bring fido along for a good time a star is reborn
Tips on how to plan a trouble-free holiday with your pet
PET-CENTRIC travel is one of this year’s biggest trends. It allows travellers and their furbabies a chance to experience the world through curated experiences they both will enjoy.
From organised walks, the beach, pet dining and spa treatments, pets get to live their best lives on holiday with their owners.
Tourism businesses have jumped on the bandwagon – creating petfriendly accommodation, tours and eateries.
Coleen Clackworthy, one of the owners of Pets Travel, said pet travel has increased in the last two years.
She said more owners planned holidays to suit the needs of their pets and their passion.
“People want to share their travel experiences with their pets by booking holidays that they both will enjoy. Planning a trip somewhere exotic is now effortless with the number of pet-friendly offerings out there,” she said.
Clackworthy, who travels across South Africa with her Australian shepherd dog named Sydney, said bespoke experiences for pets had been enticing for owners.
“Many pet travel agencies create exciting itineraries for travellers and their dogs. A more budget-friendly option would be researching a few destinations that you and your pets would enjoy,” she said.
Sam Roberts of the Animal
Travel Agency shares some tips on how owners can plan for local and international holidays for their pets:
A LOCAL GETAWAY
Valid annual vaccines, including rabies shots, are needed. The vaccines need to be older than 30 days, but not more than a year old.
Book your flights well in advance to ensure availability.
Ask to have your pet carried on the same airline as yourself.
Measure your pet correctly to avoid being turned away. There are airline-approved containers and sizes that owners are required to have before their pet flies.
IF YOU ARE VENTURING ABROAD:
Find out whether the destination requires your pet to have a microchip.
The pets annual vaccines and rabies jab should be done on the same day.
Certain countries require a rabies blood test, which can only be done 32 days after your rabies vaccine. Pets have to wait 92 days after the rabies vaccine to travel.
Most airlines will not allow you to book your pet as excess baggage. All pets must travel as manifested cargo.
There is no quarantine for any destination in South Africa.
A health certificate from a state vet is required.
Destinations such as Australia and New Zealand require specific time frames and blood tests.
Flights can only be booked a maximum of 10 days before travel.
Ensure you know the regulations for the country you are going to.
FLYING HIGH
These two airlines share some tips on pet travel:
Mango Airlines: Mango requires the health and vaccination certificate of the pet travelling. No pets under eight weeks old, or visibly ill or diseased pets, will be accepted for travel. Service animals travel in the passenger cabin to accompany guests with disabilities. Service animals do not occupy a seat.
Pets do not form part of the checked baggage allowance per passenger, and excess baggage fees apply per kilogram.
Call 086 100 1234 to book your pet a flight at least 48 hours before departure.
kulula.com: Pets on kulula.com flights travel in comfort and safety thanks to their designated Pet Lounges. Luane Lavery, the brand communication manager at BA and kulula.com, said owners need to book 48 hours before departure and request that their pet travel on the same flight.
“Bidair Cargo Pet Lounges require pet owners to produce an inoculation booklet. Rabies inoculations are compulsory nationwide and subject to a waiting period of 7 to 14 days between the inoculation and date of flight. IATA regulations require that the rabies inoculation is done yearly,” she said. Call 011 230 4600 or email info@petlounge.co.za
The new Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff in Johannesburg is a stylish urban resort BIANCA COLEMAN
THEY say you never get a second chance at making that all-important first impression. It’s a hackneyed platitude but true for all that, and applies very much to hotel rooms, and in fact from the moment of checking in.
At Four Seasons Hotel The Westcliff you are greeted in the lobby reception area near the front gate. At this point you still won’t be aware of the splendour that awaits you.
The staff will explain the resort and where everything is before whisking you and your bags off in a golf cart – the main means of transport within the three-hectare property unless you are inclined to walk.
My deluxe panoramic room wasn’t too far but it was decidedly uphill. Rooms and suites are inside different units which give you the feel of being “at home” in the style of luxurious and exclusive villas.
From my elevated position,
I could fully appreciate the view stretching over the treetops to the horizon. There are jacarandas there, which look quite spectacular when they are in full purple bloom in spring. Nearby are the Johannesburg Zoo and Botanical Garden.
The room had a little balcony where I could put my slippered feet up and marvel at the vista of green treetops and dusky sky streaked with vibrant oranges, pinks and purples; Joburg is well-known for its glorious sunsets.
In the room was a platter with macaroons and chocolates, and the message, “Welcome to Jozi”, piped in chocolate. Appropriately, since it’s also known as the City Of Gold, the words were dusted with shimmery gold, and there was more gold dust on the plate itself. I know this because I stuck my finger in it.
It was only later when I posted the photograph on social media, my Joburg friends pointed out it was a depiction of the famous skyline. Yes, the same one I could see from my balcony.
The man who showed me to the room offered to explain how everything worked. “Oh that’s all right,” I said airily, “it’s a shower, how hard can it be?”
Never ever ask that question; the universe will respond accordingly (and have we learnt nothing at all from Top Gear?). It came to pass I was punished for my arrogance with an incredibly complicated shower tap which required me to fetch my spectacles to have a closer look to figure it out.
After freshening up, I headed to one of the five restaurants, The View, which is reached by a glass lift. Sometimes the simplest names for things are the best, because what more could you actually say when describing this place? The view from The View (sorry) is ridiculously gorgeous, especially on an evening when the sinking sun in the west is replaced by a fat, swollen full moon rising slowly in the east. As darkness fell, the landscape sparkled with pinpricks of light and it’s crazy to think of being in such an exquisite and tranquil location in one of the biggest cities in South Africa – in fact the largest, according to Wikipedia. Among all the things I learnt during my sojourn is that Jozi boasts incredible diversity.
At our table on the terrace my friend and I indulged in an extravagant yet carefully structured multiple-course tasting menu paired with fabulous wines, all served with immaculate grace. An email sent to the hotel prior to arrival alerted them to my dietary requirements and these were taken seriously, and deliciously accommodated. This kind of thing can be quite tedious but the kitchen did the best job I have encountered.
Surprisingly, I was hungry again the next morning, so it was back up in the lift for a sumptuous breakfast spread on the buffet complemented by hearty a la carte options.
My stay was all too short, but guests who are in for a longer haul have access to two heated outdoor pools, a fitness centre and a spa with nine treatment rooms. With all these options, along with the various dining choices, and a leafy “village”, this is an urban oasis at its best.