Having a pet can be a wonderful addition to the family, but those fur babies also change their owner’s lives in ways they might not expect. According to new research, owning a pet is changing the way people travel and causing some to skip trips entirely so they can stay home with their beloved animals.
A survey from TrustedHousesitters of 5-thousand pet parents across the country reveals that more than half (56%) report they travel less since getting a pet.
- But some people like to bring their pet with them, including 16% who admit they spend more on a vacation so they can take their pets along.
- More than half (57%) now plan vacations around pet-friendly accommodations and 22% opt for road trips instead of flights so they can easily travel with their pet.
- When pet owners do go out of town and leave their pet at home, 33% confess that they spend a big portion of their vacation on their phones to check on their pet or call the pet sitter.
- And 61% say they worry more about their pet’s wellbeing than their own enjoyment on vacation.
- For 54%, their trip is negatively affected by them worrying that their pet feels like they’ve been abandoned.
- A few (9%) have even left a vacation early because they’re afraid their pet feels abandoned.
- Just over half (52%) say their pet made a sad face while they packed that left them feeling too guilty to go.
- Part of the problem may be that 49% don’t trust anyone else to take care of their pet properly.
- Half of pet owners say they get separation anxiety when traveling without their pet.
- One in five admit they’d rather ghost someone after a first date than leave their pet at home and 21% say they’d feel less guilty canceling plans with a close friend at the last minute than leaving their pet at home.
- Another 17% would feel less guilty skipping a family birthday than leaving their pet and 12% reveal they’d feel more guilty leaving their pet than leaving their kid with a babysitter.
Source: KTLA