When you book a flight, it is a good idea to make reservations for yourself and your pet as early as you can. You must inform the airline that you want to bring your pet with you. It is extremely important to tell them, as they will only allow a limited number of pets on each flight. Some airlines don't allow pets at all, particularly on international flights. Always confirm your flight the day before you're trip. If you're traveling internationally you need to confirm your trip seventy-two hours before you fly.
Before you fly into the wide blue yonder with your furry travel companion, you need to take him or her to the veterinarian for a checkup, to make sure he or she is healthy enough to travel. You will also need to take its health certificate with you, showing that your pet is up-to-date on all its vaccinations, including rabies. Your pet must wear its current vaccination tag when traveling. As well, your pet must meet the health regulations of every country that you will be traveling to. Bring along a copy of your pet's medical records listing its allergies, chronic medical conditions, and medications.
If you haven't done this already, you should have your pet micro-chipped. That way, if your pet is lost and taken to an animal shelter or vet, where its chip can be scanned, both can be reunited. Keep in mind your pet's identification tag will have both your home address and phone number on it. That won't be of much help if your pet gets lost when you are on vacation. It may be a good idea to get another tag made up that has your destination address and phone number on it. What happens if you pet isn't found until after you've returned from your holidays? It makes sense that you should leave both your home I.D. tag on your pet as well as attaching the new tag. That way you'll have all the bases covered and stand a better chance of being reunited with your pet.
You should carry a photo of you pet with you when you're traveling. It will help you prove that you are the rightful owner if any problems of ownership occur. Also, the photo can be used to make up flyers to post in the area where your pet was lost.
Flying with pets that are too large to fit into a FAA approved pet carrier is not a good idea as they will be stowed in the cargo hold. Putting your pet in the cargo hold of an aircraft is very traumatic and dangerous to its health. It makes far more sense to leave your pet with a friend, or a pet sitting service while you are vacation.