Travelling Tails

Planning summer vacations can be stressful, and if you have a pet, it is doubly so. Zeroing down on a good kennel (if there is no family to take care of them while you are away), multiple vet visits, the stress you experience when you are on holiday and wondering what they are up to... Admittedly, all of this seems a lot easier than actually taking them along. Or is it? Why not take inspiration from those who do. These intrepid travellers, who would not dream of going anywhere without their four-legged companions, share their journeys on Instagram - and now with us. Divya Dugar - @dugarddWhen this freelance journalist and television producer lost her pet, Pondi, she and her partner decided to travel across the country with their two other dogs, Tigress and Marco Polo. They wanted to heal from the loss, bond as a family, and spread awareness about rescuing and adopting Indian breeds. "Taking them along has completely changed my perception of travel," she says. "They taught us to slow down. Our trips are not about visiting monuments or the top sights, but to chart our own route with our furry travellers." Dugar's family travels by First Class coupes in trains, which allow pets. "We were a bit hesitant and worried in the beginning, but both of them loved the train. We prepare well in advance, with all the necessary meals, medicines and a list of stops for toilet breaks." She hopes her posts will encourage more people to travel with their pets. "Some people think we are mad to travel with our dogs. But we have had great experiences where people went out of their way to help us and make friends with us," she recalls.Arundati Rao - @arundatiA home baker and instructor from Hyderabad, Rao has been taking road trips with her Golden Retriever, Sage, for six years now. "He has done white-water rafting with us, trekked and hiked, and loves to play on the beach with other dogs, pets and strays alike," she says. Planning ahead, doing your research to ensure that the places you are travelling to are pet-friendly and packing extra for your pet are the most important things to do, according to her. "We make sure to carry two thick bedspreads and pillow cases of our own so as to not damage the hotel linen. We find out what the house rules are, and follow them. We keep Sage on a leash in common areas and do what we can to keep him calm, comfortable and well-behaved. Pets are welcomed if they're not a nuisance to others!" However, she reminds pet owners to take into account the age, size and fitness of their animal when they plan a holiday. Mathieu Francois - @shantiwalkThe Frenchman, who was working in Mumbai, recently lost his father and wanted to pay him a tribute. So Francois decided to trace the same route his father had taken 50 years ago, through India to Nepal, to meet a monk named Mathieu Ricard. Along the way, he rescued a goat from a slaughterhouse, and while he knew he wanted to take her along, he did not know she was pregnant. Two goats, a rescued puppy and many kilometres later, he is now in Nepal. "I always make sure the place I'm staying in is safe for them," he says, when asked about how he finds shelter during the nights. "I can manage myself, but they can't. While in India, I had built a truck with a sleeping room for the animals. In Nepal, it was a bit of a struggle, but after 11 hours of walking, we found the most amazing place! We are staying in an ashram that saves cows and calves from the street." Will Francois take his pets back with him to France after the journey? "The puppy will come with me for sure, but goats aren't meant to 'travel' as such, so they will stay in Nepal," he says, adding, "But I want them to live peacefully at the monastery." Kristina and Eugene - @travelingchapatiWhen Kristina and Eugene quit their jobs, sold their belongings and bought tickets to Kochi from Kiev, they were looking to reboot their lives by travelling across Asia. "But destiny had other plans," says Kristina. They encountered a tiny, dehydrated puppy all alone in the darkness and decided to rescue her. They spent two months getting the paperwork ready to take her with them on their travels. "It is hard and it is expensive," she says, "but it is worth it. Chapati is a perfect traveller and a perfect nomad." So far, they have travelled to Vietnam, Nepal, Hungary, Italy and the Czech Republic, among other countries. They prefer inexpensive hotels and travel by trains and buses. The greatest difficulties that they have faced, interestingly, are not with their dog, but with documentation. "There are many people who would like to adopt animals on their travels, but are scared to because of the paperwork," she says.