Do you intend to hit the road with your beloved fluffy buddy? With the right preparations, the sky is your limit when it comes to traveling with pets. If Panama is your destination, here are a few things you should take care of to get there with your animal pal as smoothly as possible. Study these tips for traveling with your pets to Panama on time, so you wouldn’t have to cancel your plans due to unpreparedness.
Get all the documents your pet needs for this trip
There are strict regulations about traveling with your pets to Panama, especially regarding documents. If you intend to move from the US to Panama, for example, it is important that you take care of these documents on time. You don’t want to miss your flight or have problems at the airport. Long-distance relocation is complex as it is, and the only way for everything to go well is to prepare on time. Here are the documents the government of Panama requires when people are bringing their pets to the country:
- Certificate regarding your pet’s good health. You can get this certificate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and after you do, you should send it to the Consulate of Panama for authentication.
- Vaccine record. Your pet must receive all the necessary vaccines to enter Panama. Make sure you find out which vaccines exactly are in question, and that depends on the pet species.
- Home Quarantine Request. This document is important as well, and you need to get fresh updates about when and how to fill it.
See the airline requirements for traveling with your pets to Panama
Each airline has specific requirements, and you’ll need to check what they are when it comes to pets. Some allow your pet to be under your seat in a crate if it fulfills certain criteria. Otherwise, pets can travel with the luggage. Bear in mind that you will probably need to keep your pet in a special traveling crate which you’ll have to carry yourself until the process of entering the country is over. In case you are traveling alone, consider packing light or carrying it all will be a bit challenging.
In reality, you don’t need too many things with you, both if you are only visiting or moving to Panama. For the first period, at least, until you figure out what your life will be like in your new Panama property. As for the rest, you can keep your things secure by renting storage, for example. In FL, as in many other countries, some options make it easier for people relocating to a remote destination who want neither to take it all with them nor to get rid of their belongings just yet. In any case, you should always check the airport policies before you go, as they tend to change from time to time.
Avoid traveling during the holidays
Panama is a popular travel destination as it is a very popular retirement destination as well. That is the reason why airports there are extremely busy during the holidays. For your pets, the trip itself is stressful enough; there is no need to throw in the long waits and endless rivers of noisy people. Try to plan your trip to Panama with your animal buddy when traveling is not at its peak.
Familiarize your pet with the crate
It is very important to familiarize your pet with the crate it will be traveling in. Otherwise, for the poor thing, this trip will be a very traumatizing experience. If you don’t have one, get the traveling crate several months earlier, and practice shorter to longer trips with it. You can keep it around the home for your pet, not see it as a torturing device but as something to get you somewhere. Once they realize that these confining thingies lead them to places where they are happy with their human, they will accept being put into them.
Consider hiring pet relocation experts
Does all this seem overwhelming? There’s a solution in the form of pet relocation experts. As the experts that can be found at bestmoversinflorida.com confirm, professional movers, don’t only move your belongings but can deal with all the rest of the relocation logistics as well. Some specialize in moving pets, and they can make sure your tiny darlings arrive in Panama safely and stress-free. This service may cost a tad more than if you did it all by yourself, but if that way, you will be ridding yourself of unnecessary anxiety, it is well worth it. With that worry off your mind, you can focus on other things regarding your move, such as looking for the right Panama real estate.
Do some research on what attractions are pet-friendly
Finally, before you go to Panama with your pet, find out what the two of you will be able to do together. There are some amazing beaches, national parks, and other attractions you’ll want to see, but you don’t want to be told you can’t come in because of your pet. The same goes for hotels, restaurants, and stores. If you are moving there and intend to become a tenant, don’t forget to mention to your potential landlord that you intend to live with a pet. That will spare you a lot of trouble because many landlords explicitly do not want any animals living in their Panama rentals. Withholding the information that you are moving in with your pet can mean not only potentially getting kicked out but having to pay for the damages that your pet might not even have inflicted.
Final thoughts
As you can see, traveling with your pets to Panama does require a bit of preparation. But being able to share those precious moments with the fluffiest member of your family is worth all the trouble. Besides, if you start making all the arrangements on time, this whole Panama adventure will be a dream come true.