A recent survey on the State of Pet Travel in the U.S. reveals surprising results. The findings reveal how many pet owners travel, the many challenges they face when traveling and how these feelings affect their travel arrangements.
This inaugural survey, released by DogVacay.com, an online company that connects dog owners and qualified pet caregivers, was conducted by Harris Interactive in May 2013. 2,341 adults participated in the survey, 1,423 of whom are pet owners.
On average, 79 percent of pet owners take at least one overnight trip yearly. On average, pet owners take 3.6 overnight trips per year spending an average of 15 nights away from home. Almost three quarters of owners who travel without their pets worry about their pet during their trip. 64 percent of pet owners say they would be more anxious traveling with their pets than without them. The survey reveals a clear mistrust in airlines to safely care for their pets while traveling in cargo/checked.
Those who do not travel with their pets may choose to board their pets or leave them in the care of a family or friend. 44 percent of pet owners who travel use pet boarding services 1 or more times per year on average. 73 percent of these people feel guilty about this. The majority of pet owners in this survey (82 percent,) rely on friends and family to look after their pets when they travel. Half of those pet owners feel bad asking their family and friends to do so.
The survey also questioned the number of owners who have broken the rules and avoided the costs of bringing pets along. 15 percent of pet owners have admitted to pet smuggling either into a non-pet friendly hotel or onto an airplane.
As the battle between dog people and cat people rages on, so do the questions about their travel. Cat owners spend on average $31 more than dog owners when traveling with their pet. In terms of overnight travel, 81 percent of dog owners will travel overnight compared to 76 percent of cat owners. However, dog owners (46 percent) are more likely than cat owners (37 percent) to have difficulty relaxing because they are worried when traveling without their pet.
Full survey results may be found here: http://blog.dogvacay.com/state-of-pet-travel-us-2013/