Pet Airways

More rooms with a zoo

Last summer I flew cross-country to escort retired guide-dog Joplin (below) from Montreal to her new family in Seattle.  The airline misplaced the dog carrier and the dog only understood French, but with the help of about a dozen United Airlines employees at Montreal Airport, Joplin made her flight and arrived “home” safely.

joplinNow, after holding the bone just out of reach for months now, the folks at Pet Airways announced they’re accepting reservations from folks who want to book “seats” for their pets on the animals-only airline.  I’m not sure if Joplin is up for another trip, but if you  send your pet on an adventure on this new pet airline let me know.

In the meantime, if you must fly somewhere without your pet, you may want to choose a hotel that will loan you a pet during your stay or let you hang out with an on-site pet.  More than two-dozen properties that offer that option are included in my Room with a Zoo story that officially posted on MSN.com this week.

Here are just two of the more than two dozen places included.

kimpton-fishAll Kimpton Monaco hotels offer the “Guppy Love” program.  Guests can request a loaner goldfish (more entertaining than a guppy?) during their stay.  I still have fond memories of perky Panchita, the fish assigned to my room during a stay at the Monaco hotel in Portland, Oregon.

billy-the-sealAt the Bahai Resort Hotel in San Diego, rehabilitated seals like Billy (above) spend their days in their own on-site pool.  They’re entertaining, but quieter than 600-pound male seal lion who lived at the hotel in the 1970’s and enjoyed “singing” along with the band in the bar.

For more hotels with resident animals, please see my Room with a Zoo story on MSN.com. If you know of other hotels with cool, cute on-site animals, please let me know!

Travel tidbits: DVD’s, flying pets and siestas

Starting June 1st, you’ll be able to rent DVDs for $1 a day at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) from one of those Redbox self-service kiosks that have been popping up at supermarkets and, increasingly, airports.

joplinWoof! Pet Airways,which I wasn’t so sure would make it to market, has announced that it’s been cleared for take-off and is now taking reservations – for pets only – between a bunch of cities beginning in June.  Fares for Fido: $149 each way. Let me know if your pet has a seat reservation so I can write about it.

mia-siesta-oneAnd beginning April 30, Miami International Airport (MIA) kicks off a new series of exhibitions in its top-notch art program.  The first exhibition in the Hand Made series will be Siesta, featuring forty ceremonial hammocks and bags by the Wayuu people from the region of La Guajira in northern Colombia. There will also be photographs documenting the Wayuu way of life. Siesta will be on display through October 31, 2009 in the South Terminal Gallery at MIA’s Terminal J.

mia-siesta-two