The state of pet travel in United States

Pets owners are a passionate lot, and travel brings out the worst of anxieties in them. As the industry around pets continues to become gargantuan, some of the more forward-looking travel companies are building services that cater to this high-spending customer base, but it still has a long way to go. With that in mind, what is the state of pet travel in U.S., and how do pet owners deal with their travel, with or without their pets?

DogVacay, a startup focused on providing online home dog boarding and pet services, has come out with the results of a survey which purports to bring out the main issues for pet owners when they travel. Keep in mind DogVacay has a dog in the hunt with this one, literally, so for the company more issues highlighted means it can tout its own services as a solution.

That said, some interesting findings, and the biggest takeways:

• Nearly three quarters (72%) of those who travel without pets worry about their pet during at least some of the trip, and 64% cite having challenges when making travel accommodations for their pets.
• A big chunk — 75% — of pet owners do not trust airlines to safely care for pets when traveling in cargo/checked.
• 15% of pet owners admit to having smuggled a pet either into a non-pet friendly hotel room (12%) or onto an airplane (4%).
• Majority (82%) of pet owners who ever travel without pets rely largely on their own personal network of family members, friends and neighbors to watch their pets.
• On average, pet owners spend $247 annually when traveling with their pets. When leaving their pets to be cared for by someone else, pet owners spend on average $486 annually traveling without their pets.
• When it comes to overnight travel, dog owners (81%) are more likely than cat owners (76%) to travel overnight.

The main findings are  illustrated well in the infographic below: