When you work in the travel industry or have a job that requires you to be on the road all the time, it can be tricky to figure out what is best for your pet(s). Confirming all of your flight and hotel arrangements can be a daunting task in and of itself, but once you add a pet to the mix, it can easily get overwhelming.

This is something I will now experience because, as of this past weekend, I am an official dog dad. After years of talking about it, my girlfriend and I decided to finally pull the trigger and get an 8-week-old golden retriever named Archie.

We, of course, thought about what to do with him once we go on inevitable trips or vacations and made the easy decision to leave him with a trusted dog sitter. However, for those who choose to travel with pets, you will find a little bit of research goes a long way in making sure all necessary accommodations are met. For example, many U.S. airlines allow pets on board, but some are more pet-friendly than others. The same can be said for hotels, which is why we bestow awards to the best companies for pet-friendly travel.

Our Leisure Lifestyle Awards mark the best in leisure travel every May, and this year the award for Best Pet-Friendly Airline went to Delta Air Lines. As for hotels, Fairmount Hotels won in our Wherever Awards for Best Family-Friendly Pet Hotel.

We don’t have any immediate plans to bring Archie on a trip, but it’s nice to have suggestions on where we may be able to go if we decide to take him somewhere. For those experienced in this category, how do you go about traveling with pets? I welcome any tips or pointers as well!

— Chris Sager, account executive