Due to globalization, people have to travel constantly for work or meeting family and friends who live in different parts of a country or even in different parts of the world. So traveling has become an integral part of our lives be it by air, road or train which are the most common modes. Traveling is not hard and you can take most of your important stuff with you but it can be a little bit of a problem when you have to travel with a pet, be it your regular pet or your emotional support animal.

An emotional support animal is one that people get in order to overcome their anxiety or a mental disorder. A number of mental health issues require the patient to seek companionship and these animals provide that for their owners. Usually, when people think about emotional support animal letter, they think of dogs. No doubt an esa dog makes for a really good companion but nowadays, any animal can be considered to be an emotional support animal depending on your personal preference and what suits you better. It can be a cat, a hamster or a horse. What is important is that it brings joy to the owner’s life.

An esa letter online can become such an important part of their owner’s lives that being away from them can bring about anxiety or panic attacks so people prefer to travel with them. 

Travelling with your ESA can be tough. At times, these animals do not know how to act in a plane and can cause a commotion. This can happen when the animal is not trained which can lead to it getting anxious because of there being a lot of people on the airplane. There have been incidents where a commotion caused by an animal  led to people ending up injured. Here are a few things that you should keep in your mind before traveling with your ESA.

Documentation 

Normally, when getting an ESA, you need to apply for an esa letter for housing but while traveling other documentation is required. So be sure to check with your respective agencies beforehand. 

Know Your Rights

Firstly, remember that because you are traveling with your emotional support animal, it does not mean that you will not be charged any extra fee for your animal. It was the case before but now the rules have been changed due to the fact that the animals, at times, do not know how to behave in an airplane and can injure people. An ESA is not like a  service animal that is properly trained to be around people and in any situation. ESAs do not require any special training. 

Secondly, it is best to acquaint yourself with the rules and regulations according to the law. You can find all of this information in the esa letter that you get from a mental health professional. It is provided by a licensed professional who recommends it after evaluating your condition. It is also beneficial to keep a copy of the letter so that if you face a problem, you have the letter with you. Lastly, read about the airline’s policy on having pets aboard.

Do your Homework

Before planning to go on a vacation, make sure that you read about the place and how accommodating it is for emotional support animals because different countries have different regulations. There are certain places where you will have to check in your animal in the cargo area and how to get an esa. Some of these places are Barbados, Dubai, Iceland, New Zealand, South Africa, United Kingdom, etc.

Pre-flight Preparation

There are a few other things that you will have to keep in mind when you plan on taking your emotional support animal with you for traveling. If you are traveling by plane, you can take precautions to make sure that your ESA has a safe, stress-free flight. You can prepare your esa to sleep in its carrier for longer periods of time. Pets can get stressed out during long flights and the best thing for you to do is make sure they endure as little as possible. Another thing that can calm your esa letter is to take them for a long walk before your flight. This tires them out and helps them rest during the flight. Even long hours spent playing with them can help exhaust them.

The second thing that you can do is get your pet desensitized to the airport sounds. This way the pet will not get anxious being in a loud, noisy place. Socializing is another great way to help your ESA get accustomed to being around a lot of people in the airport and during a flight. Being familiar with the surroundings can also help.

You can always train your ESA with specific commands to make the journey easier for both of you. You can train it to sleeP by using phrases such as ‘sleep time’, ‘night night’, and ‘go-to sleep’.

Pack Things that Feel like Home

Animals , like humans, are also attached to things. ESAs especially love toys or pillows or a specific wrap or even your clothing that still smells like you. While it is hard to take everything on a trip, you can take something that your pet especially likes. It will make your ESA feel at home and make your trip easier for the both of you. 

Useful Resources::

Affectionate Terrier Breeds Who Would Cuddle Your Stress Away

An emotional support dog the Best Remedy for depressed Souls

5 step guides to getting an emotional support dog letter from your LMHP

Should You Register Your Pet as an Emotional Support Animal?