In the final sprint before launching the Pet Travel Book Club next Thursday (November 10), I started thinking about pet travel writing as a genre. Naturally, it’s as varied as any other type of travel writing — or writing, period — and is designed to serve different purposes. But whether I’m looking for advice about…
Travel Thursday: Tailing John Steinbeck
I love serendipity.* I had made plans to interview John Woestendiek, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and the author of Dog Inc., for Animal Cafe because I thought a top-rate writer who was on the road for a year with his dog might have interesting things to say about pet travel. I didn’t know anything about…
Introducing: The Pet Travel Book Club
Last week I told you about my exciting new venture, blogging about pet travel books and movies on A Traveler’s Library. I semi-jokingly said, “Can a pet travel book club be far behind?” Several of you expressed enthusiasm. We’re on. Phase 1 Here’s the plan. I will tell you — at least a month in…
Literary Pet Travel Thursday: Help Wanted
I’m excited to announce that I’m joining a terrific team of bloggers over at A Traveler’s Library. I’ll be writing about pet travel in books and film the first Thursday of every month. Memoir or fiction, serious or light hearted…anything (except guidebooks) goes. I have a few ideas, but need a lot more. I’d love…
Pet Travel Overseas — & an International Contest
I’m still a little crazed over the notion that a respected travel expert would dismiss an entire segment of travel, and a very popular one at that. Luckily, this month’s pet travel interview on Animal Cafe with Diane Silver, blogger at To Dog With Love and caretaker of the charming Cosmo Havanese, provides an antidote…
Pet Travel Is Here To Stay, Chris Elliott. Live With It
Imagine that a travel expert, writing for a megatraffic online travel site, chose a large segment of travelers to dismiss — say, baby boomers. “Baby boomers are slow moving and crabby,” he’d write. “They’d be better off staying home to care for their grandchildren, which most prefer to traveling anyway.” Then imagine if the evidence…
Taking a Vacation from Caretaking
It’s common knowledge that caretakers need to take care of themselves if they don’t want to get burned out. This includes taking a break from caretaking. But knowing and doing are two very different things. Why Caretakers Have Such a Hard Time Taking a Vacation I can’t speak for others, but here’s why I have…
Travelin’ Jack is Back — With Jill!
I have welcomed Travelin’ Jack, a peripatetic Olde English Bulldogge, to my site before. For one of my wordy Wordless Wednesdays, Jack brought pet travel news from New Mexico, where he has own blog and his own TV show. But as Frankie can tell you, behind every successful male is a good woman. In Jack’s…
Travels with Frankie: Our Life is a Trip
I missed Pet Travel Thursday last week so this is either a late entry or an early one — and it’s not even on this blog. I’m excited to have a story today on one of my favorite travel sites, YourLifeIsATrip.com. I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll just say it involves…
A Better Way to Celebrate Owney, the Rail-Riding Dog
Yesterday, to commemorate a pup who provided good luck to the Railway Mail Service, the United States Postal Service issued 60 million Owney the Postal Dog Forever stamps. The Smithsonian’s National Postal Museum is debuting a new exhibit that chronicles his adventures and announcing an Owney photo look-alike contest. In conjunction with the contest, the…