PetRelocation.com released the results of its first annual Holiday Pet Travel Survey of more than 7,000 pet owners worldwide, finding that 63 percent of pet owners say they travel at least 50 miles with their pets during the holidays.
Staying Stateside
Of pet owners who travel with pets, a majority of them (71 percent) choose to travel within their state of residence during the holidays. Twenty-eight percent travel out of the state, and eighty-five percent of those who travel with pets for the holidays said that their pets influence the distance of how far they'll travel for a holiday vacation.
Short and Sweet
Pet owners keep their holiday travel short and sweet. Most pet owners surveyed (45 percent) typically spend between $50-$100 on pet-related products and services during the holiday season. Eighty-five percent of those who travel with pets take holiday trips which last seven days or less, with the remainder of pet owners indicating their trips can last up to two weeks. A majority of pet owners (57 percent) said their pets do not influence the length of their holiday travel.
Friends and Family
While a third of respondents said they stay at pet-friendly hotels during their holiday travel, 66 percent said they stay at the home of friends or family during the holidays. This may have something to do with the availability of pet-friendly lodging during the holiday season—a majority of pet owners (85 percent) said that their pets influence where they choose to stay during the holidays.
Pets are Family, Too
Of those who travel with pets during the holidays, nearly all of them indicated they only travel with dogs. When asked why they choose to travel with their pets, a majority of pet owners (71 percent) said it was "because pets are part of the family and should be with the rest of the family during holiday occasions."
Holiday Challenges
When traveling with pets during the holidays, 42 percent of pet owners listed making sure their pets don't become stressed as their biggest challenge. Finding pet-friendly transportation or airlines was the second biggest challenge according to 28 percent of travelers with pets during the holiday season. This is a similar sentiment to the 2010 Summer Pet Travel Survey (http://www.petrelocation.com/summer-pet-travel-survey) results in which pet owners indicated airline fees and airline selection as the most difficult road blocks in their pet travel plans.
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