Traveling with a dog is rewarding, but it does take work.

In the past, my dog Maya and I have lived in Turkey and traveled from Athens to Prague. As of June 2015, we are traveling through Europe, Asia, Oceanian, South and Central America. As a travel partner, Maya doesn’t whine about where we go, what we see (or what we don’t), or how fast we go. She is content to lie at my feet in a café, sleep next to me in a tent, and walk at my leisure. While there is great deal of effort that goes into traveling with a dog, I prefer Maya’s long-term companionship to a trip by myself.

People have often asked me how complicated it is to travel with a dog. If you are interested in adding your pup to your travel plans, here are a few of the most important things to consider based on my life-learned experiences.