Do you have a passion for animals and travelling the world? 🐕💛✈
Have you ever wondered if there was a way to combine the two?!
If you answered yes to the questions above, then this is for you.
Here at Help Dog Fly, we are expanding the ways in which you can get involved in helping animals while doing the thing travelling you love!
Many families adopt pets in other countries and then face the daunting task of getting their new fur baby home. There are so many things that go into these pets making the journey to their new homes. From health certificates to mandatory quarantines and not to mention the actual flying part, the process can be costly and scary!
Most rescue organizations and pet parents search for volunteers willing to assist in getting these pets from one place to the next. This is where you come in!
Do you currently have a trip planned out?
How does the thought of having a portion of your flight or accommodations covered sound?
These are just a few of the possibilities when you become a travel volunteer.
So, you might be wondering how does the process work, right? Let us explain.
What is a travel volunteer? 🛩🎒
As a travel volunteer, your tasks include accompanying a pet to their new destination and meeting the pets’ family at the destination airport.
Typically, the rescue organization will make all the arrangements and meet you at the departing airport, helping you with the check-in process.
Most of the time, pets are placed in cargo for the duration of the flight but occasionally, small pets may be allowed to travel under the seat.
Once arrived at the destination, travel volunteers retrieve the pet and then meet the awaiting family to hand off their new family member.
Sounds awesome, right?
What will my responsibilities be as a travel volunteer? 🤝
Now, it’s not all fun and games, you will have to be responsible for some things as a travel volunteer.
Communication with the pet parents is of the utmost importance!
Timely responses and routine updates ensure the relationship between you and the family is a good one; they’re entrusting you with
precious cargo. After all, you are responsible for their new family member(s).
Along with communicating with the family, once your arrangements are made, you will be responsible for adding the pet to your
travel tickets. This should be done as early as possible once you agree to transporting an animal to ensure no issues arise.
You will have to plan for some additional time prior to your departure to allow for checking the pet in along with yourself. Many times, assistance may be provided for this process.
During the journey, you will be responsible for the animal’s paperwork and for checking in on the pet’s welfare through the duration of travel. Once reaching your destination, you will need to plan for some additional time as well to pick the pet up and hand them off to their family.
It sounds a lot, but no worries, trust us. You can check out our responsibilities and good practices for more information and be sure to
fully read and agree to the terms and conditions!
What are the benefits of being a travel volunteer? ✅
Aside from reuniting a pet with their new family, many times there is a small reward from the family.
Imagine meeting a sweet pup up for adoption on your travels and wanting nothing more than to bring them home, only to find out there is a never-ending list of things that must be done before that can happen.
You return home and all you can think about is the sweet baby you met and how you can’t wait to have them in your arms! Having a travel volunteer helps to smooth the process of being reunited and most families are willing to offer a portion of or a full airline ticket to anyone willing to travel with their beloved pet. Other families may offer accommodations in exchange for your assistance. It just depends on the family as not everyone has the ability to offer rewards.
It is important to note here that rewards should NEVER be the expectation when deciding to volunteer.
How do I become a travel volunteer? ⬅
Wonderful that you asked! While you may be able to find opportunities on Facebook in different groups, here at Help Dog Fly, we are bridging that gap. We are creating a platform in which you can be connected with pet parents wishing to bring their new family members home. Once you complete a quick, free sign up, you will have access to a database of pets awaiting travel to their new homes.
Say you are in Thailand gearing up to travel to Canada, you can search for any pets that may need to make this trip as well. From here, connect with new owners wishing to bring their new family members home and let the process begin!
Being a travel volunteer allows you to help animals in a different way!
Being a travel volunteer allows you to help animals in a different way! There are pets all over the world waiting to reach their forever homes and could use your help doing it.
If you have travel plans or are plan to make some in the future, please take a look at some of the pets that are currently in need of
assistance in making it to their new home.
You will not be disappointed with this rewarding experience and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to reach out as we would love to hear from you!
Decided to travel? Remember, you can be a transport volunteer. If you are planning to fly with your dog you can always help another dog or cat to arrive home.
