Holidays with pets when you have nobody to leave them with
If no friend or family member can care for your pet while you travel, you still have four practical options: an in-home pet sitter, drop-in visits where appropriate, boarding, or taking your pet with you. The right choice depends on the animal, not on which option sounds easiest for you. The important part is arranging a primary plan and a backup before you pay for a trip.
Key takeaways
- “Nobody I know can take them” does not mean you cannot travel.
- Dogs and cats may need different care arrangements.
- Staying at home can reduce disruption for some animals.
- Boarding can provide continuous professional supervision but requires advance research and records.
- Taking a pet with you can work, but the destination and journey need to suit the animal.
- Do a trial before a long absence when possible.
- Always have a second caregiver or facility in case the first plan fails.
Start by asking what your pet actually needs each day
Do not begin with:
What is cheapest?
Begin with the routine.
For a dog:
How many walks?
How long can he comfortably be without a person?
Does he settle with strangers?
Does he tolerate other dogs?
Does he sleep well somewhere unfamiliar?
For a cat:
Does she hide when unfamiliar people enter?
Does she need medication?
How often should somebody visit?
Would moving her to another home be more stressful than keeping her in her own space?
For any animal:
What happens if the caregiver cannot come?
Once you can describe one normal day, you can choose somebody to reproduce it.
Option 1: an in-home pet sitter
A sitter stays in your home for some or all of the time you are away.
This can work particularly well when:
the animal is strongly attached to the home routine;
you have several pets;
moving them is difficult;
a dog needs overnight company;
a cat is uncomfortable in unfamiliar places.
The advantage is continuity.
Same bed.
Same feeding place.
Same neighborhood.
Same litter box.
The tradeoff is obvious too:
You are trusting somebody with your animals and your home.
So do not hire purely from a profile photo and a five-minute message exchange.
Meet first.
Check references or platform verification where available.
Explain the routine.
Ask what happens if the sitter becomes ill.
Agree on communication.
Clarify what they can and cannot do.
And make sure they know who to contact if they cannot reach you.
Option 2: drop-in visits
For some animals, a sitter visiting the home can make more sense than somebody staying overnight.
This is especially common with cats.
But “there is food in a bowl” is not a care plan.
Cats Protection recommends arranging a sitter to visit at least twice a day when you are away, with some cats needing more frequent checks depending on age or health.
A visit can cover:
fresh food and water;
litter;
medication exactly as prescribed by the veterinarian;
interaction;
checking the animal's condition;
checking that the home environment is normal.
We cover the myth that cats can simply be stocked up and left for several days in Cats are not fine for three days.
For dogs, occasional drop-ins may not reproduce the normal walking, toilet and companionship routine.
Build the plan around the individual dog.
Option 3: boarding
Boarding moves the animal to a professional facility.
That can be useful when you want staff on site and do not want somebody staying in your home.
AKC recommends researching facilities in advance, checking where dogs stay, asking about veterinary support and understanding vaccination requirements.
Do not wait until the week before a major holiday.
Good facilities can fill.
Before booking, ask:
What records are required?
What is included in the nightly rate?
How are animals exercised?
Can they follow the feeding routine?
Can they administer current veterinarian-prescribed medication?
What happens if the animal becomes ill?
Can you provide your own food?
What happens if your return flight is cancelled?
That last question matters.
Book the pet's plan for the trip you expect.
Prepare it for the trip that runs one day longer.
Option 4: take your pet with you
Sometimes the simplest care arrangement is no separate arrangement.
The pet travels too.
ASPCA recommends considering whether travel is appropriate for the individual animal and preparing carefully when pets do travel.
Before deciding, ask:
Is the accommodation genuinely pet-friendly?
Can the animal travel safely?
Will they spend the holiday mostly alone in an unfamiliar room?
Is the destination too hot, cold, noisy or chaotic?
Can you maintain their normal care?
What are the transport rules?
Are there health certificates, vaccination documents or entry requirements?
Taking a dog on a quiet road trip can be very different from putting a cat through multiple flights for a four-day break.
“Pet-friendly” describes the booking.
It does not automatically describe the experience.
What if you do not trust strangers with your pet?
That is a legitimate concern.
Reduce the leap.
Start with a meeting.
Then a walk.
Then a short visit while you are away for a few hours.
Then perhaps one overnight stay.
You are not only testing whether the sitter likes your animal.
You are testing:
Do they follow instructions?
Do they arrive when agreed?
Does the dog settle?
Does the cat emerge?
Do updates make sense?
Can they handle the actual routine?
A trial creates evidence.
That is more useful than trying to feel certain about a stranger from the beginning.
The instructions should work without you
Holiday care often fails in tiny details.
“Give him his normal amount.”
Which amount?
“She gets the usual wet food.”
Which one?
“Tablet at night.”
What time? Which tablet? What did the veterinarian instruct if she refuses it?
Write the routine for somebody who has never done it.
Our Pet sitter instructions guide covers the full handoff.
At minimum include:
- each animal separately;
- food and exact amount;
- feeding times;
- walks or litter routine;
- veterinarian-provided medication instructions;
- veterinarian contact;
- normal behavior that may look unusual;
- important “do not” instructions;
- emergency contacts;
- what to do if you cannot be reached.
Do not make the sitter search through old messages while you are on a plane.
Have a backup to the person you hired
Suppose your sitter gets flu on day three.
Who comes instead?
A professional sitter may have their own backup arrangements.
Ask.
If not, name yours.
For boarding, save a second facility.
For a cat using drop-in visits, identify a second person who could enter the home.
For a dog travelling with you, know what you would do if the accommodation suddenly could not accept him.
A plan with no fallback works until the first ordinary thing goes wrong.
Decide who can authorize veterinary care
Your sitter may notice a problem while you are unreachable.
What are they allowed to do?
Ask your veterinarian what authorization or information the clinic would want if somebody else brought the animal in.
Leave:
the clinic details;
your contact;
a backup decision-maker;
current medication information;
relevant records;
whatever authorization your clinic recommends.
Do not ask a sitter to diagnose or improvise treatment.
Their job is to observe, report and follow the veterinarian's instructions.
Money needs a backup too
Agree before travel on:
the sitter or boarding fee;
extra-day charges;
how emergency purchases are handled;
what happens if the trip is extended;
how veterinary costs would be authorized or paid.
A cancelled flight should create an annoying extra day.
Not a negotiation about whether the dog gets fed tomorrow.
The person caring for them should not depend on your phone
Imagine your phone is lost abroad.
Can the sitter continue?
They should already know:
the routine;
the veterinarian;
the backup contact;
where supplies are;
what happens if you return late.
The plan should survive several hours without you.
That is the standard.
Doggy is for the trip you did not plan
If you deliberately leave for a holiday, arrange care directly.
Doggy is not a pet-sitting marketplace and should not be used instead of booking a caregiver.
Its role is the unexpected absence.
You choose one daily check-in time.
If you miss it, Doggy waits — one hour by default — then calls you. If the missed check-in remains unresolved, your chosen contact receives an email for free. The text message is free too. Premium adds the phone call, in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia.
Your contact can open the pet information you prepared through the guardian link without installing Doggy or creating a password.
For a planned holiday, your sitter already knows the plan is active.
For the ordinary day when you unexpectedly do not return, a missed check-in can be the signal that tells somebody to start it.
The booking checklist
Before paying for the trip:
Primary care: Who has the animals?
Backup: Who takes over if that fails?
Routine: Is it written clearly?
Access: Can the caregiver enter without you?
Records: Are veterinary details current?
Medication: Are current veterinarian-provided instructions written down?
Money: How are extra days and emergencies paid?
Contact: Who makes decisions if you cannot be reached?
Return delay: What happens if you arrive home 24 hours late?
If all nine have answers, you can stop asking:
“But who would look after them?”
You know.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do with my dog on holiday if nobody I know can take him?
Consider an in-home sitter, professional boarding or taking the dog with you when the trip and accommodation are appropriate. Compare the option with your dog's actual routine and temperament.
Can I leave my cat at home while I go on holiday?
A cat may be able to remain in her own home with appropriate human care. Cats Protection recommends a sitter visiting at least twice daily, with some cats needing more frequent attention.
Is a pet sitter better than boarding?
Neither is universally better. Home care may suit animals who are comfortable in their own environment, while boarding may suit owners who prefer a staffed facility. Temperament, routine, health needs and the quality of the caregiver matter.
How far in advance should I book pet boarding?
As early as practical, especially for major holiday periods. Research the facility first and confirm its vaccination, admission and care requirements.
What happens if my pet sitter cancels while I am away?
Have a backup caregiver who is authorized to enter and has the care instructions, or use a professional service with a clear substitute-care policy.
Should I take my pet on holiday instead?
Only when the journey, destination and daily routine genuinely work for the animal. A pet-friendly hotel alone does not make a trip pet-friendly.
The bottom line
Having nobody in the family who can take your pet does not mean you have nobody.
It means the care may need to be arranged professionally.
Choose the format that fits the animal.
Test it.
Write the routine.
Give the caregiver a backup.
Make the plan work without constant instructions from you.
Then take the holiday without making your pet's care depend on luck.
*Doggy is not a medical device and does not replace emergency services. If someone is in danger, call 911.*