Traveling with Pets

This writer travels... and travels... and travels some more. Not alone though, always in the company of my pooch!

Aside from the usual trials of traveling with a pet, (you know the ones), carrying water, food, puppy pads, toys, chew bones, perhaps their favorite blankie and maybe a carrier, there is the dilemma of where to stop for the night.

Not being a real fan of sleeping in the vehicle, -- although I have had to do that a few times for a cross country trip with impossible time limits, -- pooch and I appreciate the creature comforts a well priced, clean room with free breakfast at Drury Inn Hotels and Suites has to offer. The big benefit here is that the whole hotel chain is pet friendly, without additional charges! Hot breakfast and pooch can sleep for free - a deal in my book.

Drury Inn and Suites, (Reservations 1-800-DRURYINN) or (druryhotels.com) which also includes the Pear Tree Inn, the Drury Inn and Suites, Drury Inns, and Drury Plaza Hotels, predominantly located in the middle of the U.S., with Missouri seeming to have the largest concentration (but they are also scattered throughout Ohio, Texas, Illinois, the Carolinas, Mississippi to name some of the states, with plans for new hotels in a number of other locations, including Florida, New Mexico and Colorado).

Visiting the web site (druryhotels.com) will help find the location you need when making reservations plus there is the added benefit of Internet discounts.

All locations offer beverages in the evening, sodas as well as alcoholic drinks, popcorn and snacks. The rooms are spacious and always have a crisp feeling. Free parking, work out facilities, swimming pools and free in room coffee are another plus. Breakfast is always hot, and eggs, biscuits and gravy, bacon sausage, cold cereal, hot fresh coffee and juice are the usual offerings. There is some variance offered from hotel to hotel, but it is always fresh and satisfying.

Again, in my opinion, the #1 perk is the pet-friendly atmosphere. My travels have allowed me to see pets of all kinds welcomed at Drury Inns; everything from dogs in all sizes, to cats, guinea pigs and even birds. There is never a pet smell, pet owners are not limited to the smoking rooms as in some hotels, and there has never been a noise issue related to pets or people at any of the facilities we (pooch and me) have stayed.

Some of the other hotel/motel chains charge for pets and the fees can vary from ten dollars to 25 dollars a night per pet. Not Drury Inn. (druryhotels.com)

So, in conclusion, clean fresh spacious rooms, free parking, work out facilities, great hot breakfast, and always pet friendly make for great traveling with Drury Inn! Book ahead on line and receive a discount, then prepare yourself for a nice stay.