How to Save Enough Money to Take a Fun Trip with Your Dog

Many people make it a point to save up before traveling because they know how much they’ll spend on expenses like accommodation, food, and transportation. Such expenses can balloon even further when one has a furry friend in tow.

For instance, some hotels charge fees for guests who check in with their pets. Airline travelers also need to pay extra to fly with their pets, whether the latter will stay inside the plane’s cabin or in its cargo hold. This is on top of the research pet owners need to do so that they can find pet-friendly establishments to welcome them and their pups.

But even with the different considerations, you’ll need to make, perhaps you’re still willing to go the extra mile to travel with your dog. It will allow you to explore new places while bonding with your beloved canine and create travel memories that are like no other.  

If you indeed want to go places and experience the world with your pup, it’s best to build up your travel fund. Here are some tips for saving money and managing a modest but sufficient day-to-day budget so that your dog can join you on your next big adventure:

Buy Pet Supplies in Bulk

As far as saving money is concerned, the first impulse that pet owners often have is to hold off on their purchases. While this may be effective for non-essential items, it’s the other way around for products that you always use and products that you constantly need—including dog food and tools such as custom martingale collars, leashes, and lint rollers, among others.

Buying dog food in bulk every month, for example, is a more cost-effective approach than purchasing small portions every week. Depending on the amount of food and how frequently you feed your dog, a large sack of dog food may be able to last your household more than eight weeks. On top of being able to secure food at bulk prices, you’ll also save gas money from making less frequent trips to the pet store. Some wholesale stores even provide free shipping when you order a certain amount, which nets you even greater savings.

Don’t Hang On to Old Items That May Harm Your Pup

While it’s good to make the most of what you already have, sometimes hanging on to a product past its prime can do more harm than good. Dog toys, for example, are items that you’ll want to replace once in a while. After all, playful and excitable dogs tend to go through their toys quickly, as they’re prone to playing rough. If you let your dog play with worn-out or damaged toys, you run the risk of your pet accidentally swallowing or choking on the toys’ small internal components.

So, if you have a rambunctious and energetic pup, you may want to consider buying wholesale dog toys instead of piecemeal toy items. Having spare dog toys on hand to replace the tattered ones won’t just save you money so that you can travel with your dog—it will also prevent emergency trips to the vet, which can threaten their health and ability to travel with you. That’s not to mention the fact that you’ll avoid having to deal with hefty medical bills, which could otherwise use up most of your hard-earned travel savings.

Groom Your Pup Yourself

Taking your dog to a professional groomer regularly can surely put a dent in your monthly expenses. If there’s one area that you can afford to cut costs in from time to time, it’s your dog’s grooming needs. For basic grooming tasks like trimming your pup’s fur or cutting their nails, it’s more practical to take a DIY approach instead of always going to the doggie salon.

When doing basic grooming for your pet, you don’t need any fancy tools. Basic items like a pet comb, brush, and scissors should be enough to get you started. You can also watch online videos to learn simple and beginner-friendly pet grooming techniques. The money you save from visiting the dog groomer less often can pad your travel purse for a trip with your dog.

Organize a Pet-Sitting Club

Another hefty source of pet-related expenses may be pet daycare and dog walking services. What you might not be aware of is how you can become less dependent on these without compromising your pup’s well-being.

Instead of paying for doggie daycare and walking services, consider organizing a group of pet parents who can each take turns looking after each other’s fur babies. You can all agree on a weekly schedule to keep an eye on your pets and compensate each other in kind. By taking turns with other doting dog owners, you each save up on professional services, and you’ll be able to allot your portion of the savings towards a forthcoming travel adventure with your pup.

Make Your Home Cleaning Products

Many commercial cleaning products are not only expensive but also contain ingredients that are harmful to pets, like bleach, isopropyl alcohol, and ammonia. If your dog inhales the fumes, ingests chemicals, or comes into contact with hazardous substances, they may suffer from nausea, vomiting, rashes, and other health conditions. These, in turn, may lead to throat and stomach damage.

Fortunately, you can swap some commercial cleaning solutions with DIY pet-friendly formulas using natural ingredients. For example, you can mix equal parts of water and distilled white vinegar and use the resulting solution to clean your floors and other surfaces like countertops. Additionally, these natural ingredients are often far cheaper than the pre-made solutions on the market. Best of all, these cheap yet effective natural alternatives will make your home’s environment much safer for your pup.

Once you tally your savings from using homemade cleaning products, you might be surprised at how much you’ll have left over for travel and leisure activities with your pooch in tow.

There are many different ways to make cost-efficient choices as a pet parent, especially if you want to save up for a luxury like a vacation with your dog. Try these money-saving recommendations to free up funds for pet-friendly travel, all without skimping on your dog’s everyday safety or well-being.

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