You’re finally ready to travel overseas, a vacation that you’ve planned for months. But what about your family pet? Can your dog or cat make the trip with you? As with so many other questions, the answer is “it depends.”

According to the U.S. State Department, some countries will allow tourists to bring their family pets with them on vacation. Many others, though, forbid this. As the state department says, it’s best for travelers to check with the embassies of the country to which they are traveling before they pack up Fido and his chew toys for pet travel.

According to the state department, many countries have enacted strict health, wildlife and customs requirements that prohibit travelers from bringing live animals across their borders. The state department, at its Web site, provides a list of foreign embassies and consulates . If you want to avoid confusion as you arrive at your destination, make sure that your vacation spot won’t mind Fluffy tagging along with your family.

If you are traveling to a country that will not allow your family pets, you’ll have to make plans to board your animals. It’s best to handle this weeks before your trip. That’s why you should make that call to your travel destination’s embassy sooner rather than later.

Be sure to call your airline, too. Many airlines have their own restrictions on what kind of pets can travel. Some airlines will accept certain pets and breeds but not others.

Planning a trip overseas requires a significant amount of research, and this is especially true for pet owners who have to worry about pet air travel, too. Make sure to make arrangements for Fluffy or Fido long before you head to the airport.

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