Need A Camp Site For Your Cat? A Hotel Room For Your Hound? New AAA Petbook Adds 400+ Campgrounds To Nearly 13,000 Pet-Friendly Lodgings

Orlando, Fla. - 5/19/2005

The millions of Americans traveling with pets this summer will find more places to stay than ever before, as AAA adds 400 campgrounds and 800 more hotels to the latest edition of Traveling With Your Pet: The AAA PetBook. 

AAA's first-ever listing of pet-friendly campgrounds includes the top-rated properties in AAA's CampBook® guide series. The PetBook's 12,895 pet-friendly hotels in the U.S. and Canada represent a 7 percent increase from last year, showing the continued popularity of traveling with pets. In all, more than 40 percent of the lodgings rated by AAA accept pets.

"From luxury hotels to remote campgrounds, there's a place for pets just about everywhere a traveler might go," said Bill Wood, dog-loving director, Product Development & Sales for AAA Publishing. "My border collie is an important part of my family. Like all pet lovers, I'm glad the travel industry is making it easier for her to be a part of the vacation."

The book includes detailed information and tips on traveling with pets by car or by air. It includes addresses, phone numbers, fees, restrictions, and listings of amenities for pet-friendly hotels, motels and campgrounds.

In addition, the all new 7th edition of the book includes two winning entries from the AAA PetBook Photo Contest as cover photos. The two photos are of: a beagle named Mr. Henry perched on a rock in Acadia National Park and a Labrador retriever named Kutya walking on a boardwalk trail in a Canadian national park. The photos can be seen at www.aaa.com/news. The photo contest will resume this year, offering a $100 prize, five free copies of the book, and a year's supply of Milk-bone dog snacks to the winner(s).

If you are planning a summer vacation for the whole family, including the four-legged ones, AAA offers these tips for staying at a hotel with your pet.

• Inquire about pet policies before making a reservation. Some properties may have a size or weight limit for pets, or may designate certain rooms for travelers with pets. Expect to pay an additional fee or deposit which may be per room or per pet.
• Keep pets on a leash in public and only in designated, animal-approved areas of the hotel. Restaurants and pool areas are generally off limits for animals.
• Once in the room, check for hazards such as small hiding spaces and electrical cords. Give the pet time to adjust to the new surroundings under your supervision.
• If you must leave your pet alone, crate or otherwise confine your pet. This may keep your pet and the housekeeper from having an unexpected encounter.
• Don't allow your pet on the furniture. If your pet insists on sleeping on the bed, bring a bedspread or sheet from home and place that on top of the hotel bedding.
• Clean up after your pet immediately, inside and outside the room, and leave no trace of your pet behind when checking out.

Traveling With Your Pet: the AAA PetBook includes additional information and suggestions on preparing your pet for travel, how to pack for your pet and selecting a carrier or crate. It also offers special advice on traveling by car or air, what to do in an emergency and travel between Canada and the United States.

Traveling With Your Pet: the AAA PetBook is available at AAA club offices, online at www.aaa.com/barnesandnoble and at better bookstores. The cover price is $17.95 US/$25.95 CDN.

As North America's largest motoring and leisure travel organization, AAA provides its 48 million members with travel, insurance, financial and automotive-related services. Since its founding in 1902, the not-for-profit, fully tax-paying AAA has been a leader and advocate for the safety and security of all travelers. Even furry ones.

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