Become a Home Based Travel Agent

Having just returned from an international trip to Mexico with our St. Bernard Zoe, I am current with what is necessary for traveling to Mexico / abroad with a large dog. This will be part one of a two-part piece. It was an incredible journey (no pun intended) filled with angst, fun, laughs, relief and exhaustion at some points. Asked if I would do it again, my answer is a resounding yes! Will I be better prepared, again, a yes! This is my way of helping my fellow agents and dog lovers become more knowledgeable about traveling with Big Dogs.

In October of last year we made the decision to spend two months at our home in Punta de Mita, Mexico. We are not able to just hop on a plane and leave our home here in San Diego for extended periods without dealing with pet care. Three cats and a St. Bernard dog are quite a responsibility.

Our three cats are pretty accustomed to seeing suitcases coming out of the hall closet and being packed. They are used to the drill and know that eventually we will be gone and then return for some serious petting time. As long as someone comes and cares for them daily and makes sure they have their food, water, clean litter and some love, they seem to be adaptable.

Princess Zoe is a whole different animal. She is joined to us at the hip and the thought of leaving her for several months was one that would not set well with her, nor I for that matter. I suggested to Tom that we take her to Mexico, which brought about some interesting dialogue. He was not too thrilled with the idea and was sure that it would be a task not easily accomplished, if accomplished at all. I have been known to take on a challenge or two in my life, so this was my new mission. I would take the next couple months to learn all I needed to know about traveling internationally with a large dog. It did take a good deal of research.

We are back home now safe and sound in San Diego and are alive to tell the tales. I stayed two months in Mexico with Zoe by my side and we had a blast! Tom flew back to the United States a couple times during our stay, but Zoe and I worked and played from Mexico and are ready to book our flights to return there! I hope you enjoy our Journey…

The first challenge I ran into was making sure Zoe could even fly to Mexico. She weighed about 80 lbs at that time which was well under the limit for the carrier we chose. However, there are some airlines that will not take an animal that large, so be sure to check out your options. The carriers that will accept large dogs for transport with you on the same aircraft will likely have this information easily accessible to you on their website. It may take some searching and be aware the rules can change before departure. Be sure to review them regularly. A simple search on an airline’s site such as traveling with pets or pet travel shows you what you need to know. I confirmed all I read with an agent when I was purchasing our tickets. It is necessary to have the record show you will be taking an animal and checking him/her as baggage. It is important that they have this recorded in case there is not enough space for that flight. There was a fee of $100 each way. This fee could either be paid in advance of travel or on day of departure. We decided to pay upon departure, as the fee is non-refundable and not reusable like a ticket might be.

We flew Alaska Airlines out of Los Angeles, as we did not want to have to make a connection with Zoe. We lucked out that we could do that. I am not sure I could have handled the worry of connections. As it was, Tom wanted to give me a tranquilizer to calm me from my pet parental over-protectiveness. Here are some great sites I would suggest looking at as you research air travel with pets.

The next challenge became finding a large enough (but not too large) carrier for Zoe. The airlines have limitations on the size carriers they will allow the pet to travel in. Be sure to print out that information when you begin shopping for the pet carrier. I had hoped to find one on “Craig’s List” but seemed to miss all the deals. That being said, if you have time to shop well in advance of the trip, that could prove a good place to look. Thinking about how many times you might use this should have a bearing on your decision to purchase a new or used one. When I started my research, I googled using terms such as “large pet carriers” and “airline approved pet carriers” to see what I could learn. You will find terrific resources online. Here are a few sites I found very helpful.

I ended up purchasing what Tom refers to as the “Silversea” carrier for Princess Zoe. We found it at Petco and it has wheels, which made the decision to buy it a no-brainer with Zoe’s not-so-svelte figure. The airlines have regulations as to the features of a carrier you will use, so be sure to measure and assure the closures, etc. are as required. They did check all of this when we arrived at the airport, so I was happy I did my homework. The wheels were a dream upon our arrival at LAX and especially upon our return going through the customs area at LAX. A word to the wise… The wheels worked fine on the way to Mexico, but on our return two of them broke. I am purchasing some extras to have on hand in case that happens again. I would suggest a couple extra just in case.

Depending on the length of the flight, the animal may need to have a water bowl attached to the carrier, as well as a food bowl. Both of these items can be purchased at pet stores or online. There are all kinds of details about how they have to attach to the carrier, so be sure you do this well in advance of your trip, as a trial run. Dealing with frustrating things like this while you are trying to check in at the airline counter will not be fun.

The rules and regulations for traveling with a pet to another country will vary. Be sure to read up on all you can to know what to expect. It is also important to check the dates of the information you might be reading online to assure that it is current and accurate. I found several sites that had very dated information that would have led me down the wrong road, as I prepared for the journey. Traveling into Mexico was relatively easy, as there is no quarantine needed at time of travel. However, what Mexico Customs officials needed to see upon entry was different then what the United States needs to see upon re-entry. For information on traveling to the United States I used the following government site.

For our trip it was necessary for Zoe to see her good friend, Dr. Hansche a specific number of days prior to departure and it was a pretty short window. I called our vet in advance and told them what I would need from them for the documentation. They were well aware of the form needed and made the process very simple, but not exactly inexpensive. The animal you travel with must be current on all inoculations and must have a check-up to assure they are in good health. The inoculations will vary depending on what country you visit. As an example, Mexico requires that rabies shots be given once a year while here in the U.S. it is every three years.

We had our big appointment on December 26^th for our travel date of Jan 1^st. Zoe is a very social animal and tends to get pretty excitable. I was very worried that she might be too stressed out in the carrier and in baggage. I worried she might have a heart-attack or something worse. I asked the doctor if he suggested using something to calm her. He does not like to prescribe tranquilizers for dogs when they fly, as it apparently can cool their body temperature to a lower than a safe level. However, since size was not an issue with her, he felt safe that we could give her a little something to take the edge off. He prescribed Acepromazine and suggested we test a small dose on her a few days in advance of travel to see how she handled it. That proved to be excellent advice and it worked out fine. He told us to give her a pill about 30-minutes before we planned on checking in for the flight. We left the vet’s office with our formal certificate in hand signed by Dr. Hansche and our sleepy pills. We also loaded up on flea and tick medication aware that fleas and ticks are an issue in Mexico. Knowing your destination's pet-health risks is a good idea so you can be prepared.

One of my biggest concerns was if it would get to cold in-flight for her down with the luggage. The thought of her being in the hold of the airplane was enough in itself. I wanted so badly to fly with her down there. I think Tom would have agreed to that if it were allowed! My vet advised me that they worry for the animal in extreme warm or cold temperatures. Even though Zoe is large and very furry, he suggested that I line the bottom of the carrier with some blankets and maybe her bed. We were traveling in the winter from LAX so I knew it would not be too hot there while the plane was preparing to take off. However, what would it be like when we landed in Mexico? I could only hope and pray that she barked so much upon arrival that they would want her out of their hair quickly. That did prove to be the case.

The day had finally arrived and we drove up to LAX to begin our Mexican adventure. About 30-minutes outside of LAX I gave Zoe her sleepy medicine and she was pretty relaxed by the time we arrived at the airport, which was a very good thing because I was not. We had kept the carrier out in our den open for her to climb in and out of for about 3 weeks before the trip. She of course had no real desire to get in, but we thought it might work. The challenge was how to get her in the carrier at the airport. The answer was Bacon! She loves it and I figured we could coax her in with a couple strips. It worked and she lied down on her bed and pretty much rested through the entire check-in process. The baggage handlers wheeled her away and I stepped into high-gear worry. It was a morning flight so a bit too early for a drink to calm my nerves. Tom suggested (in jest) that I try one of Zoe's Magic Sleepy Pills.

Joanie Ogg CTC MCC
Joanie Ogg Marketing Group
Editor

Joanie Ogg is a thirty-five year veteran of the travel industry and has been involved with the independent contractor evolution since 1988. She is the principal of Joanie Ogg Marketing Group, which specializes in consulting and speaking on the topic of Home-Based Travel. She also provides marketing and sales for wide variety of products under the umbrella HomeBasedTravelAgent.com.

A demonstrated industry leader, Joanie most recently served as the President of the National Association of Commissioned Travel Agents (NACTA) and TravelSellers. She and her husband Tom acquired NACTA in 1996 and sold it to The American Society of Travel Agents (ASTA) in 2000. Joanie’s tenure in the travel industry includes owning and operating one of the first successful host agency models. She has owned and operated several storefront travel agencies (both commercial and leisure), as well as a Hawaii wholesale tour company.

Her decades of success have garnered her numerous accolades over the years. Her accomplishments have been recognized by receipt of two Lifetime Achievement Awards from major trade groups, being named as one of the “100 Most Powerful Women in Travel” by Travel Agent magazine on several occasions, voted as “Travel Agent of the Year” by the readers of Travel Trade magazine, and has been recognized by many other industry organizations throughout her tenure in the industry. In 2008 Joanie Ogg was inducted into the CLIA Hall of Fame, an honor held by some of the most influential executives in the travel industry.

Joanie is a Master Cruise Counselor (MCC) and a Certified Travel Counselor (CTC). Joanie has co-authored two popular travel industry books for cruise specialists and home-based travel agents and has authored hundreds of travel trade articles. She has inspired tens of thousands of travel agents attending her presentations at trade events, cruise seminars, international trade gatherings and numerous local educational venues throughout the United States. With a time-honored background and forward-looking vision, she is often featured as a speaker at many of the travel industry’s major conferences and events. Joanie’s speaking talents are widely sought as a travel industry emcee by the most recognized travel organizations. She has emceed such events as Cruise-A-Thons, ASTA’s CruiseFest, The Trade Show, The Travel Institute Forum and all of NACTA’s National and International Conferences.


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