Managing a Move With Pets: What To Expect

What separates one move plan from another? A pet!  What do you do when you find out your transferee has a pet – or pets? Call PetRelocation! Keeping track of pet-safe airlines, country requirements, and everything else that goes into moving your transferee’s precious pet can be overwhelming, and we are here to help! Here are some of the most commonly asked questions from pet owners that PetRelocation can assist with to help your transferee’s move be happy! 

How Will My Pet Travel?

Many transferees are experienced travelers and will expect that their pets will travel with them. Why not? Depending on the destination country’s requirements and airline, this may be a possibility. For example, Australia, Hong Kong, the United Arab Emirates, and the United Kingdom require pets to arrive unaccompanied as manifest cargo and not as excess baggage or in-cabin with their owners. So, what’s the difference?

Excess baggage means the pet is connected to a passenger ticket. In this scenario, a company such as PetRelocation cannot assist with planning the flight. The transferee will be responsible for researching airline options, routing, booking the flight, check-in, layovers with their pets, and customs clearance upon arrival. Even if there are last-minute changes (weather delays or flight cancelations), the airline will not speak to a third party like PetRelocation. This can cause extra stress on the transferee and leave them sorting out a backup plan for themselves and their pets.

At PetRelocation, we specialize in moving pets as manifest cargo. This means that pets fly on their ticket, not associated with the transferee’s itinerary. This allows us to make all of the pet’s arrangements with the airlines, including booking, routing, and contingency plans. The real value of our service is creating peace of mind for the transferee to know their pet is moving most safely and comfortably. We are managing their pet’s move logistics, which allows the transferee to focus on their move.

“The real value in our service is creating peace of mind for the transferee to know their pet is moving in the safest and most comfortable way. We are managing their pet’s move logistics, which allows the transferee to focus on their move.”

- Ashley Myers 

Quarantine and Other Country Requirements

Another one of the top questions from transferees is will my pet need to go into quarantine? We often get a call from a transferee to find out about the country’s import requirements, including quarantine, before they agree to accept a new position. 

Commonly, island countries are rabies free and will require pets to complete quarantine. For example, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Taiwan require quarantine when importing pets. Of course, if you have questions about your transferee's pets' requirements or quarantine needs, feel free to reference our country pages and guides!

Other Tips from the Experts!

Lastly, many transferees want to know our top tips for moving pets. Here are some of the useful insider tips we can provide: 

• Do your research: Not every country requires the same paperwork, bloodwork, and timelines. And not every pet relocation company offers the same services. Country requirements are available on our website and are a great place to start to figure out how long it will take before the pet can travel or if the country requires quarantine. Or reach out to us!
• Travel crates: Crate training is possibly the most important step in preparing a pet for a long journey. Often, a pet is not crate trained, and it takes time to acclimate. The more comfortable the pet is with its crate, the easier the trip will be for them. Learn more here about choosing the correct crate.
• Veterinary Requirements: To avoid delays in their pet’s travel, transferees should always keep their pet’s vaccines up to date and not allow them to lapse. However, if the pet’s veterinary requirements do not align with the transferee’s timeline, PetRelocation is happy to work with the pet’s caregiver, boarding facility, and veterinarian to ensure the requirements are met so the whole family can be reunited. 
• Reunions: This is our favorite part! Like people, pets need time to acclimate after their journey, and it can take a couple of days to establish their new routine. We recommend the transferee pack their pet’s essential items like a leash, food, and medication in their carry-on for easy access upon their happy reunion with their pet. Upon arrival, the pet may be more needy than usual. PetRelocation has seen this many times and will offer the transferee acclimation tips so that the whole family is comfortable in their new home! 

Managing a move with a pet can be confusing or daunting, especially when attempting to coordinate all the moving pieces of relocating a transferee and their family. Fortunately, PetRelocation offers exceptional guidance and full management in this department. Make your upcoming case easier for you and your client, and let us help!