This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx on behalf of Red Roof. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks so much for supporting the brands that make CircaWanderlust possible.
You know that we love traveling with our dogs, Rocky and Kona. We’ve taken them to National Parks to hike, tubing down rivers in the mountains, mural chasing in Nashville, and road trips. And though generally I take a very “play it by ear” approach to our travels, the truth is that when we have one or both of the dogs with us I plan a little more than I normally would. But I know I can always count on pet friendly Red Roof Inn locations!
I learned when we first started traveling with the dogs that finding a pet-friendly place to stay isn’t easy. While some cities and regions are incredibly pet friendly, the truth is that others aren’t. To prevent any hiccups on the road when traveling with the dogs I make sure we pre-book stays. Plan all you may, sometimes things just happen and the plans don’t go as intended.
Finding a place to stay
On a recent and secret trip to Boston, we hit really bad weather. The rainy weather, accidents, and traffic combined meant we weren’t going to make it home anytime soon. And while normally that would stress me out on trips, after a few years on the road I’ve come to know that Red Roof is there when we need a pet-friendly hotel while we travel. After hitting traffic unexpected traffic, we were exhausted. We decided to drive until we found the next Red Roof Inn.

If you didn’t know, Red Roof is a pet friendly hotel brand where pets stay for free at most locations. They welcome well-behaved domestic pets at participating Red Roof locations. Knowing that as a national brand, they are pet friendly is so comforting because it means it is one less thing I have to worry about. With a quick search on the Red Roof website, I was able to find one just 25 mins down the road from where we were. With coast-to-coast locations, I know finding a Red Roof Inn close by is always an option when we road trip. They’ve come in clutch a few times for us when traveling – both with and without the dogs!


If you are planning a trip with your pet, take them to the veterinarian before you go. You’ll want to make sure that it is safe to travel.
Here are some other tips to keep in mind if you are road tripping with your dog:
- Do not leave your dog alone in a car. It takes only fifteen minutes for animals to experience heatstroke.
- Don’t open your car window or door if your dog is unleashed.
- To prevent illness, feed your dog early enough so that they don’t eat in the few hours to departure. Kona was just a puppy when we started traveling with her. It took us a few trips to realize that if we fed her early, she wouldn’t get car sick.
- Kennel your dogs when driving or use a doggy seat belt in case of accidents.
