Can I travel with my fur baby? Will it make travel nursing significantly more difficult? Will I be able to find housing? This is one of the most common questions I see on travel nursing forums. There’s always lots of discussion on this, but I’m here to tell you that you can absolutely travel with your fur baby.
Updated April 1st, 2021
Jumping into the world of travel nursing with your four legged baby can seem daunting, but as long as you’re prepared and know what to expect, it’s absolutely doable! Take it from someone who’s been galavanting around the country with this derp since I started this crazy adventure! I’ll run through some logistics you need to consider so that you can have the best experience possible.
Luna people watching from the balcony 
Luna with her best friend Frankie 
Luna got her own room in our NJ house
Finding Housing With Your Pet
This is the thing that I find people are most concerned about, yet the thing that I find least worrisome about traveling with Luna. I know that having a pet can limit your housing options, and once or twice there have been times when I think “dang it, I love this place but it’s not pet friendly.” However, I’ve never had an issue finding housing on an assignment because of my dog. I’ve used several different platforms to find housing, but regardless of what you use it’s generally pretty easy to just select the “pet friendly” filter when you’re searching.
I use sites like AirBNB and Furnished Finder for my initial searches, so it’s pretty easy to check the “pet friendly” box and I only see properties that allow pets. Be sure to read the fine print before booking as some listings include details that a pet deposit is required or pets have to be approved by the owner. This is a newer thing I’ve noticed and kindof annoying for these types of platforms, but it is what it is. t
I’ve also found housing through travel nursing facebook groups. Generally once I’ve signed a contract, I’ll head to the Travel Nurse Housing FB Group and throw out a post about what I’m looking for. I always include in the post that I travel with my dog so that landlords know not to reach out to me unless their rental is pet friendly. Here’s an example of a recent post I shared and I actually found a perfect place at my assignment because of it!
You could also consider extended stay hotels as a pet friendly housing option. Often these hotels will negotiate long term rates for travel nurses, so do a quick online search for pet friendly hotels and then call the property directly to ask about monthly rates. I haven’t stayed at an extended stay for a contract, but I did do it for a couple months in while hunting for a new apartment (because it was cheaper than extending my lease month to month) and it was actually pretty nice, so I’d definitely do it for a contract in the future.
Covering Your Pet’s Medical Needs
Whether it’s routine check ups or something going wrong, there will be times when you’ll need to take your fur babe to the vet while you’re on assignment. If you’re like me, you’ll also want to take them in for spa days (bath + nail trims) regularly. If you can clip your dog’s nails, bless you. My dog turns into a sociopath when you touch her nails, so I happily outsource that task. But I digress.
While you could easily google a vet and/or grooming salon in your current city, I would recommend using a “chain” vet like Banfield (they have locations inside Petsmart as well as independent locations nationwide). While recommending a chain isn’t generally my thing, I can’t stress enough how much easier it will make your life to go this route when traveling with a pet. Choosing to go with a vet/grooming service that is widely available will simplify your experience because they will always have your pet’s records on file. For me, this is way easier than remembering to bring copies of my dog’s vaccination records every time she needs a nail trim. Plus, when you do need to take them in for a vet appointment, their history, prior visits, and vaccinations will all be in the system so the doc knows exactly what they need every time.
Assignments Where You Can’t Take Your Pet
Okay, I know I started this out by saying that it’s not that hard to travel with your pet, and generally it’s not. BUT, there are a few caveats to this. If you’re like me and want to travel for the adventure and location more than the money, there might be some assignments you want to take that you either can’t take your pet or it would be extremely difficult.
For example, I almost went to Hawaii in summer of 2018, but ended up not going because I was so overwhelmed with getting the dog there. She’s never flown, there are crazy rules about quarantining your dog once you get there, etc. It was just too much for me to figure out in the two weeks I would have had to get there. I also wanted to submit to a really high paying contract late last year, but found out that the hospital provides housing that is shared with another traveler and not pet friendly. That one wasn’t a big deal because I really just wanted the pay and didn’t care much about the location, but it would have been a place I couldn’t take my pup.
Since the whole Hawaii thing happened, I’ve come up with a plan for what I’d do if this ever comes up again. I’m super lucky to have family that has agreed to watch my child for me should I get the opportunity to go somewhere like Alaska or Hawaii for a few months. I’m not 100% sure I could live without her, but I would certainly feel much better knowing that she was living her best life with my dad and her best dog friend. If you think you’ll eventually want to take contracts in places where it won’t be feasible to bring your pet, it’s a good idea to start considering alternatives now. If you have a friend or family member that would keep them for a bit, that’s perfect!
Other Things To Note About Travel Nursing With Your Pet
Consider your pet’s behavior
First and foremost, if you’re traveling with your pet (or just like if you have a pet in general?), please teach them not to be an asshole. I once saw a post on a travel nursing site where a girl asked if a hotel was allowed to kick her out because people were complaining about her dogs barking while she was gone. She could not wrap her head around how this was acceptable when she had booked for three months. Like…what?!
If your pet is an asshole about certain things, you need to get that shit in check before you travel with them. Get your fur baby used to being on their own and make sure they don’t bark incessantly while you’re gone. Make sure they’re house broken – if you have a dog they should either be able to wait until you’re home to go out or you should arrange a dog walker to come while you’re working. Lots of travelers use the Rover app for as needed dog walking or pet sitting services and love it. I have used Rover for pet sitting while I’m on trips and I’ve had great experiences each time!
If your pet is in the habit of scratching, chewing, or destroying things, you need to break this habit ASAP and/or crate them! Do not let your pet ruin someone else’s home while you’re gone. You should also train your pet not to be on furniture unless you tell them it’s okay. Some renters don’t want pets on furniture at all, and even if they say its okay the last thing you want is your pet scratching someone’s leather couch!
Extra cost of traveling with a pet
The other thing you should consider if you’re planning tot travel with your fur baby is that you will almost inevitably incur more costs than someone who travels without one. The short answer to the question, “can I do travel nursing with my pet?” is absolutely, but it’s going to be a little more expensive.
Short term rentals that accept pets will often require a pet deposit or pet fee. Some will charge a monthly pet rent as well. If you’re going through extended stay hotels, you may incur a pet fee there as well, although many will have a cap on this that’s cheaper than other rental deposits. You also have to take into consideration that you may have to pay pet fees in places you stay while getting to and from your assignment. This may not be an issue for everyone, but I personally take at least a week off in between contracts to road trip and explore on the way to my next destination. If you do the same, then remember you’ll have to find pet friendly accommodations on the way and those fees can add up! Just make sure you have some extra money set aside to cover these extra expenses and you’ll be just fine.
I hope this has helped answer some of your questions about how to travel with your fur baby! I know when I started travel nursing, I was worried about taking Luna on the road, but I was determined to make it work because I sure as hell wasn’t going without her! If you have other questions, drop them in the comments!
You can also check out my other travel nursing related posts here, and connect with me on instagram where I share tons of travel and travel nursing related content! You can also sign up for my email list too and I’ll send all kinds of fun travel tips on the regular! Just pop your email in the box below (: I love chatting with you guys so don’t hesitate to reach out!
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