do it all together. We adjusted our dream so that it could be achievable for everyone.

We’ve learned to focus on parts of the world where it’s easier to travel with dogs, like Europe. In Italy you can take your dog almost anywhere, including grocery shopping. We’ve also discovered that warmer climates are best. It’s easier to enjoy a meal out when we can all be together on a patio. And that gives us a good excuse to avoid the winter.

Ultimately we’ve learned not just to dismiss a dream because the reality might look different from the fantasy. And this can apply to all kinds of would-be travelers, whether you have a dog or a child or some other circumstance that seems like it might hold you back. All it takes is some resourcefulness and creativity.

Of course, traveling with our dogs isn’t easy. It’s not just the big adventures we need to worry about. It’s also the everyday stuff like making sure we’re taking care of their needs and creating a stable environment. All the things we take for granted at home but that’s not so easy to achieve on the road. Fortunately, after a couple years on the road, we’ve got the answers. In this next post, we share everything we learned about what it’s really like to travel full time with dogs.