Tips for Travelling with Your Emotional Support Animal - 2021 Guide

Traveling is an important part of our lives in this modern world. Through traveling, we take a much-needed break from the stress of our everyday life.

Having an emotional support animal in life should not stop you from traveling and spend quality time with your family or friends. Being an emotional support animal (ESA) owner, you will want to travel with your ESA. But now, with a legal ESA letter, you can easily travel with your emotional support animal without paying any fee.

If your pet is an emotional support animal, you will have to submit the ESA letter with other airlines’ documents before the 48hours of the scheduled flight. A lot of people depend on their emotional support animals and do not travel anywhere without them.

Flying with an emotional support animal for the first time can be stressful and difficult. It becomes easy when you are well prepared, and your emotional support animal behaves well and calm on the plane. An emotional support animal certification is required if you travel on a plane because all airlines have different ESA travel requirements.

Emotional support animal owners should be aware of the rights. Travelers should know the airline pet policy, the Aircraft Carrier Access Act, and the emotional support animal registration proof.

The same procedure is also applied when you are buying or renting a house. An ESA letter for housing is required if you live with your emotional support animal. The ESA owner also knows the Fair Housing Act (FHA) policy and the rights of the landlords.   

A legal ESA letter makes your traveling and living easier with an emotional support animal. If you travel with your emotional support animal for the first time, you have to consider many factors. Here are some tips that you should follow when you are traveling with your ESA.    

Do Some Research Before Booking

Travel internationally with an emotional support animal is a different kind of responsibility for the ESA owner. Some destinations are super pet friendly, but some did not allow pets. So when you start booking, do the research and know which places are allowed emotional support animals. It is important to do the research before buying a ticket or book a room in a hotel.

Figure Out the Total Cost    

Travel with an emotional support animal can be expensive. It is essential to figure out in detail what you will need to spend. A legally register emotional support animal letter can travel free on all airlines, and you do not pay any pet fee. But if you travel with a service animal, you will have to pay a hefty fee. Do the research, make a budget, and then plan to travel.  

Find an Animal-Friendly Hotel

When you start searching for a hotel for your accommodation, make sure the room you rent allows you to bring your emotional support animal. Some hotels charge hefty fees for bringing pets into the hotel rooms. Do some research before booking and inform the hotel staff that you have to live with ESA, so they make proper arrangements, and you do not face any difficulty.

Find the Pet Carrier

When you are traveling with an emotional support animal, you have to bring the pet carrier. So your animal can travel stress-free. Some animals will have spent most of the time in their carrier, so it is important to bring the animal carrier. Some carriers are suitable for travel, and you can easily move them from one place to another. Carriers with wheels are more comfortable for the ESA owners.

Do Some Flight Preparation

The ESA owner needs to do some preparation before your flight. Flying with animals can be stressful, so spend some time on preparation. If you want to travel peacefully, you have to prepare and make your traveling phase smooth. If your pet is easily getting along with other humans, you can easily travel. ESA registration is required when you travel with an emotional support animal.

Communicate with Airline

Some airlines want that if you travel with an emotional support animal, you have to inform them at the time of reservation. When you are traveling with your ESA, you must know the emotional support animal and the airline rules. Every airline has its own rules, so check them before booking. But all airlines want you to have to submit the ESA letter. You can easily get the ESA letter online within a few minutes, and then you have to submit it with other documents before the 48hours of your flight.

Pack all the Dog Things

If you want your pet to feel comfortable, so pack some toys and their food in your luggage. It helps your emotional support animal to feel comfortable, and they remind them of their own home. Some things that you have to pack in your bag for your pet are: 

• Bedding
• Food and treats
• Litter Box
• Collar/ harness
• Vaccine
• Medications
• Towel
• Health certificate
• Grooming supplies
• Pet first aid kit
• Drinking water
• Travel carrier

Bring Enough Food

Make sure that you have to bring enough food for your emotional support animal. If your ESA is traveling in a crate in cargo, you have to give them food and a water bowl in the crate, so they don't feel hungry.  

We hope these tips will be helpful for you and makes your travel more memorable and successful.