Traveling with pets is becoming easier, a new survey shows. According to a survey by DogTrekker.com, dog owners are finding it easier to find pet-friendly accommodations when making travel plans.
According to survey, 83 percent of pet travelers turn to search engines and websites to help plans their trips. Finding accommodations for pets is much easier than it used to be, but it still remains as one of the biggest reasons why more dog owners don't travel with their pets. Comparing a recent survey with a 2011 Dogtrekker survey, finding pet accommodations has become 9.5 percent easier.
Another reason why pet owners don't travel with pets in the concern about their dog's safety, but this also decreased by 14.4 percent. Finding things to do with the dog while on the road is another concern among pet owners, but this decreases 21.6 percent. Another issue is that dog owners find it harder to locate day care for pets once they're at their travel destination.
For traveling pet owners, 56 percent said pet-friendly policies and amenities are very important for when they choose accomodations, which is an 8.9 percent increase from 2011. Pet travel comes with pet peeves. Forty-two percent found expensive hotel pet fees to be annoying, 34 percent found that there's a poor selection of pet-friendly hotels, 28 percent think finding activities to do with dogs at destinations is an annoying and 30 percent found the confusion over pet-friendly policies at hotels, activities and attractions to be annoying.
"Hotels and destinations that aren't providing for truly dog-friendly travel are missing out on a growing trend," said Dave Kendrick, co-founder of Dogtrekker.com. "Our survey documents that 47% of leisure travelers own dogs and nearly 40% of owners bring their dogs along on trips. That's roughly a quarter of all travelers!"
"What dog owners tell us,"Kendrick added, "is that being dog-friendly means more than just allowing a dog to stay in a room with its owner. It means welcoming them just as they do their adult counterparts and setting policies that prove it."
Some of the not-so-friendly practices include hotels waiting until check in to tell an owner that there is a pet weight and size limit, few dog-friendly rooms, no information on where dogs can go or no information about nearby pet services and high pet fees.
"To avoid a miserable travel experience, people who bring their dogs along on their trips say they're turning to sites like Dogtrekker.com to separate what's dog-friendly from what's not. They also look to find new places to take their dogs, experiences to enjoy and where to stay when they travel, " said Kendrick. "The study also pointed out that well over 50% of those who travel with their dogs want to search out less known dog-friendly destinations, a key goal of DogTrekker.com."
"This hasn't gone unnoticed by the hotel industry," said Kendrick, "The number of national hotel brands, including such leaders as Kimpton, Fairmont, Ritz, Starwood, Lowes and Joie de Vivre, that have built reputations as being dog-friendly has grown. It's now very common to see people entering the best properties with Spot beside them. The Westin hotels even go so far as to provide use of special beds, food and water bowls, mats and amenity kits. Still, our survey found that about 40% of dog owners saying they had difficulty finding truly dog-friendly hotels," Kendrick stated. "That is one thing we're working to change at DogTrekker.com."
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
