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Are Cheap or Free Travel Accommodations Available When Traveling With Pets?

11/17/2015

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Typist: Bethany
Upon learning I was planning a budget road trip from Seattle to San Francisco a friend in Portland offered for me to stay at his place. "Thank you so much but you should know that I am traveling with my dogs," I replied. There was a long pause and a shaky "oh..." at the other end of the phone. It was obvious my friend was not comfortable with this turn but was hesitating to rescind his lodging offer. "Is there room for me to put up my tiny tent in your back yard?" I queried quickly. A very different "oh" came from my friend this time. It was lighter, louder and followed by a "yes! Yes, of course." One night of free road trip lodging was secured. Hooray!
Three traveling dogs in a tent: rough collie Huxley, cardigan welsh corgi Brychwyn and miniature long haired dachshund Wilhelm.
Tent camping in a friend's yard.
Seeking hotels and motels that are pet friendly let alone budget friendly is often an excruciatingly difficult task. I always prefer to tent camp but if I am left with no choice but to find indoor accommodations I begin road trip planning by considering a stay with friends. Obviously this is not the easiest task with pets in tow either, but it is more affordable. I am always willing to keep the pets in a safely parked car or to secure them in their crates and cages in a pet friendly part of the house like the garage, if it makes our hosts more comfortable. With this same flexible attitude, it is possible to couch surf or stay in hostels while traveling with pets. As long as my pets are safe, comfortable and not too hot or cold, cheap or free lodging works.
One thing I get asked a lot when planning pet friendly road trip lodging is "are your pets well behaved." The answer, of course, is yes. But I have had people tell me their dog or cat is "extremely friendly" a split second before it turns into a snarling, teeth barring wild thing. Just last night, a woman told me about a parrot at a street fair that the owner was insisting passers-by pet or hold because the parrot was "so very nice." Then the woman showed me the scar from where this "nice" parrot bit her. So all pets are friendly and nice and everyone should be allowed to bring their pets everywhere, right? Wrong. Pets, particularly traveling pets, are unpredictable and rules, especially those of the host, should always be respected. My host, be it cheap accommodations or free lodging, knows I have pets, in advance and upon arrival. I make sure the host knows that I have no intention of breaking their rules about how my pets stay. When I am a well behaved pet traveler, it doesn't matter whether or not my pets are "well behaved." My goal is my hosts to not even know my pets are with me except for when I told them and we agreed upon the best way for my pets to spend the night.
As I exited my backyard tent in Portland, my friend came out to say good morning. I walked and fed the dogs as my friend and I visited. As we sat and sipped coffee my friend suddenly exclaimed "you didn't say you had trained dogs. It probably would have been fine for all of you to stay in the house." Again, I thanked him and made sure he knew we were truly comfortable in the tent. But his compliment did lay the foundation for the rest of my awesome pet friendly road trip south as well as many, many more.
Three traveling dogs in the car: rough collie Huxley, miniature long haired dachshund Wilhelm and cardigan welsh corgi Brychwyn.
Trained traveling dogs.
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When A Long Time Camping Companion Meets Its Demise

8/4/2015

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The five traveling pets of the Cascadian Nomads, cat Amelia, cockatoo Leo, dachshund Wilhelm, corgi Brychwyn, rough collie Huxley, and their old tent.
Don't worry, the pets are fine. The tent, however, did not return from our last camping trip.
Typist: Bethany
Ode To My Fallen Traveling Friend
When I first set you up in 2009
I had to look up the directions online.
In an Oregon Country Fair field with little reception
I slowly found your set up instruction.
'Twas at that Fair you were aptly named "The Palace,"
The luxurious tent that mirrored my ballast.
Through Burning Man pilgrimages and road trips galore
Setting you up was never a chore.
I could single handedly erect you in minutes
Squelching ideas of solo traveler limits.
You were shelter for friends, family, five pets and I
Keeping us all safe, cool, warm and dry.
I was proud to grease your zippers and patch your holes,
That maintenance meant we'd met more traveling goals.
Thank you for your service my beloved tent
I was devastated when your poles were bent
In that Lake Mead wind storm your demise began
But last weekends broken door zipper was fate's last hand.
That and the rain you at last allowed in.
You had served so well up until then
Can you believe we camped at the Grand Canyon?
And in New York? What a great companion!
To the sound of Taps I marched to the trash your remains
Oh the memories of travel with you my heart contains
Thank you so much for being there my tent friend
I will miss you and remember you until my traveling end.
Camping cat Amelia.
Camping Triton cockatoo Leo and rough collie Huxley welcome visitors to our old tent.
Please forgive the roughness (otherwise known as bad) about this poem. This ode was written in retrospective tears upon returning home from my last camping trip. The first trip I have taken in over seven years from which "The Palace" did not return with me. I considered revising this poem to make it more of a formula ode but decided to publish it in it's raw, exhausted from the camping trip, weary with memories, form.
RIP
Have you ever mourned the demise of an inanimate object that was rich with shared memories?
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Make An Old Quad Folding Chair A Dog & Cat's Favorite Camp Chair | Wrapsit Slipcover Pet Crate

7/10/2015

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Black and tan dapple miniature long haired dachshund Wilhelm enjoys the view from inside his Wrapsit crate chair.Wilhelm peeks out of his Wrapsit crate.
Typist: Bethany
My memory is foggy on whether it was the first time I walked into a dog show or a dog training seminar that I saw everyone with a small dog sitting on a folding dog crate chair. The people were intensely studying the event schedule on their comfortable chairs while their dogs rested peacefully below them. While setting up my dog crate then my quad folding chair and getting all of my personal items settled into the various pockets scattered on each, I fantasized about the ease with which my task would take if only I had one of those dog crate chairs. I was determined to get one. Until I found out how much a dog crate chair cost. I am an avid camping traveler with a collection of camp chairs, one in almost every color, multiple person camp chairs, a reclining camp chair and even a folding picnic table and I realized that it was not at all budget or storage practical to add yet another chair to my mass. For years the fantasy of how much more fun pet friendly travel and adventures would be with a crate chair lay dormant until I discovered Wrapsit™. While a more recent memory, I am foggy on the exact words I used when reaching out to the creators of this folding quad chair slipcover pet crate but I believe I used the word "genius."

Camping cat Amelia can safely enjoy time around the campfire from the comfort of her Wrapsit camp chair crate.
Camping cat Amelia safely enjoys the camp fire from a Wrapsit.
The initial genius I saw in Wrapsit was simply an affordable crate chair option that would also help me avoiding ridicule for adding yet another folding camp chair to my already hilarious collection. Wrapsit features like the pockets, carrying straps and closure ease that meant I didn't have to stuff the quad chair back into it's bag didn't matter much to me. I avoid using the pockets of folding quad chairs, I don't try to carry any chairs very far and I have never had much trouble getting any of my chairs back into the bag. Then came the genius of Wrapsit. It is so much more than a crate chair cover. The pockets on Wrapsit are actually useful while the chair is open and closed. Among other things, I carry water for me and for the pets in the Wrapsit pockets. Both the hand and the shoulder straps are truly comfortable and my Wrapsit covered chair has now trekked farther on my back, in my hand or slung to the pet stroller than I ever imagined taking a folding chair. With the ease of setting up and closing my Wrapsit covered chair by simply pulling apart or putting together three strips of velcro, I want to throw away every chair bag I have and cover all my quad chairs with a Wrapsit. I promise that won't mean I will get more traveling pets for the crates. But if anyone with a small pet wants to come camping with us, I will have a spot saved!
Easily carrying a Wrapsit covered quad chair with the Wrapsit shoulder strap.
Easily carrying a Wrapsit covered quad chair with the Wrapsit handle.
Wrapsit makes carrying, setting up and taking down a quad chair easy.
Items are organized and secure in the Wrapsit crate cover while temporarily stepping away from the quad chair
Items tucked away in the Wrapsit crate.
For now, the one Wrapsit I have is on my oldest quad folding camp chair. If I decide to put it on another chair, Wrapsit is so easy to install, it would take only a couple of minutes to switch. The Wrapsit cover is also easy to remove to clean though after many outings with many pets, I have not needed to clean the Wrapsit yet. The waterproof coated polyester base has easily shaken off for me. So besides genius, affordability, ease and convenience, what more can I say about Wrapsit? Well, the two women who created and developed Wrapsit are amazing. They have both spent a lifetime with pets, support pet adoption and are just all around wonderful people that I feel extremely lucky to have connected with. As a person who is picky about the businesses I support and where my money goes, I am almost as happy to have a Wrapsit of my very own as I am to be able to share this genius product review. Almost. Please don't ask me to give up my Wrapsit. Wait. I mean, don't ask the pets to give up their Wrapsit. Wilhelm and Amelia just love their new favorite camp chair.
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LeisureEase LLC provided Cascadian Nomads with a sample Wrapsit for review in this post. Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers and all opinions are always our own. LeisureEase LLC is not responsible for the content of this article.
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Treat Them As You Would Treat Yourself. Wait. Better | #MultiPetMania Merrick Pet Care Review & Giveaway

6/16/2015

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Miniature dachchund Wilhelm and Cardigan Welsh corgi Brychwyn Ready for a picnic with the Merrick Dog Treat picnic pack.
Typist: Bethany
When packing for a recent camping trip I made sure I had everything I needed for all five pets before gathering what I needed for myself. This meant I had very little room for anything for myself in our tiny station wagon. After spending over four hours setting up the campsite, I decided that I deserved a treat. But all I had packed for myself were my favorite chocolate covered espresso beans. Delicious, yes, but not a good just before dinner snack. The dogs, however, had toted along a picnic box of dog treats from Merrick Pet Care. Well, if I can't treat myself, I may as well treat them. In all honesty, treating Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley is more fun than treating myself and when I choose quality ingredient dog treats, like those made by Merrick, feeding dog treats is definitely more healthy than munching even the most nutritious of my own human snacks.

Speaking of my own "healthy" snacks, I know what is best for myself and for the dogs but even though I tend to do a better job at choosing the best treats for the dogs how I decide what we snack on shares some commonalities. The source of what the dogs and I snack on matters. Merrick dog treats are made in the USA, the ingredients are sourced in the USA as much as possible and never from China. I have a lot of food sensitivities and allergies so the ingredients of my snacks matter as does what is in the dogs treats. Merrick offers an entire line of gluten-free, grain-free treats- Kitchen Bites, Power Bites, Dental Chews & Jerky Chip Treats- all of which were in the picnic pack that we took camping. What matters most about treating myself and treating the dogs is that what we are having is truly a treat. The definition of treat is "anything that affords particular pleasure or enjoyment." Wilhelm, Brychwyn and Huxley do truly enjoy Merrick treats. And seeing them take pleasure in their treats, is a treat for me too.
Miniature dachshund Wilhelm, rough collie Huxley and Cardigan Welsh corgi Brychwyn are ready for their Merrick treats.
The Merrick Dog Treat picnic pack from back to front: Mini Brush Dental Bones, Jerky Chip Treats, Power Bites & Kitchen Bites
Rough collie Huxley, miniature dachshund Wilhelm and Cardigan Welsh corgi Brychwyn camping with the Merrick picnic pack of dog treats.
Miniature dachshund Wilhelm waits for his Merrick Mini Brush Dental Bone
Three camping dogs, cardigan welsh corgi Brychwyn, rough collie Huxley and miniature dachshund Wilhelm, wait for a Merrick Kitchen Bites treat.
Merrick Pet Care doesn't just treat dogs. I brought a few cans of Merrick cat food on our camping trip for Amelia. This is only adventure cat Amelia's second multiple night outing and her first camping trip. On her last trip, Amelia was a little slow to accept meal times on the road but she no trouble enjoying her Merrick meals while camping. It is certainly a treat for me to have a trustworthy brand of pet food and treats for all of the camping pets with fur.
Camping cat Amelia gets ready to dine with her cockatoo campmate in the tent.
Camping cat Amelia enjoys a Merrick Cat Food meal in the tent.
Just minutes after arriving home from our camping trip, my mom dropped off her corgi Morgan to stay with us for a few weeks. That's right. For the duration of Multiple Pet Mania month, we will have four dogs and a total of six awesome pets. We are pet maniacs who are really glad that all of the Merrick picnic pack dog treats weren't devoured on our camping trip. I though a little comfort food might help Morgan settle down after my mom left. And I was right! Thank you Merrick. It is a treat to have been treated both while on the road and at home to the pleasure of feeding Wilhelm, Brychwyn, Huxley, Amelia and Morgan such healthy pet food.
Merrick Pet Care provided dog treats for review in this post and paid a fee to be a Multiple Pet Mania Month sponsor. Cascadian Nomads purchased the Merrick cat food ourselves and were not asked by Merrick for a review. Cascadian Nomads only shares information we feel is relevant to our readers and all opinions are always our own. Merrick Pet Care is not responsible for the content of this article.
Blue Merle Cardigan Welsh Corgi Morgan sniffs his Merrick Jerky Chip treat
Morgan sniffs his Merrick treat.
Merrick Jerky Chip Treats for four happy dogs- rough collie Huxley, miniature dachshund Wilhelm, and Cardigan Welsh Corgis Brychwyn and Morgan
Remember to always count the calories of dog treats given in your dogs total intake and calorie burn calculations to keep your dog healthy, slim and fit.
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Cascadian Nomads Pet Adventure Blog: Budget pet adventure inspiration through stunning photography and amusing dog, cat, cockatoo and human stories.