How to Travel Without Feeling Guilty About Leaving Your Dog at Home

When you’re a dog parent, it’s nearly impossible to tear yourself away from home. Why go anywhere when the best part of your life is already there? You might even use your pet as an excuse to get out of plans with friends. But that doesn’t mean you don’t have the desire to see new places, or take a much-needed vacation to decompress from it all. And sometimes travel is just inevitable — especially this time of year — so how do you pull it off without feeling bad about leaving your pup at home?

While many pet-sitting services are wonderful, they can also be pricey. It’s also natural to feel guilty leaving your dog at home while you’re on some Aegean island. Sad news flash, but like most things in life, there will never be a perfect moment where your budget, schedule, and certainty align. Sometimes, you just have to dive in.  

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Here’s how you can take a trip (or two) and still make sure your new best friend gets all the treats and long walks they deserve. 

Should I feel guilty traveling when I have a dog?  

It’s completely normal to have a sob-fest every time you leave your dog — but the good news is that you can (and should) relax. 

“Don’t worry about them missing you too much, as long as they are having their needs met and they’re comfortable,” says Daniel Neale, a certified dog behavior consultant in New York City. “The peer-reviewed evidence that we have so far tends to say that our dogs really aren’t thinking out that far in advance, like, When is Mom going to return? And they really don’t have that concern, of like, Where did you go off to?”

Dogs’ needs are much more immediate, Neale says. So, while you’re swimming in the Mediterranean, they’re more likely to be focused on the sitter serving them breakfast (as opposed to wondering why you’re not in the kitchen, too). 

“So, it’s less likely that your dog is going to miss you [in the way you miss them],” Neale says. “Now, of course, they’re going to be pumped to see you when you get back, but they don’t quite have that capacity for longing that humans do.” 

If you can’t get past the possibility that they’re gloomy without you, ask for good, hard evidence, via photos or videos. “I also fall in the category of feeling guilty easily when leaving my pet behind,” says Dr. Ambika Vaid, a veterinarian in Denver. “But my pet sitter is very trusted, and she never fails to send me pictures of my puppy throughout the day.” 

Things to consider before leaving your dog with a sitter 

Choose the best environment for your dog.

Some dogs will do best in their own home, while others might enjoy staying with a friend or neighbor. If your dog’s a nervous type, Dr. Vaid urges caution. “Having the sitter stay at your house will at least be as minimal change as possible for an already anxious dog,” she says.  

Find a sitter who respects your routine. 

“It’s important to let your sitter know when your pet is used to getting a walk, eating, and bedtime,” Dr. Vaid says. Even if other variables change (such as location), most dogs will appreciate things like food and exercise remaining the same.  

Have a real meet-and-greet. 

Ask the sitter to do a meet-and-greet before they sit — it’ll set your dog up for success. “The biggest thing I would recommend is associating that new neutral person with your dog’s favorite things,” Neale says. “Your dog is absolutely crazy for a bully stick? Let that new person give your dog the bully stick. If your dog has a great repertoire of behaviors like sit and shake and down and stay, do a quick training session with that new person.” 

Give the sitter the resources they need.  

Write down your dog’s exercise routines, food, medications, and any idiosyncrasies — you should also make sure the sitter knows who to reach in an emergency, including a vet, friend or neighbor, and you, particularly if you’re abroad or without your phone. 

Don’t forget the small things.  

“If a pet is staying with a pet sitter in their home, a blanket with the smell of your home is always nice for them to sleep with as a reminder of you. Also, packing their favorite toys are a great way for them to stick to their routine and get a little taste of home as well,” Dr. Vaid says. 

How do I find sitters who won’t break the bank? 

While a trip abroad might sound expensive, there are lots of hacks — airline miles, house swaps, and other tips — to make it affordable. The same can be said of pet care, and the options below are all great starts.  

Look at house-sitting sites and apps.

Helen McKay and her husband moved from Ontario, Canada to Alicante, Spain in 2022 after they retired. It was easy enough to have a neighbor look in on their two cats, but then Nasza came along. 

“Once we adopted a puppy, we knew that we might have a problem traveling,” she says. 

Nasza, a Podenco, is very high energy and requires “a ton of exercise,” so they needed someone who could spend lots of time with her. They joined TrustedHousesitters, which offers free pet-sitting in your home for an annual fee. 

McKay says that TrustedHousesitters “has become a blessing.” Homeowners list their home, pets, and requirements for the sit, and sitters apply to stay. You choose the person you think is the best match for your pup. “We went back to Canada for a month this year,” McKay says. “We will be starting to travel within Europe in 2025. I don’t think we’d be able to do as much traveling as we’d like without this service.”

TrustedHousesitters (from $149 annually) is one of the most popular housesitting sites; it includes sitter background checks and has insurance options. However, there are lots of sites to explore, including MindMyHouse ($29 annually), Nomador (from €79 annually), House Sitters Canada (free), House Sitters UK (free), and Kiwi House Sitters in New Zealand (free).  

Find your “village.” 

Your dog might just be the key to finding her own sitter. “We adopted Frankie three years ago after moving to a much larger, dog-friendly building, and we absolutely credit her with introducing us to many of the friends we’ve made around the neighborhood,” says Nicole Brownstein, who lives in New York City with her husband, Zack; two cats; and Frankie, a three-year-old Dachshund / Chihuahua / Beagle / Husky mix. 

“We have taken a wild ‘it takes a village’ approach,” Brownstein adds.  

She sometimes walks her neighbor’s dogs, and they’ll pop in to check on Frankie in an emergency. This small community of pet lovers always has someone to help out in a pinch, and it’s how Brownstein met Frankie’s sitter, who lives in their building. The sitter charges a reduced rate to stay with Frankie and the cats while Mom and Dad are away, because she already lives upstairs. 

“Without these relationships, we would absolutely not be able to travel as much as we do,” adds Brownstein, who’s recently been to Colorado, Argentina, Turkey, and more. 

Dr. Vaid seconds the “village” approach: “We’ve made friends with other dog parents in our neighborhood that our dog gets along with very well,” she says. “When they go out of town, we will watch their dog and vice versa. The dogs are already friends and comfortable with each other.”

Swap houses with friends.

It’s possible we’ve all watched The Holiday too many times (hello, Jude Law, if you’re reading this), but if your friend lives in Baton Rouge, and you live in Boston, why not swap lives for a week and take care of each others’ dogs? It might require someone to check in on your pet while you’re both in transit, but it’s a change of scenery with free pet care, a sitter you can absolutely trust, and just maybe a chance to meet a cute stranger.

Use neighborhood groups on Facebook or Nextdoor.

Don’t be shy about asking around. Try searches like “your neighborhood + dogs” on Facebook or Nextdoor, and see what comes up. Chances are, there are other pet parents also looking for inexpensive solutions. See who you vibe with and set up a meet-and-greet to determine if your dogs get along. If so, you can trade off watching each others’ pups while you’re away. 

Consider pet-sitting Facebook groups.

There are hundreds of private pet-sitting groups on Facebook, but you’ll need to ask to join. Some have thousands of members, so it can feel overwhelming at first — as such, this is the option that requires the most vetting on your end, because it will be someone you don’t know well staying in your home with your dog. You’ll need to feel very certain about this person, get to know them virtually, and heed any red flags, even if it’s just a gut feeling.  

At minimum, you should have a video chat, ask for references, ask for written confirmation that they can sit during the required days, and have a meet-and-greet ahead of time. You can also put strict limits in place for when you’d like photos or videos sent, and it’s ideal to let close neighbors or friends know the situation. That way, if they see anything off, they can call to let you know, and you can kick Plan B into action.  

However, when properly vetted, these groups can be lifelines for pet parents. Janice Stiller, a dog mom from Florida, posted on World Wide House Sitting and Pet Sitting Community, a private Facebook group with more than 130,000 members, when she needed to travel to Mexico City for six weeks. 

She wanted to find a stellar sitter for Yoda, her six-year-old “very chill” Terrier mix, because she knew Yoda would be more relaxed at home. “I don’t think Yoda would have been happy living in a condo [in Mexico] in such a busy city,” Stiller adds. “Especially with me gone much of the time.” 

Stiller rejected the first applicant, who had a list of requirements, including borrowing Stiller’s car. “I wasn’t comfortable with that,” she says.  

Instead, she waited for a sitter who was a great match. “As soon as I contacted her, [the sitter] friended me on Facebook, and we video-chatted,” Stiller says, noting that she liked that the sitter’s Facebook account had 15 year’s worth of content. Stiller determined the sitter was a fit for Yoda, so she invited her to stay while she was in Mexico. 

“[The sitter] took Yoda for three long walks a day, cooked for her, brushed her, cuddled with her, and took great care of my house,” Stiller says. “She sent lots of videos of Yoda, and I could see how happy my doggo was with her.” 

And the sitter was a winner. “I think Yoda might pick [my sitter] over me,” Stiller says. “They had a lovefest.” What’s more, the sitter told Stiller she’d love to return to watch the pup again. 

The all-women Host a Sister - Pet Sitting, with more than 60,000 members, is another very active group where people can post sits and interview good matches around the world. NYC Petsitting and Housing Exchange, with more than 17,000 members, is another option to check out.

Always have a backup plan.

Pet-sitter apps like Rover and Wag can be expensive, but they serve as an excellent backup plan if your other more budget-friendly ideas fall through (have the app ready on your phone and be prepared to seek a sitter in case your other sitter has an emergency — you never know). 

Other options for backup plans include a friend, neighbor, or even a well-reviewed boarding facility, where you know a sitter could drop your pet if all plans go awry. And don’t be embarrassed to follow your gut; if something feels off about a sitter, it probably is. There’s no shortage of qualified, helpful people wanting to spend time with your dog, so be selective and find your dog the five-star sitter they deserve.   

 It’s a tough pill to swallow, but our dogs can get by just fine for a week — or two or three! — without us in their lives. They’ll probably be living it up just as much as you.