Travel with Pets - 3 cats, 1 kid, where to go less than 3 hr drive from Philly?

I'm stumped for a winter vacation location and hope the collective brain power here might have some ideas for me.

I'm looking for a specific hotel/timeshare/rental name, if possible, for a 4 to 6 day trip. Needs to cat welcoming (3 very clean, well-mannered house cats - no fleas!) and have at least 2 beds, internet connection and a kitchenette (full kitchen even better). Indoor pool would be a big bonus.

Where? Less than 3 hours drive from Philly.

To do what? Relax, sight-see (museums, historic sites are good), hike, catch a movie maybe. Amusement parks tend not to be open in the winter around here, but if you know of one that is, suggest it please.

Ideas?

What about a trip to Hershey/Harrisburg/Gettysburg? Chocolate World is open year-round. I think Hershey Park usually has various themed events throughout the winter. Depending on when you were there, you could catch a Hershey Bears game. Then, head Gettysburg for a day for historic purposes. You could visit the Civil War Museum in Harrisburg the day before going to Gettysburg.

There's also the Army Heritage and Education Center in Carlisle.

If you wanted to venture down to York, you could do the Revolutionary War things in the city, and even have an FT'er meet you for lunch, or, if it was a weekend, give you a tour of York and even Gettysburg. :D

There's a LaQuinta in Harrisburg. Not the world's nicest hotel, but pet-friendly. There are 4 Marriott properties in the area that claim to be pet-friendly, but they want $75-$100 pet fees.

The Harrisburg Hilton allows pets for a $75 charge, while the Homewood Suites in Mechanicsburg charges $50, but the Hampton Inn near there doesn't list a pet fee, and neither does the Hampton Inn in Hershey.

The Staybridge in Harrisburg allows pets for a $75 fee. The Holiday Inn Harrisburg-East and the one in New Cumberland both charge the same, although Harrisburg East also charges a $25/night/pet fee, and New Cumberland requires that they be in a "small cage" when the owner is not in the room. The Holiday Inn in Grantville charges $100 but will refund $75 of that upon inspection at check-out. The Candlewood Suites charges $25/pet for 1-6 nights.

Do the cats travel with you everywhere?

I personally would not want to put them through the "trauma" of travelling and being in a strange location... plus I would not want to risk them getting away or lost.

When you consider the pet fees, might be better to leave them at home and have a pet sitter come in daily.

I know you did not ask for that advice... but might be better for every person and cat!

Do the cats travel with you everywhere?

I personally would not want to put them through the "trauma" of travelling and being in a strange location... plus I would not want to risk them getting away or lost.

When you consider the pet fees, might be better to leave them at home and have a pet sitter come in daily.

I know you did not ask for that advice... but might be better for every person and cat!
I've started to take into account the pet fees when considering bringing the kibblers with me or boarding them. They love where they stay, and I never have to worry about them running off, or causing a disturbance if I board them. So, while it's not necessarily the perfect option for pet-owners, sometimes, it does make more sense.

I've had two friends lose their cats while traveling by car- for one they stayed in the area a few days and eventually found the body. The other although they stayed an extra day, they never found the cat. The only friend I know that sucessfully travelled with a cat had a really old one that could hardly walk and needed shots every day, so she took it with her- but the cat could hardly get across the room.
Really rethink the cat thing- especially with multiples- one quick dash and in a strange place you will never see the cat again.

I've had two friends lose their cats while traveling by car- for one they stayed in the area a few days and eventually found the body. The other although they stayed an extra day, they never found the cat. The only friend I know that sucessfully travelled with a cat had a really old one that could hardly walk and needed shots every day, so she took it with her- but the cat could hardly get across the room.
Really rethink the cat thing- especially with multiples- one quick dash and in a strange place you will never see the cat again.

:-: CDTraveler is my pet owner hero, she is the board expert on traveling with cats. She has a pretty firm handle on how it should and can be done. I hope to have my kitty girls harness trained some day as well as her cats.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets/1194117-relocating-pets.html#post16103573

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets/1155734-service-cat.html

:-: CDTraveler is my pet owner hero, she is the board expert on traveling with cats. She has a pretty firm handle on how it should and can be done. I hope to have my kitty girls harness trained some day as well as her cats.

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets/1194117-relocating-pets.html#post16103573

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/travel-pets/1155734-service-cat.html

I read the first Link and will tell you about an experience I had. We had the same rules. The cat does not get it of the carrier until until we're on the freeway. Well, we had a very low key cat and my husband got out of the car when we were getting gas and the cat bolted out of the car in VA. This is a cat who traveled extensively with us and it was a shock when it happened. We did get the cat eventually but it was pretty scary.

Anyway, you might look into Great Wolf Lodge (http://www.greatwolf.com/poconos/waterpark) in the Poconos to see if it might be a place you'd like and if it takes pets.


Bobette

I read the first Link and will tell you about an experience I had. We had the same rules. The cat does not get it of the carrier until until we're on the freeway. Well, we had a very low key cat and my husband got out of the car when we were getting gas and the cat bolted out of the car in VA. This is a cat who traveled extensively with us and it was a shock when it happened. We did get the cat eventually but it was pretty scary.

Anyway, you might look into Great Wolf Lodge (http://www.greatwolf.com/poconos/waterpark) in the Poconos to see if it might be a place you'd like and if it takes pets.


Bobette
They do not accept pets, otherwise I'd have suggested that as a possibility. :(

I read the first Link and will tell you about an experience I had. We had the same rules. The cat does not get it of the carrier until until we're on the freeway. Well, we had a very low key cat and my husband got out of the car when we were getting gas and the cat bolted out of the car in VA. This is a cat who traveled extensively with us and it was a shock when it happened. We did get the cat eventually but it was pretty scary.

Anyway, you might look into Great Wolf Lodge (http://www.greatwolf.com/poconos/waterpark) in the Poconos to see if it might be a place you'd like and if it takes pets.
My rules for traveling with the cat are absolute: unless they are in carriers, with doors latched, the car door doesn't open. The only exception ever was when we were parked at a hotel door and allowed one cat, who is used to walking on a leash, to enter the hotel on his leash. The cats have literally gone coast to coast and Maine to Florida with us, I have no concerns about taking them on road trips. My bigger concern is leaving them home and having my son pine for them, so whenever possible the cats come along. Plus, they love hotels! I always buy them new toys for hotel stays.

Thanks for the Great Wolf Lodge idea, but Kipper is right, it's not pet friendly. I wish it was, as I think the humans would love it there. Right now I'm considering one of the better La Quinta's near DC. I've got status there (road trips w/ cats!) so we could get a suite, but it's not a destination that thrills me; been there too many times in the past few years.


p.s. there's no such thing as a low-key cat ;) - they're just waiting their moment! Was the bolter cat wearing a harness and tags? The harness makes them easier to grab and tags increase the chance of a lost cat being returned. Our three are fully kitted out: harness, safety collar w/tag, microchip, with leashes in the tote bag.

:-: CDTraveler is my pet owner hero, she is the board expert on traveling with cats. She has a pretty firm handle on how it should and can be done. I hope to have my kitty girls harness trained some day as well as her cats.
Thank you for the compliment.

To train one's cat, one needs a well-fitting harness, a leash, a bag of cat treats, and infinite patience. :D A sense of humor and a feather toy (to teach the cat to walk forward) also help.

Do the cats travel with you everywhere?No. We went to Europe for 10 days in October sans cats, and by Day 3 of the trip, I was wishing we'd brought one! My son has neurological problems, and the cats ground him and help his coping skills. Within the U.S. they usually do travel with us.

I personally would not want to put them through the "trauma" of travelling and being in a strange location... plus I would not want to risk them getting away or lost.These cats are so bonded to their humans the trauma of being left with a pet sitter is far worse for them and far worse for my son. It took the middle cat a month to recover from 5 days with a cat sitter (who is very kind to him) last summer - the vet says he (the cat) has "anxiety issues" but this cat loves riding in the car!

When you consider the pet fees, might be better to leave them at home and have a pet sitter come in daily.Most stays are LQ properties - no pet fees, and I have status there. Pet sitter for 3 cats is >$20/day.

I know you did not ask for that advice... but might be better for every person and cat!Well, if you don't know all the facts, you could assume that leaving the cats home would be better, but you don't know all facts.

Kipper - I wish I'd seen your post about Harrisburg/Gettyburg sooner! We were there last week for an overnight trip; my son had a school event in York County, and we saw the PA State Museum, which was better than expected.

No. We went to Europe for 10 days in October sans cats, and by Day 3 of the trip, I was wishing we'd brought one! My son has neurological problems, and the cats ground him and help his coping skills. Within the U.S. they usually do travel with us.

These cats are so bonded to their humans the trauma of being left with a pet sitter is far worse for them and far worse for my son. It took the middle cat a month to recover from 5 days with a cat sitter (who is very kind to him) last summer - the vet says he (the cat) has "anxiety issues" but this cat loves riding in the car!

Most stays are LQ properties - no pet fees, and I have status there. Pet sitter for 3 cats is >$20/day.

Well, if you don't know all the facts, you could assume that leaving the cats home would be better, but you don't know all facts.

Kipper - I wish I'd seen your post about Harrisburg/Gettyburg sooner! We were there last week for an overnight trip; my son had a school event in York County, and we saw the PA State Museum, which was better than expected.
:D Should you venture out this way again, you can always send me a PM. :D

I think Virginia Beach is more than a 3 hour drive for you, but what about there? You could get cheaper rates since it's the off-season. You could do the maritime museum, Yorktown Battlefield, Jamestown, and Williamsburg.

Wow, my cat starts howling the moment he is in his carrier and doesn't let up unitl he is let out. And I mean HOWLING. He is fine with my MIL as a "sitter" but doesn't come out from hiding when she's in the house. She sees the food and water disappear and that the litter was used but she never actually sees him. He can open and close all of our closet doors so she doesn't even really look for him, just assuems he's in there somewhere. When we get back he's happy to see us but doesn't seem at all upset that we were gone.

One other thought, the Residence Inn at Baltimore's Inner Harbour takes pets. They do charge though.

Bobette

One other thought, the Residence Inn at Baltimore's Inner Harbour takes pets. They do charge though.

Bobette

Ah, but there are several La Quinta hotels near Baltimore.

There's also a Kimpton Hotel in Baltimore (Hotel Monaco), which is 4 blocks from Inner Harbor. They're very pet friendly.

One other thought, the Residence Inn at Baltimore's Inner Harbour takes pets. They do charge though.

BobetteBaltimore might be interesting, so I checked out the RI webpage for pet info. Here is what it says:


Pets welcome up to 0.75 lbs/0.3 kg non-refundable sanitation fee 100 USD

What type of pets do they allow? Hamsters, gerbils, rats, snakes, fish?

While I'd hate to pay that fee, just for comparison I got rates for a place that boards cats: $235 for 4 nights, which makes $135 cheaper to have them with us at the hotel (if they could make the weight :D).

Baltimore might be interesting, so I checked out the RI webpage for pet info. Here is what it says:


Pets welcome up to 0.75 lbs/0.3 kg non-refundable sanitation fee 100 USD

What type of pets do they allow? Hamsters, gerbils, rats, snakes, fish?

While I'd hate to pay that fee, just for comparison I got rates for a place that boards cats: $235 for 4 nights, which makes $135 cheaper to have them with us at the hotel (if they could make the weight :D).

:D Nice! Hmm, does that mean my pet rock couldn't stay there?

:D Nice! Hmm, does that mean my pet rock couldn't stay there?

'fraid not kipper. The pet rock would have to be boarded. I didn't even notice the weight allowance. Bugs only.

Bobette

'fraid not kipper. The pet rock would have to be boarded. I didn't even notice the weight allowance. Bugs only.

Bobette

But I was so looking forward to taking him for a relaxing stay there. I hate to board him somewhere, as he is still getting over the tragic, sudden death of his brother. Unfortunately, I had his brother out for a swim and he drowned. :(