Gretel and I recently got back from a 9-day, 4,000 mile road trip to the southwest. Earlier this year, we visited Canadian National Parks for a week, went on several multi-day camping trips, and had many more mini adventures. People often tell me I’m lucky that I get to travel so much with my dogs. I admit that I got out with Gretel more this year than I have in most other years but it still feels like “not enough” to me. However, to most people who only get weekends off, and two week a year of vacation, it is a lot.
I am very fortunate to be in the position I’m in. It’s not “luck” though. This last summer was a culmination of a plan I started over 5 years ago (more like 7 really). I took real steps since that time, and made conscious choices, to make it happen.
If you don’t feel like you get out with your dog enough either, here are some tips to help make it happen.
1) Know What You Want
Are you dissatisfied? Do you want more from life? What does that look like? It’s easy to get caught up in wanting things to be different but it’s important to pinpoint HOW and WHAT you want to be different. Until you know that, you can’t make a plan of actionable steps and this “more” will stay a daydream.
For example, I knew I wanted to spend more time with Chester and Gretel. What did that mean? For me, it meant working from home so we could keep each other company all day. It meant getting out to hike at least once a week. It meant taking several road trips a year.
2) Plan Ahead
Like I said, this summer of many trails and camping trips was 5+ years in the making. I used to work in an office with the standard office job schedule – Monday through Friday and the customary 2 weeks off a year. I knew I wanted things to be different. I started thinking about what situation would allow me to spend more time with my dogs and took steps to create it.
Now, I admit there can be more challenges when you have kids or own a house (neither of which I do) but there are ways to create the best life you can with the circumstances you have. Still, you can outline some steps that will get you from where you are to where you want to be (or at least closer).
3) Take Real Action
You developed a plan, but that means nothing unless you actually do something about it. After you know WHAT you want, you have to know how you are going to make it happen. In my case, I knew the only solution was to work for myself. I parlayed a hobby I loved – blogging and online communication – into a business. I bolstered my experience with a certificate in social media management. Then I decided to get a master’s degree in digital communication (This was more of a want than a need – I likely could have made a living doing what I do without it).
I dug deeper into my networks of pet lovers and invested in attending conferences within my industry to learn and network. I took one step after another to learn how I could grow my business. I set up a work schedule that allowed me more time to hike with my dogs. Everyone’s life, circumstances, and desires are different but the point is that I took REAL steps to make my vision a reality. I remained dedicated, put in a lot of hard work, and financially invested in the future I wanted to create.
4) Find the Money
Maybe you fund your trips with a change jar. Maybe you set aside a little bit every month. Maybe you can make a little travel fund from selling items you make as a hobby or things laying around the house you no longer need. There are “out of the box” ways to help fund your trips too.
In my case, I built up this blog and social media accounts for Chester and Gretel. This got attention of companies that who want to help facilitate the same lifestyle I wanted create (in exchange for some public thanks). It’s a win-win situation. I share them with you and I get a little extra funding so I can travel more.
In some cases – like with Zuke’s Natural Dog Treats – their support goes beyond their desire for a little self promotion. Zuke’s (who we love regardless whether they support us or not) is a company that believes in creating lasting memories, and enjoying the outdoors, with your dog. Their staff truly lives the lifestyle and, as a company, they want to support the community in an authentic way. They don’t want me to just write about their product and post some pictures. They actually WANT me to travel and adventure more with Chester and Gretel. They helped fund our trip to Canada a few months ago and our recent road trip to Arizona to camp/hike with our Instagram friends.
Maybe you don’t have internet famous pets like me but there are other ways to “self sponsor” trips. You can sign up for Rover.com and make a little extra money dog sitting. You can sell things you don’t use or need anymore on Craigslist or Ebay. You can check the Craigslist “gigs” section and maybe pick up a few extra bucks for delivering groceries to a senor citizen or something.
5) Cut Your Travel Costs
Who wouldn’t want to take an all-inclusive vacation to the Bahamas or tour Europe? I know that’s probably not going to happen for me unless skip vacations for years and save my money. My soul needs to wander and adventure more often than that.
In order to go on more vacations, I have to “cut corners” (but I actually like it). I road trip a lot of places and camp so my primary expenses are gas, food, and campground fees. I try to buy food at grocery stores instead of eating out all of the time when I travel. I visit popular places in the off-season when fees may be lower. Shopping is generally not on my agenda even when I visit a resort town or mountain village (well, window shopping maybe but I don’t buy something unless I forgot a piece of gear for my trip).
The key if finding a style of travel that you’re camping with that fits within your budget.
6) Make It a Priority
Take these great words of advice from our friends
Everyone has a busy life and obligations. That will never go away. But don’t let it stop you from enjoying the outdoors or traveling with your dog. Because the thing is, that busy life and those obligations aren’t going anywhere. There will always be responsibilities and “shoulds” looming over you. No one ever gets to a point where they don’t have any of those.
The difference between people who travel a lot with their dogs and the ones that don’t is often the willingness to do it in spite of those things. What might feel like a “long vacation” to you (1-2 weeks) will fly by in a split second to those who are still immersed in their regular routine. You have to make it a priority. There will always be something else that feels urgent breathing down your neck. You just have to make the time.
Although I technically have more flexibility working for myself, it’s almost more of a challenge to get out. When I worked for someone else, my paycheck was steady and I always knew I had weekends off. When I was done with my workday, I was able to leave work at the door. Now, every minute is work in some fashion. Even when I’m out hiking or camping, I’m taking photos or thinking of blog articles. Or I’m brainstorming and networking with the friends I’m hiking with. Traveling is the same way too. My to-do list is never done. I have to set up periods where the work isn’t so important that I can’t delay it a few days to a couple weeks.
The bottom like is just make it happen! Life is short. Make sure you spend it doing the things that fill you up and bring you joy.
Debbie says
Great article! Working from home has made adventuring with my pups so much easier, and it’s so rewarding. A lot of people don’t get how much hard work and planning goes into running a business and making traveling like we do work. I think this article provides some really good insight into the “behind the scenes” of people who travel with their pups like we do. Thanks for sharing our IG post about the topic too. 🙂
Jessica Rhae says
This was sitting in my drafts and seeing your Instagram post inspired me to finish it ? It really is about making it a priority and figuring out where the type of traveling you are comfortable with crosses with the type of traveling you can afford.
Kovas says
Now that I have a anew puppy, I’ll be reading your blog more attentively. 🙂 I’m lucky in that I work from home, but most of my personal trips with the dog will still be weekends for the most part.
Jessica Rhae says
Congratulations! I hope your wife picked a good one 🙂 I hope you find my articles helpful but feel free to shoot me any questions too. I write from a small dog perspective but it applies to most sized dogs.
Pamela says
Yay! Love your encouraging people to make the changes they need to live the life they want.
I’m still figuring out the money thing. But I’m thankful every day to be living on a boat and spending most of every day experiencing it with Honey. I’ve learned things about her I never would have known on land. And I’ve learned things about myself I never would have known on land.
Sherri says
I’d love to work for myself full time but with no second income, it’s not an option. Fortunately, I have a lot of flexibility with the job I have but who doesn’t dream of at least two weeks on the road with the dog? Which parks did you visit?
Jessica Rhae says
Hi Sherri. Sometimes a job will allow you to work one or several days remotely. I often work while I am on the road.
We visited Coral Pink Sand Dunes, Bryce Canyon, Dutchman Gap State Park and many other cool natural monuments and areas.
Kate says
I love this article! Such great encouragement to work towards living the life of dog-accompanied adventure that many of us would love to live.
Jessica Rhae says
Glad you found it inspirational Kate. I was a bit surprised that people liked the article so much.
Cathy Armato says
Wonderful, inspirational post, thank you! I love working from home and traveling as much as we can with our dogs, Icy and Phoebe. The money certainly gets tight, but I love the freedom of working at home with my dogs by my side and being able to take longer vacations and side trips. I don’t get to do it near as much as I’d like but we’ve traveled so much more with the dogs than we ever did before they came into our lives.!
Love & Biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Jessica Rhae says
Thanks Cathy. Yeah, I definitely ain’t getting money rich by working for myself but I have become so much happier since taking the leap. Time with friends and family, and to travel and experience the world, are priceless to me. Luckily, we like to rough it and travel on the cheap! Ha, h a.