Pet expert shares top travel tips for taking your four-legged friend on a flight

As the digital nomad lifestyle continues to grow in popularity among young professionals, pet parents are offering tips for travelling abroad with your furry friends.

Flying overseas with a dog – especially a large one – can be stressful, but travel influencer Jackie Gendron says it’s ‘worth it to not have to leave them’.

Jackie, whose TikTok account @jgendron10 has amassed over 87,500 followers, recently took her 63lb Labrador Puck on a trip to Europe.

Acknowledging that taking a pet overseas seems ‘daunting’, Jackie says that with the right pretravel preparations your dog can be a ‘travel pro’.

She details how to get the necessary documentation from your vet, book your dog’s transport and steps you can take to ease their stress levels while in flight.

Flying overseas with a big (ish) dog is always a little stressful, but worth it to not have to leave them 🐶 #flyingwithdogs #overseasdogs #flyingdog #internationaltraveltips #dogsonplanes #overseastravel #flyingwithadog

Jackie, whose TikTok account @jgendron10 has amassed over 87,500 followers, recently took her 63lb Labrador Puck (pictured) on a trip to Europe

In a video posted earlier this month, Jackie broke down the process for flying with dogs into four simple steps – all of which happen before you even go to the airport. She explained that to take a dog abroad, travellers need an international health certificate provided by their vet

She explained that pets must fly in an airline approved crate, adding in the comments that she was able to purchase the one they use for Puck on Amazon. Pictured: Jackie’s travel companion with their luggage. Puck’s crate is on the trolley to the right

In a video posted earlier this month, Jackie broke down the process for flying with dogs into four simple steps – all of which happen before you even go to the airport.

‘First you need to find a vet that can give you an international health certificate,’ she explained, noting how not every veterinarian offers this service.

But if your vet cannot help with the certificate, there is no need to stress because Jackie says they can refer you to one that does. 

‘Second you need to book your flight,’ she said. ‘They can’t make your health certificate appointment until they have your exact departure date because the appointment needs to be within 10 days of that date.

‘Third, if you’re dog is flying in cargo you’ll need to call the airline and add them to the cargo space.’

Some airlines utilise third party companies to transport pets, but Jackie says that most will let you add a pet to your reservation like an oversized bag.

She explained that pets must fly in an airline approved crate, adding in the comments that she was able to purchase the one they use for Puck on Amazon.

She concluded: ‘Fourth, you’ll go to the vet appointment, get their health certificate, and that’s that.’

Jackie warned that travellers must book their flights before trying to make a health certificate appointment with their vet. She told her followers: ‘They can’t make your health certificate appointment until they have your exact departure date because the appointment needs to be within 10 days of that date.’ Pictured: Puck at the vet

TikTokers previously slammed the way pets are transported on airplanes after footage of a handler carrying a dog in a crate on one side of the luggage hold beneath the commercial aircraft, with the suitcases on the other side, went viral in 2021. A grab from the video is pictured above

Several of Jackie’s followers expressed concern about putting their pet in a cargo hold of the plane.

‘I just couldn’t put my lab in under the plane,’ one user commented. 

But Jackie reassured her follower that while it ‘sucks’, Puck has ‘done really well’ during the flights.

‘The flight is overnight when he usually sleeps, and his crate is fairly spacious all things considered so he’s done really well,’ she said, adding that their her vet also prescribed Puck a medicine to help with anxiety.

TikTokers previously slammed the way pets are transported on airplanes after a video of a handler carrying a dog in a crate on one side of the luggage hold beneath the commercial aircraft, with the suitcases on the other side, went viral.

In the footage, which was captured two years ago at Vancouver International Airport in Canada, the dog’s crate was sheltered behind a fabric partition screen and attached to the side of the hold by straps. 

The clip, which racked up millions of views, was branded ‘terrifying’ by some viewers. 

Is it safe for dogs to fly in the cargo?

According to the RSPCA: ‘Long journeys including the flight, transportation to and from the aircraft and waiting times in the hold of an aircraft can be very stressful and distressing for pets.’

‘Although the hold is usually ventilated and temperature controlled, this may not be the case when the aircraft is on the ground. 

‘Delays can occur in flight times and regulations may not allow the hold to be opened on the tarmac, even during high temperatures. You should take all this into consideration when deciding to use this method of transport.’

The charity advises people to contact the airline prior to arranging travel to find out what its ‘pet travel’ policy is. 

‘By law the International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations must be met in order to transport animals by plane,’ it adds.

‘These specify standards such as the design, ventilation, and size of containers for transporting dogs and cats, and also arrangements for providing food and water. They also state that particular animals are not allowed to travel by plane.’  

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