It’s never been easier to take your pet on a trip with you. On social media, you can see cats exploring Budapest and dogs surfing in California. Plenty of hotels, airlines, and even a few cruise lines welcome pets.

If you decide to try traveling with your pet, advance planning is key. Try these tips!

Note: Rules and requirements are different if you’re traveling with a service animal (not an emotional support or therapy animal). Read more: The Essential Guide to Traveling With a Service Animal

First, see how your pet adapts to a short trip.

Not every furry friend loves the traveling life. Before planning a trip with your pet, consider whether your pet really wants or needs to travel. Some dogs love road trips, while others get carsick and howl in hotel rooms. Try spending the weekend with your pet at a nearby vacation rental or hotel. If your pet hates it, leave them with a trusted sitter or in a boarding facility next time.

Get an airline-approved pet carrier.

Whether you’re traveling with a dog or a cat, investing in a high-quality pet carrier is one of the smartest things you can do. It needs to latch securely and give your pet enough room to move around, while still fitting airlines’ size requirements.

If you’re bringing your pet in the cabin with you, look for a soft-sided carrier that’s expandable, so that it will fit under the seat in front of you and also give your cat or small dog a little extra space.

If your dog is traveling in the cargo hold, get a sturdy kennel that will protect your pet in case of accidental impacts and turbulence. Travel+Leisure calls Gunner “the gold standard of hard-sided kennels,” with five-star crash protection.¹ Crash-tested pet carriers are also a good idea for road trips with your pet.

Practice using the carrier before your trip.

This is an important step many owners forget. Traveling with your pet will be much easier on you and your pet if getting into the carrier is a familiar and cozy experience, not a scary one. Try feeding your cat or dog near the carrier for several days. Then, slowly move the food dish into the carrier and practice closing the door.² Don’t rush this process! Give your pet several weeks to adjust.

Anxious pet? Talk to your vet.

Medication may be an option, but it’s important to understand the difference between tranquilization and sedation for pets. “Tranquilization reduces anxiety and induces a sense of tranquility without drowsiness, while sedation has a more profound effect and produces drowsiness and hypnosis,” the American Veterinary Medical Association explains. Airlines often don’t allow pets to be sedated, but your vet may recommend a tranquilizer.

Train your dog to go potty on command.

It’s 6 a.m. It’s raining. Your train is leaving in 15 minutes. And your dog is sniffing around a patch of grass, trying to decide where to go. If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I get my dog to pee while traveling?” the answer is: Teach your dog the “potty” command. You can call it anything you want—the American Kennel Club suggests “showtime.” Training your dog to potty where and when you want is possible with verbal cues, treats, and patience.

Flying with a pet? Choose a pet-friendly airline.

Which airline is best for pets? That depends on where you’re headed, the type of pet you have, and your budget.

If you can afford it, public charter airline Bark Air and private jet service K9 Jets offer luxurious travel for dogs. On Bark Air flights, dogs don’t need to be kept inside a carrier, and they can enjoy complimentary treats, warm towels, and bone broth. This airline even offers a dog concierge service to help with trip planning, dog documentation for international travel, dog-friendly ground transportation and dog chaperones. K9 Jets also allows dogs to sit with you in the cabin, although cats must be in a carrier.

Among commercial airlines, Alaska Airlines ranks as one of the best for flying with pets.³  A passenger can bring up to four pets, if you purchase an adjacent seat, and rabbits and birds are allowed in the cabin as well as dogs and cats. There are many other pet-friendly airlines too. Before booking a flight with your pet, check:

• Availability (some airlines limit the number of pets per flight)
• The price to transport your pet in the cabin or in cargo
• Size restrictions
• Breed restrictions (some airlines won’t transport short-nosed dogs, like pugs, because of the risk of breathing problems)
• The paperwork you’ll need

Check paperwork requirements for traveling with a pet.

Wondering what paperwork you need to travel with your dog, cat, or other pet? For international travel, it can be quite a lot. You may need vaccination records, a health certificate from your veterinarian, an import permit from your destination country, a blood test, and/or proof of microchipping. Check the USDA site on pet travel for details about what you’ll need to travel with your pet from the U.S. to a specific country and vice-versa.

Be aware that getting the health certificate can be complicated, and the timing matters. Once your vet signs the certificate, you may have a short amount of time (e.g., 30 days) to get the certificate endorsed by USDA and travel with your pet before it expires.⁴

Even if you’re just traveling with your pet in the United States, you should bring vet records with you. If you need to take your pet to the emergency vet or board them unexpectedly, you’ll need medical and vaccination paperwork on hand.

Buy travel insurance as soon as you book your trip.

Allianz Travel Insurance plans don’t typically include coverage for pets, but they do protect you from travel mishaps and emergencies—and that’s essential. Travel insurance can also help you in some unexpected ways when you’re traveling with your pet.

If you experience a covered trip delay, travel insurance can reimburse you for eligible trip expenses (up to the limits in your plan). Say a blizzard grounds your flight home from Chicago while traveling with your cat. Your trip delay benefits can reimburse you for the cost of a pet-friendly hotel for the night.

If you have an emergency while traveling with your pet, we’ll do our best to make sure you and your pet are taken care of. True story: An older couple was traveling cross-country with their dog when one of them fell seriously ill.  Assistance team made sure the traveler received emergency medical care, and also found a reputable local kennel to care for the dog while the traveler recuperated. (Please note that an insured traveler is responsible for paying the associated costs for special, non-covered services like pet boarding. Read your plan documents so you know what your travel insurance covers.)

If your baggage (or your pet’s baggage) gets lost, damaged, or delayed by a travel carrier, your baggage benefits can reimburse the cost of purchasing essential items during a covered delay, or the cost of repairing/replacing lost and damaged items (limitations, exclusions, and requirements apply). While animals are excluded from coverage, your baggage benefits could cover things like a pet carrier, pet stroller, pet supplies, etc.

Need help planning a trip with your dog, cat, or other pet? Use the Concierge benefit that’s included in many Allianz Travel Insurance plans. While the Concierge team is unable to plan your entire trip for you, they can recommend pet-friendly hotels, airlines, activities, and more.

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