Holiday Pet Care: Planning Ahead for Stress-Free Travel
Whether it's a week in the sun, a long weekend away, or a fortnight exploring somewhere new, holidays are supposed to be relaxing. But for pet owners, the weeks before a trip can be anything but — especially if you haven't sorted out pet care.
Here's how to plan ahead so that when you leave for the airport, the only thing on your mind is which book to read by the pool.
Book Early
This is the single most important piece of advice. Pet sitters get booked up, especially during school holidays, bank holiday weekends, and the Christmas period. If you know you're going away, book your sitter as soon as you book your flights.
For peak periods like Christmas, Easter, and summer, booking two to three months in advance isn't unusual. For regular weekends, a month's notice is usually fine — but the earlier the better.
Do a Trial Run
If it's your first time using a pet sitter, consider booking a single overnight or pop-in visit before your main holiday. This gives your pet a chance to experience the sitter without you there, and gives you a chance to see how it all works.
Most pets settle quickly, but for anxious dogs or nervous cats, a trial run can make a big difference. You'll go on holiday knowing that your pet has already been through the process and was absolutely fine.
Get Your Meet and Greet Done Early
Don't leave the meet and greet until the day before you travel. Ideally, it should happen at least a week before your trip. This gives you time to prepare anything the sitter needs, get spare keys cut, and write down any last-minute details.
It also means that if anything comes up — a change in medication, a new behavioural issue, a broken key safe — there's time to deal with it calmly.
Prepare Your Home
Before you leave, make things easy for your sitter:
Food: Leave enough food for the entire stay, plus a few days extra just in case. Label anything that needs labelling. If you use fresh food, make sure there's fridge space.
Medication: Leave medication clearly labelled with dosage instructions. If it needs to be kept in the fridge, flag that.
Vet details: Leave your vet's name, address, and phone number in a visible place — on the fridge is traditional.
Emergency contacts: Leave a local emergency contact who can make decisions if you're unreachable. This might be a family member, neighbour, or friend.
Supplies: Poo bags, litter, cleaning supplies, leads, harnesses, towels for muddy paws. Make sure everything is easy to find.
Stay Connected (But Not Too Connected)
A good pet sitter will send you daily updates with photos. This is wonderful and reassuring — but try not to micromanage from the beach. Your sitter is a professional. Trust the process.
If you have specific concerns or instructions, share them at the meet and greet, not in a flurry of texts at midnight from your hotel room.
Coming Home
When you get back, your pets will be right where you left them — happy, fed, exercised, and probably a little bit spoiled. That's exactly how it should be.
The best compliment we ever get? "It's like we never left." That's the goal. Your pets shouldn't notice you've been away — they should just carry on as normal, with a friendly face looking after them until you walk back through the door.