Pet Travel and the Pandemic: Coronavirus Story Round-Up!

Moving pets has never been as straightforward as you may think. Taking your furry friends around the world has always presented some challenges but, after COVID-19 changed everything, for a moment, it seemed like pet travel may not be possible. 

Luckily, PetRelocation was up for the challenge. It took a lot of hard work, planning, and re-planning, but we’ve been able to keep most of our moves on track. Here are just a few of the most impressive pet move stories in the era of COVID-19.

The First in a Pandemic: Buddy’s Move out of China 

Imagine that you and your family have been planning an international move plan for months. Everything is prepared for your move in February 2020 and then a once in a lifetime pandemic hits! That is exactly what happened with Buddy’s move from China to Switzerland.

“PetRelocation did an amazing job with communication, especially when the emergency evacuations came into play. Our  coordinator was very flexible and SO helpful!”- Buddy’s mom, Mary Ellen

Buddy’s move had to be completely altered, but we were able to get him back with his family with very little delay. His plan was to travel with his family, but when that wasn’t possible PetRelocation made sure he was well looked after until he could travel. Not only was this a surprise for Buddy’s family, but it was also one of the very first moves for the PetRelocation team to take place during a global pandemic.

You can read Buddy's story here! 

Lydia’s Nine-Day Journey to be Reunited with Her Mom 

This may have been Lydia’s second move with PetRelocation, but her move back home was definitely the more eventful trip! While working in Pakistan, Lydia’s mom had to unexpectedly and hurriedly return to her home in New Mexico as borders began to close due to COVID-19.

Lydia and her family were apart for three whole months while PetRelocation pieced together her perfect plan. The moment we were able to execute it, we moved fast!  Her journey home saw a long road trip in Pakistan, two days on various planes, and then another long car ride across the United States. Everything went perfectly and three months and nine days later, Lydia was home!

“Her journey was so long and through so many different drivers and airlines, it was hard to keep up with it myself. Having PetRelocation keep me in the loop of where Lydia was at all times was a huge relief. I also liked knowing that all of the paperwork was being handled by people who knew what they were doing.” -Shari, Lydia’s mom

You can read her story here!

Marley’s Move Was Planned... and Replanned! 

Moving to Singapore is already a complicated process. Every step you take towards your relocation must be timed out perfectly and executed right on time. Each time PetRelocation moves a family’s furbaby to Singapore, we create a custom timeline to keep your pet on track. 

“PetRelocation was incredibly helpful!! We can’t emphasize this enough. I truly cannot imagine what would have happened to us if we had not hired PetRelocation and had to handle rescheduling Marley’s flight on our own.”- Marley’s pawrents, Ryan and Angela

So, what do you do when you’ve followed each action-item on your checklist to a tee and you arrive at the airport to find that all flights have been canceled due to COVID-19? Don’t panic. Your relocation coordinator is already working on a plan B! Marley’s mom was so happy they had PetRelocation onboard to create a new timeline to keep their family’s plan going forward!

Read all about Marley’s story here.

Three Little Piggies Make the Move of a Lifetime

Olivia had made the decision to move back home from Belgium before the pandemic began to affect every aspect of our lives. Of course, she knew she had to bring her three guinea pigs Penelope, Hazel, and Margaret with her! Not long into planning, Olivia and her relocation coordinator got the news that no flights would be taking pets out of Belgium. Undeterred, PetRelocation set out finding a new plan for this furry family.

A few brainstorming sessions later and a new plan was in place! The piggies would be delayed in their travels, but Oliva could rest easy knowing that their new move plan was in place. Now, their adventure consisted of a cross country road trip before they took to the skies.

“I think the most valuable thing to me with working with Rebecca and PetRelocation was the reliability and trust. Through my time of working with Rebecca, I really found a friend. She was so helpful, kind, fun, and went above and beyond to help get my babies home to me during one of the most challenging times of the century!” -Olivia, mom to three adorable guinea pigs.

You can read their whole story here!

PetRelocation continues to work with families and partners all over the world to keep your pets with you. If COVID-19 has affected your move plans, maybe we can help! Send us your questions today to get started.