Many who enjoy the luxuries and benefits of travel do so with one thing missing: Their furry friend! It’s common for pets to be kenneled, or for a sitter to be found, which can be nice, but wouldn’t it be nicer to be able to bring them with you? If you’ve ever wanted to try it, you may want to look into getting a Pet Passport.

The idea of the Pet Passport came from the United Kingdom; since there are so many surrounding countries it is necessary for a safe and easy way to travel without having to leave pets behind. The passport is designed to allow your pet to travel without having to deal with the red tape and time-consuming list of “procedural security measures”. The “member” countries, or countries that the pet passport will allow travel to easily are: The U.K., the U.S., Canada, Japan, Australia, Taiwan, most of the countries in Western Europe, and even some of the Caribbean Island nations.

Now, before you run off to have adventures with Fido around the world, you should know that the requirements for the passport are 1) The pet has to have an identity microchip, the kind that has to be implanted under the skin, or serial number tattooed to the skin, and 2) The animal must have a rabies vaccination, and a certificate of the vaccination as proof. Some of the participating countries might ask that the pet be vaccinated within 34 to 48 hours before boarding time.

Keep in mind that some countries have different requirements, so you’ll want to do some research on the requirements of the departing and arriving countries to be sure, as well as research the procedures of your airline of choice. Once you have everything settled, your pet will be jet set!

Read the full story here: http://traveltips.usatoday.com/pet-passports-13259.html