How to Be a Tourist with Your Dog Series: Roadtripping from NYC to rural Tennessee

We're still wondering if we have time to squeeze in a little roadtrip in before we have to go back to school, so we were very excited to get this post about roadtripping with Reggie from New York City to rural Tennessee. From car safety to rest stop advice, dog food packing tips and pet-friendly hotels, Reggie presents great advice for the things I never would have thought of when planning a trip:

A few times each year, Reggie and I make the 15 hour drive from New York City to rural Tennessee to visit my family. He enjoys some country living for a few days. I’ve learned a lot about taking a long road trips with a dog. There is a lot to consider from the weather to safety to comfort. Here is the photo album from our recent vacation.
We hit the road early in the morning on day one. Reggie hops right in. I put on his harness and buckle him into the backseat. The harness clips right into the seatbelt buckle. It’s long enough so that he has extra room to turn around and lay down, but not too long that he can find his way into my road trip snacks. Plus, the harness offers some protection in the event of an accident.

Reggie spends most of the ride staring out the window, like this:

Or staring at me, like this:

I stop at highway rest areas every few hours so we can both stretch our legs. Reggie likes to practice his escape artist skills. As soon as I open the car door, he would be off to the races if it wasn’t for the harness.

Summer driving can be a bit tricky with the temperatures soaring. Since I can’t bring him into the restroom, he has to stay in the car. I always look for a shady spot to park, but more often than not, there isn’t a tree in sight. What else can I do but open the windows and hurry as fast as I can?

Now is also a good time to rehydrate and refuel. Reggie is a good co-pilot and never gets car sick but my mom’s dog is a nervous passenger on long car rides so she feeds him a smaller-than-usual amount before a big trip.

We end our day of driving in a hotel just outside of Roanoke, Virginia. I always make reservations in advance. Not all hotels accept pets and some that do charge high non-refundable pet fees. When making the reservation, I double check that their pet policy hasn’t changed. Sometimes hotels don’t update their website as often as they should.  Reggie is used to the routine and makes himself right at home, but when we first started making these trips he would spend 20-30 minutes pacing around the room before he settled down.

For me, dinner is picking up takeout or calling for delivery. Most hotels have a policy against leaving pets unattended in the room. I usually bring Reggie's blankets from the car into the hotel room. I think it makes him a little more comfortable with familiar scents. For Reggie’s dinner, I’ve already portioned out his meals for the trip in baggies or containers. It’s much easier to bring them into the room and I don’t have to worry about measurements.

The next morning, we’re back on the road to do it all over again. Inevitably, at some point on the drive, Reggie gets a bit tangled up in the strap of his harness. If your car has handles or hooks above the rear seat windows (mine doesn’t), there is another type of harness that clips like a zip line which allows more mobility.

The time flies by on the second day and before I know it we’ve arrived at my family’s house in Tennessee.  The first thing I do is let Reggie off leash to run in the backyard grass. It makes the whole drive worthwhile!

 

Do you have any road trip tips? Please let me know. I often blog about Reggie’s adventures in NYC, among other things, here.
We loved hearing these great insider tips about how to have a great roadtrip with your dog. And as one reader pointed out, it's always a good idea for pit bull owners to research beforehand as some areas might not allow pitties. In case you missed them, you can also read about things to do with dogs in Florida, Portland, Richmond, Seattle,  Kansas City, Nashville, Alaska, and Chicago. And you can read about roadtripping with 4 large dogs and boating to the Bahamas with a pit bull. We are still accepting posts, but we would like to receive everything in the next few weeks.If you would like to share your hometown, please click here for more information or contact us through our Facebook page.