Summer is the perfect time for a road trip! 

For many pet parents, a road trip just isn’t the same without their furry family member. If you’re planning on the hitting the road and bringing your pup along for the ride, review these travel tips and strategies to make sure both of you have a safe, happy and calm trip.  

1. Plan with Your Dog in Mind 

Whether you intend to travel up the coast or stay within your state’s bounds, you should plan the trip around your dog’s needs. Just as we need breaks on long drives, dogs do too! Determine the best driving route for your pet beforehand – a good rule of thumb is to look for a route that has safe areas along the way for your dog to stretch their legs, relieve him or herself and play to blow off a little steam. Wherever your final destination may be, make sure the activities you have planned are pet-friendly, so your dog doesn’t have to spend a lot of time alone or in a hotel room.   

2. Practice Makes Perfect  

If your furry friend typically gets anxious on car rides or isn’t used to being in the car for extended periods of time, try going on “practice drives” prior to the trip. These drives can start off as trips across town and build up to short day trips to ultimately prepare your pup for the longer haul. 

3. Packing Essentials

If you’ve ever been in the passenger seat on a long road-trip, you know firsthand how draining it can get. In addition to packing basic necessities (including extras of everything so you can avoid crowded stores during your trip), bring along your dog’s favorite chew toys to help keep them relaxed and entertained on the drive.

You might also consider adding Kradle Calming CBD to your packing list. Especially if your dog hasn’t road-tripped before, traveling to new environments and being away from the comforts of home can drum up stress. Uncontrollable events like thunderstorms may also pop-up up during drives that can cause anxiousness in even the most experienced canine travelers. Kradle Melts are perfect for these sudden stressful situations – with more CBD in each serving than our other products, they’re formulated to calm dogs quickly.

Kradle Melts are a must-have item on your packing list as the delivery method is perfect for “trigger stress” that could pop-up during a road trip vacation such as thunderstorms and meeting new people.

4. Where to Go?

As we’re just heading into August, there’s still plenty of time for you and your four-legged friend to enjoy an adventurous summer vacation together.  In fact, August is a top vacation month with lots of top destinations across the U.S.  Outdoor activities are a smart and fun vacation idea and are easy to do with dogs, be it a weekend camping adventure that involves exploring hiking trails or a day trip to the beach. Make sure your outdoor destination is still open and ready for visitors.  Plus BringFido.com is a helpful resource for finding pet-friendly destinations if you don’t already have a place in mind.

Help keep your dog calm during long road trips. Check out our Trial Packs, including our Trial Bundle, which features all our CBD calming products to try out, and particularly well suited for travel, our Kradle CBD Calming Melts. For a bundle of our recommended products for road trips with your dog, check out the Kradle Road Trip Bundle that makes long car rides easy. 

So, where are you going? Share with us in the comments section below.

Happy Summer!