The Road Before The Road: Preparing for a road trip with your dog

“A journey is like a marriage.  The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it.”

                                                                            – John Steinbeck

Unlike my college finals, traveling with your dog is not something you should try and wing without any preparation.  While I could (and did) make up answers on my finals, there is no way to make up the proper vaccinations or supplies for your pup when you’re away from home.  Accordingly, Eko and I had to make a few pit stops before our road trip could begin.

Our first stop was to our local vet where Eko got a full checkup and a clean bill of health.  I also went to the doctor but was told that since there is no known cure for being crazy that I was free to hit the road as well.  After the vet we headed to the pet store to grab some food for Eko.

Before we made it even close to the dog food aisle, Eko became enamored with some of the local residents at the pet store.  Eko was convinced that if he just stared hard enough at the birds the glass would disappear and he could get a closer look.  Luckily for both the birds and me, the glass stayed firmly in place and we wound our way over to the dog food section.

Eko pulled some Mission Impossible stunts in aisle looking for his food and eventually we found what we were looking for.  The great thing about dry food is that it is very convenient to travel with; an easy way to make a pet friendly hotel unfriendly is by making a big mess, so dry food was a great choice for us.  We left the store (avoiding the birds) and made a move over to the dog park to say goodbye to some friends.   After a good run, it was time to do some serious packing.

There is plenty you can’t control when you’re traveling (weather, traffic, Mister Eko’s firm belief that he should eat twelve meals a day) so it’s important to prepare as much as you can ahead of time.  Eko and I hit the road this afternoon for Philadelphia, our first stop on our mission to find the best pet-friendly places in the country.  Check out the sendoff video we post this afternoon and be sure to drop us a line on Twitter @WillandEko if you are in the Philly area and know of any great spots to check out.

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