Tommy has over 15 years experience within the insurance industry, and his primary focus is helping travellers find the right cover for their medical conditions.
When planning a holiday or trip away with loved ones, there are many things to consider and plan to ensure a care-free and enjoyable experience, whether that includes ensuring you have the correct travel insurance, all the necessary paperwork, or that you have pet care organised.
As extended family members, ensuring our pets and plants are cared for and happy while we are away is often one of the most critical tasks. In this guide, we will walk you through a few simple steps to help you plan your pet and plant care for your adventure.
Planning – Arrangements for Your Pets
Planning is one of the best ways to alleviate stress and upset while you’re away, especially when it comes to pets, whom we care for dearly. The earlier you start planning, the better. This will allow you time to find suitable care for your animals and plants before they get booked up, especially during busier holiday periods.
There are a few options to consider when it comes to your pets and plants while you’re away. Firstly, you could ask a friend or family member to come and stay in your home, taking care of both your animals and plants. This way, you can be assured that their every need will be taken care of and they will be well looked after.
If you cannot find a friend or family member who can stay in your home, you may consider hiring a dog or cat sitter. Hiring a pet sitter means your animal doesn’t have to leave home, which will hopefully minimise stress and separation anxiety, allowing them to stay in a familiar environment.
As with asking anyone to look after your pet, once this is organised and booked, you will want to collate all your thoughts and notes so that you know all the relevant instructions are taken care of. For example, what sort of food your pet eats and when, where they like to go out for walks, and any other information someone should know. Similarly, if your plants are particularly sensitive or fragile, note this for future reference.
READ MORE: How to ensure you are prepared for anything before a holiday
Leaving Your Pets at Home While on Holiday
Every animal will require different attention or have different needs, so once you have their care organised and booked, ensuring everything is in order for when you’re away is the next step. Going on holiday and leaving your dog or leaving your cat at home whilst you’re away on holiday can be upsetting, but with the right care, they will be having just as much fun as you.
Cats and dogs, for example, require very different care. Cats are independent animals that are content to sleep and relax during the day, whereas dogs require more exercise and mental stimulation. Ensure the person looking after your animals is aware of this and any concerns you may have about overexertion or their health, if applicable.
Similarly, ensure you make them aware of your animals' feeding routines, litter box maintenance and the details of your vets should they need them in an emergency.
Caring For Plants When You’re Away
It isn’t just pets that need a little TLC whilst you are on holiday, our plants also need looking after and a little water now and again. There are a couple of ways you could go about caring for your plants whilst you are away. Firstly, you could ask your pet sitters to also water your plants while they tend to your animals, or you could consider purchasing a self-watering system to ensure your plants receive water as needed without requiring someone to do it for you.
If certain plants, whether indoor or outdoor, have different care requirements, and you are asking someone to care for them, ensure you leave clear instructions for them to follow.
Knowing that your animals and plants are being taken care of while you’re away can offer comfort and peace of mind, allowing you to travel unfazed and without worry, and giving you the time to relax and unwind.
How Travel Insurance Offers Peace of Mind
When it comes to peace of mind, it is also essential to consider your safety and well-being while you’re on holiday. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure you have the proper pre-existing travel insurance to cover your needs. Medical insurance policies mean you are covered in the event of a medical emergency that requires you to have care abroad.
Here at Medical Travel Compared, we offer travel insurance for almost every condition so that you can find the perfect policy for you. Explore our selection of policies, including over-50s travel insurance, cruise travel insurance, long-stay travel insurance and many more.
Hopefully, this guide has offered you a few tips for ensuring your pets and plants are cared for while you are living care-free on your next holiday, as well as how to ensure you are safe with pre-existing medical insurance.
For more guides and top tips like this, make sure you explore our blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
As mentioned above, the best ways to ensure your pets are happy and healthy while you’re away are to see if a friend or family member can stay with them, or to hire a pet sitter to visit them on a daily basis to provide the affection and care they need. This will make leaving your dog at home whilst you’re on holiday that bit easier.
Leaving your cat at home whilst on holiday is fine, but you will need to organise someone to come in and visit them daily to feed, water, and ensure they are happy and healthy.
Ensure your plants are well-watered before you head off on holiday and place them in a safe environment that suits their needs. If they prefer sunlight, put them in a window; alternatively, if they like shade, ensure they are in a shaded spot.