A dog with their head out of the car window (Photo by Emerson Peters on Unsplash)
One In Four Admit They Can’t Enjoy A Trip When Their Pet Is Left At Home
In A Nutshell
- Fifty-one percent of pet owners say traveling with a pet is better than traveling with a human, and 45% have turned down travel that could not accommodate their animal.
- Guilt and worry drive the pattern: 47% feel guilty leaving a pet behind, 47% worry about the pet’s wellbeing the whole time, and seven in ten say it shortens how long they will be away.
- Younger owners lead the trend, with 75% of Gen Z and 70% of millennials having taken a pet on a road trip in the past five years, compared with 40% of baby boomers.
Every road trip involves picking a passenger. For a growing share of American pet owners, that seat is spoken for, and it is not going to the spouse, the best friend, or the sibling who splits gas money.
Fifty-one percent of pet owners agree that traveling with a pet is better than traveling with a human, according to new survey research. No sulking over the playlist, no debate about lunch, no opinions about the route. A dog in the back seat asks for a window and a walk, and that appears to be enough to win the comparison outright.
Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of Subaru, the survey polled 2,000 pet-owning adults who drive, and the preference for animal company runs past the headline number. Nearly half, 45%, said they have turned down travel opportunities that could not accommodate their pet. Seventy-three percent said they are more likely to take a road trip instead of flying specifically so they can bring their four-legged family member.
Why pet owners choose the dog over the plus-one
Peace of mind topped the list of reasons to bring a pet along rather than board one. Fifty-one percent cited simply feeling better knowing their pet is with them rather than at home. Beyond reassurance, 43% pointed to the pleasure of watching their pets experience new places, and 39% named quality bonding time.
Asked to recall a favorite road trip with their pets, respondents described everything from long coastal drives to short hops close to home. One recalled, “Driving down the Pacific Coast Highway with my dog, windows down, stopping at every little beach to let him run in the sand. Best trip ever.” Another shared, “My favorite car trip memory with my pets was a road trip to a nearby lake. My dog enjoyed sticking his head out the window for fresh air and my cat was very relaxed in her carrier. Seeing them both enjoy the journey made the trip truly unforgettable.”
Human travel companions rarely inspire that kind of recollection.
Guilt keeps pet owners closer to home
Preference has a flip side, and it is uncomfortable. Nearly half of respondents, 47%, said they feel guilty leaving their pet behind when they travel. An equal share, 47%, said they worry about their pet’s wellbeing the entire time they are gone. One in four, 27%, said they find it hard to fully enjoy a trip knowing their pet is at home without them.
That worry shows up on the calendar. Seven in ten pet owners said leaving a pet behind affects how long they are willing to be away. Thirty-one percent cap their trips at a day or two. Another 37% said they can manage a few days, but grow uneasy past that point. Distance from the couch, in other words, has a shelf life.
Christina Valente, Love Promise Community Commitment Manager at Subaru of America, Inc., framed the pattern in personal terms. “As a dog mom to two pups, I know firsthand that pets are family, so it’s no surprise people prioritize them when they hit the road,” she said. “Like 47% of surveyed pet owners, I worry about my dogs’ well-being when I’m traveling, and that’s exactly why we do what we do.”
Younger generations are driving the trend
Age splits the results sharply. Among millennials, 70% have brought a pet on a road trip in the last five years, and among Gen Z the figure climbs to 75%. Gen X trails at 58%, and baby boomers sit at 40%. Whether that gap reflects different attitudes toward animals or simply different life stages, the survey does not say, though the direction is hard to miss: the younger the owner, the more likely the pet has logged highway miles.
Planning habits back that up. When a long weekend is on the horizon, 45% said they start planning their pet-friendly trip at least three weeks in advance, a lead time closer to booking a wedding block than grabbing a duffel bag on a Friday.
Not every part of the arrangement is easy. Finding pet-friendly hotels or accommodations topped the list of challenges at 41%, followed by planning stops around pets’ needs at 36% and managing pet anxiety or restlessness in the car at 28%. Anyone who has tried to book a room after 9 p.m. with a 70-pound dog in the back seat knows how quickly a map of available options shrinks.
Pet owners will drive four hours and then some
Mileage is apparently negotiable in only one direction. Twenty-two percent of pet owners said they would drive as far as needed, treating distance as no barrier at all if it meant their pet could come along. Nearly half, 45%, said they would drive more than four hours to keep their pet riding shotgun.
Vehicle setup matters at those distances, according to Trevor Maki, National Product Training Manager at Subaru. “A pet-friendly road trip starts before you leave the driveway, making sure that your vehicle is as safe and prepared as possible to accommodate companions,” he said. “The vehicle features that matter most – plenty of room, good visibility, easy-to-clean seats, and cargo space – all contribute to a positive road trip experience. Think about how you’re using the space to stay comfortable and safe, so everyone, including your pet, can enjoy the ride.”
A caveat belongs alongside those figures. Subaru, an automaker with an obvious stake in road travel, commissioned the research, and the survey measured what people say about their habits rather than independently tracking what they actually do.
Even so, the direction is consistent. When half of surveyed pet owners rank an animal above a human as a travel companion, and nearly half say they have scrapped a trip the animal could not join, the pet has stopped being luggage and started acting like a decision-maker. Hotels and airlines that still treat a dog as an inconvenience are, at minimum, telling those owners to drive.
Disclaimer: Findings come from a self-reported online opinion survey, not a controlled study. Survey data captures what respondents say about their attitudes and habits at one point in time and cannot establish cause and effect. Results reflect a panel of 2,000 pet-owning adult drivers with internet access and may not represent all American pet owners. The research was commissioned and funded by Subaru, a company with a commercial interest in road travel, and two quoted spokespeople are Subaru employees.
Survey Notes
Methodology
Talker Research surveyed 2,000 adults 18 and older who drive and own pets (cats or dogs) and who have access to the internet. Subaru commissioned the survey, and Talker Research administered and conducted it online between July 13 and July 17, 2026. Complete methodology is available as part of AAPOR’s Transparency Initiative on the Talker Research Process and Methodology page.
Funding and Disclosures
Subaru commissioned and funded the research. Two of the quoted spokespeople, Christina Valente, Love Promise Community Commitment Manager at Subaru of America, Inc., and Trevor Maki, National Product Training Manager at Subaru, are employees of the sponsoring company. Findings were distributed through Talker News, a Talker Inc. property.
