Here's a wrap up of tips for traveling with pets.

the Dos of traveling with pets

DO research pet travel requirements for the country or countries you are visiting

A simple Google search will connect you with government sites that offer pet immigration information. Make sure you read through carefully. Some require vaccinations many months before travel; some require parasite testing 24 - 48 hours before your visit.

Ever since I was young, I’ve done a lot of traveling through the United States and Latin America. The places I’ve been include Puerto Rico, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and the east coast of the US. But one place that has really stuck with me and inspired me is Sanibel Sea School, in Sanibel, Florida. I started attending occasional classes while I was at my grandparents’ house there when I was five years old.

My husband and I were expecting a baby in October and we wanted to take a babymoon, a last “hurrah,” if you will, before we became a family of three. Like so many other people, my husband and I never even heard of a babymoon before! We learned that it’s a trip to reconnect with your spouse before the baby comes. It can be as fun or as romantic as the couple prefers and many couples go for the relaxation route—which was the same route I was hoping for in our trip.

I remember watching Billy Crystal in City Slickers and thinking ‘that must be what the west looks like’. Perhaps, I would feel much the same –an outsider in my own country and be that kid from the city (even though I lived 45 minutes outside, in the suburbs) in the great, surprising wide-open land. I’m proof that learning happens at any age. More often than not, there’s vital life learning that takes place outside of the traditional school doors. I was an ocean-loving island kid driving across the country that ended up in awe of Montana.

The painter and sculptor Dimitry Domani has an amazing story. Born in Romania, he grew up under the communist dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. In 1978, Dimitry and five friends walked 75 miles trying to escape his oppressive homeland. They walked at night, swam the Danube River, and walked 5 more miles into Yugoslavia, where they were captured by the Yugoslavian police. At this point, he became a political prisoner in another communist country.

Montevideo took my breath away. Even before we landed, I knew I would fall in love with Uruguay. A small country located at the bottom of Argentina, Uruguay is cornered by the breathtaking Cordillera mountain range on the west and the Atlantic Ocean on the right. Flying over the Cordillera was simultaneously exhilarating and petrifying. Luckily, I got a window seat and got a great view of the curvy mountains frosted with a touch of snow. We HAD to keep our seat belts buckled when flying over the mountains because of turbulence.