Traveling with pets: consumer preference insights

A recent survey by PETS International and Yummypets of more than 800 pet parents in the US, Canada, the UK and France highlights a growing trend: more pet owners are choosing to travel with their pets, and the sector is acting to keep pace with demand.

How widespread is traveling with pets?

As many as 72% of respondents travel with their furry friends each year. Most (40%) do so between 2 to 4 times a year, with Canadians doing so more than average (42%).

A little over 2 out of 10 pet parents take their pets on a trip once a year, with all countries showing similar trends.

This is the same number for those who take their pets traveling frequently, over 5 times a year, with 25% of American respondents doing so. On the other hand, this does not happen as often in Canada (15%) and France (19%).

Surprisingly, 42% of respondents who own birds said that their pets accompanied them on their travels more than 5 times per year. This contrasts with the trends shown by cat (20%) and dog (23%) parents.

On the other hand, 19% of pet parents say they never travel with their pets. This is especially notable among cat owners, with 24% admitting their felines don’t leave home.

Means of transport

More than 6 out of 10 respondents prefer organizing road trips with their pets, followed by camping and hotel stays (30% and 13%, respectively). Only 3% of respondents have taken their animals on a cruise.

Cars are the most popular way of transporting pets, with 94% of respondents across the 4 countries choosing this mode of transport. Trains (21%), planes (17%) and buses (12%) follow.

Air travel is gaining traction, with 25% of American and Canadian pet parents opting to travel with their pets via plane. However, this mode of transport is less popular in Europe, with only 5% of British pet parents and 14% of French opting to travel with their pets this way.

Airlines tap into demand

With an increasing trend toward transporting pets via plane, airlines are responding with innovative solutions.

Korean national carrier Korean Air launched a loyalty program allowing pet owners to earn stamps for pet flights. Air Canada is partnering with a telemedicine firm to offer in-flight telehealth services for pets traveling in cargo.

In Spain, a low-cost airline introduced buy-on-board pet treats last year after partnering with the Edgard & Cooper pet food brand.

American dog brand BARK, meanwhile, launched the world’s first air travel experience for dogs in May 2024.

The company aims to solve current pet air travel challenges, such as placing dogs in airline-specific carriers, confining them to duffel bags and stressing them out when flying in cargo.

Meeting the challenges

The PETS International and Yummypets survey concludes that the top concern for pet parents when traveling with their pets is the animal’s comfort and well-being (60%). French parents seem to be the most worried about this, with 66% of respondents highlighting it.

Pet safety (50%) and finding pet-friendly accommodation (46%) follow. Nearly 7 out of 10 dog owners in all 4 countries consider pet-friendly accommodation one of their biggest travel concerns, 11% more than cat owners.

Better accommodation

More than half of American pet parents agree that finding pet-friendly accommodation is among their biggest concerns.

Indeed, the survey found that staying in pet-friendly accommodation when traveling is extremely important for 89% of respondents.

Picking up on this concern, earlier this year Mars announced a partnership with the world’s largest travel platform Tripadvisor to enhance travel experiences for pet parents with a Pet Travel Hub designed to support owners and the businesses looking to accommodate them.

When booking accommodation, 62% of pet parents check for pet-friendly areas, such as parks or walking trails. This is important to 74% of pet parents in the US, but only for 53% in neighboring Canada.

39% of respondents valued pet-friendly events and activities, while dining options (36%) and pet bedding (36%) were also popular. Pet-sitting services (29%) and grooming (19%) were lower on the list but still notable.

Satisfaction levels

Only 28% of respondents admitted to being very satisfied with their experiences traveling with their pets, while 54% expressed satisfaction. On average, American and French pet parents seem very satisfied (34% and 27% respectively).

This trend held steady across types of pet – 53% for dog owners and 54% for cat owners – as well as across regions.

Only 3% were dissatisfied, indicating that most pet owners have positive experiences when traveling with their companions.

This also correlates with the desire for more frequent travel, with 30% of respondents planning to travel more with their pets in the future and 57% planning to maintain the same frequency.