As someone who leads global operations at Holafly, my day-to-day focus revolves around removing friction for people who live and work across borders. But as a dog owner who loves to travel, I know firsthand that operational complexity isn’t just about network coverage or customs paperwork. The moment you decide to take a long-stay trip with a pet, every logistical detail suddenly carries an emotional weight. Choosing a destination is no longer just a matter of finding fast Wi-Fi, good weather, or an affordable apartment; it becomes a delicate balancing act between career mobility and ensuring your animal’s safety and well-being.
For us, pets are family. That is why we conducted this study, to address the real challenges we face as digital nomads traveling with our pets, and to see how our animals’ well-being shapes where we choose to live and work. Our recent research in the Holafly Plans Pet-Friendly Nomad Index into the realities of extended travel confirms that my personal experience is shared by millions of remote workers. Pet-related logistics are actively suppressing travel plans, accelerating burnout, and forcing a complete re-evaluation of global nomad hubs. The data reveals a massive latent demand for pet-inclusive travel, with 78.3% of pet owners stating they would readily take their animals abroad if they felt the journey was safe and manageable. When long-stay travellers do decide to move, pet infrastructure becomes their primary decision filter: an overwhelming 91.3% of respondents consider pet-friendliness a moderate or major factor when picking a destination. If a city lacks clear entry rules, inclusive housing, or accessible care, it gets crossed off the map before a flight is ever booked.
The mental health toll of “pet guilt”
From an operations perspective, friction usually means delays or extra costs. But when it comes to travelling with animals, logistical friction translates directly into psychological stress. Leaving a pet behind with sitters or trying to navigate an unfamiliar healthcare system in a foreign language creates a persistent background anxiety that directly undermines the freedom remote work is supposed to offer.
Our findings show a direct connection between pet travel anxiety, cancelled journeys, and severe emotional strain on the road:
- Nearly 60% (59.9%) of pet-conscious travellers have canceled, postponed, or completely abandoned a trip in the past 12 months specifically due to concerns regarding their pet’s well-being and safety.
- Travellers who altered their plans out of pet anxiety were twice as likely to feel isolated while on the road compared to those who didn’t face these restrictions (58.8% vs. 29.2%).
- The same group was 1.7 times more likely to experience professional and personal burnout while living abroad (54.6% vs. 32.3%).
Pets provide essential emotional grounding, daily structure, and companionship when you are thousands of miles away from home. When travel forces people to choose between their career and their support system, the emotional toll quickly outweighs the lifestyle benefits of living in a new country.
Operational barriers and generational expectations
This shift is also exposing a major gap between what modern travellers need and how traditional travel infrastructure operates. Younger generations treat pet-friendliness as a non-negotiable living requirement rather than an optional luxury. In our dataset, Gen Z travellers were 10 times more likely than Boomers to consider pet infrastructure a decisive factor in their destination choices. As Gen Z and Millennial professionals become the dominant share of the mobile workforce, destinations and service providers that fail to adapt will simply be left behind.
Living abroad with an animal introduces daily operational hurdles that extend far beyond initial airport arrivals. Establishing a predictable routine in a new country relies heavily on local systems that are often fragmented:
- While 61.1% of travellers manage to find reliable veterinary care abroad without major issues, nearly 1 in 5 (18.5%) actively struggle to find trusted medical support, creating immense anxiety during emergencies.
- Public transit bans, restricted green spaces, and rigid rental markets frequently force pet owners into expensive private transport or isolated living arrangements far outside city centers.
At Holafly, our core mission has always been to give travellers peace of mind so they can focus on experiencing the world. But as global mobility evolves, achieving true peace of mind requires looking beyond connectivity alone. It means identifying these hidden friction points, whether in healthcare, logistics, or local infrastructure, and building solutions that allow people to explore the world without leaving a piece of their home behind.
