As passionate pet parents, we know the guilt of leaving our furry friends behind when we set off on a holiday. It tugs at our heartstrings every time. But what if we told you that dog friendly travel in Spain is more than just a dream?
Spain is one of our very favourite destinations! And, it has emerged as a hotspot for those of us wanting to embark on memorable journeys with our four-legged pals. So, let’s dive deep into the world of canine-approved Spanish getaways!
Why choose Spain for your pet-inclusive vacation?
We’ve always believed that holidays are better when shared with our loyal companions. Some of our best memories are in Byron Bay, Australia, and Margate, UK, when we could take our little London dog Westie with us!
A recent survey by Statista reveals we’re not alone in this sentiment. Did you know that 56% of UK travellers prefer holidays with their pets? And the reason is clear: it makes the holiday even more special.
Thanks to Spain-Holiday and Holidu’s recent insights, we’ve uncovered some of Spain’s top destinations that roll out the red carpet for our dogs.
Holiday Homes: A Perfect Stay for You and Your Pooch
If you’re all about comfort and convenience when travelling with your pet, holiday homes in Spain should be on your radar. With 27% of these homes being pet-friendly, Spain is leading the way compared with its European neighbours like Greece and Portugal. Particularly, if you’re heading to the north, Castilla y León proudly boasts 41% of pet-accommodating holiday rentals.
Spanish Beach Holidays with Your Loyal Companion
Dreaming of sunbathing alongside your pup? Spain’s costas are a paradise for dog lovers.
The Costa del Azahar shines as a top pick with nearly half of its holiday rentals being pet-friendly. Imagine strolling along Blue Flag beaches in lovely towns like Peñiscola and Benicassim with your furry mate! But the list doesn’t end there; Costa Brava and Costa del Maresme are also buzzing with pet-friendly spots, making beach getaways a breeze.
Sunny Escapes Tailored for Your Pet
Winter blues? Escape to Spain’s sun-drenched coasts with your pet! Top recommendations for autumn/winter 2023, and coming into 2024 are Calpe, Benidorm, and Javea on the Costa Blanca. Not only are these destinations pet-accommodating, but they also promise Spain’s mildest winter climates.
Affordable Adventures with Your Four-Legged Friend
Looking for a budget-friendly holiday without compromising on the fun? Torrevieja offers fantastic deals, especially during autumn and winter. With a variety of pet-friendly accommodations, you and your dog can enjoy Spain without burning a hole in your pocket.
However, if luxury is what you’re after, Barcelona, Javea, and Palma de Mallorca are the ritzy options to consider.
Dog friendly travel in Spain is more than a trend – it’s a movement we’re wholeheartedly embracing. As we pack our bags (and doggy treats), we hope you’ll join us on this delightful journey through Spain’s pet-loving landscapes.
Got any other tips, or questions? Please let us know in the comments below :)
If you’re a dog lover planning your next trip and searching for the top dog-friendly accommodation in NSW, we have the perfect guide for you. Reflections Holiday Parks in Australia recently curated a list of premier dog-friendly holiday parks in New South Wales, each one a unique paradise for both you and your canine companion.
**You might also enjoy this popular poston options for travelling with your four-pawed BFF**
Top picks: Dog-friendly accommodation in NSW
7 great options for your and your family – two legged and four pawed :)
Shaws Bay Holiday Park: A Tranquil Haven
First on our list of top dog-friendly accommodation in NSW is Shaws Bay Holiday Park. Located in the heart of East Ballina, just a two-hour drive from Brisbane, this tranquil haven welcomes dogs year-round. A quick 5-minute drive brings you to The Spit, a popular off-leash dog beach where your pup can truly unleash its energy.
With the scenic vistas of Ballina and dog-friendly Byron Bay nearby, Shaws Bay is an excellent base for exploring the local attractions.
Moonee Beach Holiday Park: The Heart of Adventure
Continuing our journey, we find Moonee Beach Holiday Park, a mere 10-minute drive from Coffs Harbour. Among the top dog-friendly accommodation in NSW, this park has an abundance of dog-friendly caravan and camping sites, not to mention modern tiny homes and cabins.
After a day of adventure, treat your furry friend to a deluxe dog wash, while you unwind in the camp kitchen, play tennis, or enjoy the warmth of the fire pits.
Discovering More of NSW’s Dog-friendly Wonders
Let’s venture further into NSW to reveal more top dog-friendly accommodation options!
According to the Animal Medicines Australia ‘Pets in Australia’ national survey (Nov 2022), about half of all Australian dog owners take their furry companions on holiday with them. This trend is rapidly growing, with a whopping 37% of dogs being acquired during the pandemic. So, if you’re among the 69% of Australian households that own a pet, why not bring your best friend along on your next NSW adventure?
Unfortunately, Australia still isn’t as pet friendly as it could be when it comes to travel, but we were told how dog-friendly Byron Bay is and decided to investigate :)
In our post-COVID exploration, we had been searching for options in South East Queensland. But, it soon became obvious that dog-friendly travel isn’t that easy to come by within driving distance of Brisbane. And, if it’s there, it can be expensive or quite restrictive.
Northern NSW became an option when I stumbled across the info on Byron Bay Hotel and Apartments. Now, they’re not sponsoring this post, but deserve a shout-out! For a low fuss flat fee of $80, we can take London with us on an adventure. And, this dog-friendly accommodation is located right in the heart of Byron Bay.
Dog friendly Byron: best of
You’ll spot that London our Westie is wearing a jumper. That’s because our pet friendly excursion to Byron Bay (the first time!) came about as winter hit in Australia.
But the experience made up for the chilly weather. This was London’s first trip to the beach in his little life of 15 months. Take a look at the video of our dog friendly Byron Bay adventure and you’ll see how much he LOVED IT ❤️ This made us so happy too
Our top picks for dog friendly Byron Bay are as follows:
Byron Bay dog beaches
Belongil Beach dog friendly beach is literally right there in Byron Bay. As anyone for directions, just keep an eye out for high tide coming in.
Suffolk Park, about ten minutes’ drive from the heart of Byron Bay, boasts a beautiful beach too. This spot is also dog friendly and is brimming with cool locals to chat to (the two and four legged variety).
Pet friendly cafes and restaurants in Byron Bay
Outside of seeing the pure joy in London when he discovered ‘the beach’, we also had real fun at some of Byron’s best pet friendly hangouts.
Notably, Byron Bay does Mexican really well. We LOVE Miss Margarita in Byron – it’s right near the beach and boasts a happy hour between 5-6pm every day. Also, the food is excellent! This place gets busy so you should time your visit, especially if bringing your pooch.
At Miss Margarita they went out of their way to make sure London was happy and cared for with a bowl of water and a spot to sit. But, you need to grab a table out the front, so don’t land right in the middle of happy hour or peak dinner time.
Don Pedros, just a street up from the beach, also served great food and London was welcome in the area out the front.
Both places served up an awesome margarita, by the way
For brekky, we enjoyed Bayleaf. It’s lovely on a lazy sunny weekend morning, but gets very busy! London was more than welcome in the front section, but we were lucky to get a table, so be mindful after 8am.
Also, we liked Byron Fresh, right in the heart of Byron. They let us take London inside on a cold day – you can see him below hanging out on his mat, in his jacket, with a rug. Spoilt, much? :)
Another lovely spot we discovered that has plenty of dog friendly places to perch in Byron Bay, is Treehouse on Belongil. If you are to enter Belongil dog friendly beach from the centre of Byron Bay side, Treehouse is situated about 10 to 15 minutes walk along the beach. Walk up off the beach and you’ll find it. The lovely venue serves up some nice food and coffees, and it’s a very chilled out vibe. We loved it.
Other dog friendly experiences in Byron Bay
There’s quite a bit of Northern New South Wales (NSW) that is well known for being dog friendly. Love that! You can search for options on Airbnb and Booking.com. Surrounding towns include Ballina and Lennox Head. There’s also the Tweed Coast nearer to the Queensland border.
As you enter Byron Bay, a worthwhile experience is to visit the Stone & Wood Brewery. We do enjoy a pint of this one, especially in summer, so it’s nice to visit its origin. The brewery has a huge outdoor area at its entryway. You can order tasting trays and snacks. And, your pooch is entirely welcome to hang out with you in the sun.
There’s a few places we didn’t make it to, including The Farm which is a popular spot for parents of human and fur babies! Our little mate, Schnitzel (who we met at TBEX Czech Republic, would you believe?!), shares more in this blog.
As proud fur parents, we obviously advocate for taking your pup with you whenever you can. But if you can’t, you might find this advice useful.
Additionally, we have a host of excellent info on house and pet sitting as an option, here on YouTube. If you’re interested in this, maybe you’d also like to join our Facebook Group that’s all about house and pet sitting + travel as a way of life ❤️
At one point or another, you may end up travelling with a dog (aka your best mate!). You don’t have to have trepidation about it as it can actually prove to be a great time for both you and your pooch.
In order to make things easier while you are travelling with a dog, you should utilise the following 11 travel hacks below
1. When travelling with a dog, bring a dryer sheet
Many dogs tend to get very nervous when it’s thundering and lightening outside. They often get scared because of static electricity builds up in their fur.
You can use a dryer sheet to calm them down.
Simply rub it over their fur to get rid of static electricity buildup. It’s a quick and easy way to calm them down when it’s stormy outside.
2. Book travel based on your dog’s schedule
It’s imperative that you book your travel at the right time. You don’t want to be taking off on a flight or starting a long car ride during the time of day when your dog has the most energy. This is why you should book your travel based on your dog’s schedule.
Try to make your travel plans for when you know he will be tired and want to nap. While there’s no guarantee that he will actually sleep, your travels will go a whole lot easier if he snoozes for at least part of it.
If your schedules don’t match up, have you considered engaging a pet and house sitter? Find out more
3. Pack a squeegee when travelling with a dog
Squeegees aren’t just for cleaning car windows. They can actually be very beneficial at cleaning up dog hair. You can use it to get up hair on carpets, furniture or beds.
4. Get the contact information for vets at your destination
Unfortunately, dogs can get sick or become injured when you are travelling. Because of this, you need to know where the nearest vet is. You don’t want to wait until there’s an emergency in order to find a vet.
Research vets at your destination beforehand. Reach out to them to make sure that they are taking new patients.
If they are, keep their contact information handy just in case you need it while you are at your destination.
5. Strategise so that they’ll need to relieve themselves less on travel days
You probably don’t want to stop constantly so that your dog can relieve himself. Fortunately, there are some things that you can do so that he will need to go potty less.
Don’t feed him or give him water right before you walk out of the door. You may want to feed him or give him water so that he’s not hungry or thirsty, but he will just need to relieve himself at an inopportune time.
Try giving him something to eat or drink about an hour before you walk out of the door.
6. Use a pet carrier that has wheels
Carrying your dog around over long periods of time can be difficult. You can make it easier on yourself by getting a pet carrier that has wheels. This will allow you to safely navigate your way around a crowded airport without putting your dog’s safety in jeopardy. Just make sure that he is used to it well ahead of travel time.
Do a few practice runs in the weeks leading up to your vacation. In order to make it easier for him or her, put a favourite toy or blankets in it as well.
7. Bring an indoor potty system
There may be times where you can’t take your dog outside to relieve himself. This is where an indoor potty system can come in handy.
You can use it when your dog gets sick and needs somewhere to go pretty quickly. It also might be forbidden to let your dog relieve himself outside of your holiday destination, or you might find that it’s very rainy out and isn’t safe to take him outside.
No matter what the reason may be, he can use the indoor potty system to relieve himself. You won’t have to deal with accidents because there wasn’t a place to take him to do so.
8. Pack baking soda
Even dogs that have been potty trained for a long time can have accidents while travelling.
If your dog pees on a carpet, you can easily clean this up with a bit of baking soda. All you need to do is sprinkle it over the wet spot. In a few minutes it will absorb all of the urine.
9. Portion their food beforehand
You want to make sure that you pack the right amount of food for your dog. One way to do this is by portioning it before you travel.
Pack a day’s worth of food in a sealable bag. This will ensure that your dog gets the right amount of food, and you won’t have to travel with dog food that you won’t end up using.
10. Have an extra collar and leash
One of the most misplaced items when travelling is a collar or leash. This is why you need to have an extra of both. You don’t want to let your dog run around without a leash or collar, and there might not be a retailer near your hotel where you can purchase one.
11. Pack a can of chicken broth
Dogs can easily get upset tummies when they are travelling. If your dog just has a little bit of motion sickness, you don’t necessarily have to run to the vet.
Chicken broth can help soothe their stomach.
Place a little bit of it in his/her water to drink. Chicken broth is packed with nutrients, and it can make him feel better pretty quickly. Just make sure that you choose a chicken broth that’s low in sodium as too much salt isn’t good for dogs.
Travelling with your dog can prove to be a very enjoyable time for the both of you. If you will be travelling with your dog soon, make sure you utilise some of the travel hacks mentioned above. By doing so, you will ensure that both you and your dog have a great time no matter where in the world you go.
Got questions or other tips? Let us know in the comments.
Can’t take your pooch with you on holidays? Have a read about other options so they’re well cared for while you’re away
Welcome! We are Sarah + Cooper, Aussie expats living in the UK with our Westie dog, London. We like to inspire on how to travel for longer and to live and work from anywhere. Our most popular content here is about seeing the world with your pet, remote working & digital nomadism, and house + pet sitting. Create a global life of your dreams at any age! Subscribe to find out more :)
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