There’s an abundance of advice available when it comes to taking your four-legged friend along with you on road-trips, but what if your friend has two legs and feathers? Not as much information, for sure. Admittedly, a large part of the reason for this is that traveling by car is stressful for most birds. However, if, after doing proper research, you find that hitting the road is your best or only option, here are a few tips that might help:

Small pet carrier or cage? Some people recommend transporting your bird via a small pet carrier. Others suggest a cage. I’ve tried it both ways, and honestly? It really depends on your bird’s temperament and what’s convenient for you. This may sound vague, but it’s true. Some birds find a dim, shaded pet carrier — lined with a small towel — cozy and comforting, as well as more stable. Others prefer a cage that’s more aerated and lets light in, as well as allows somewhere for them to perch.

If you decide to go with a cage, remember to remove dangling toys that might injure your bird (or risk tangling a foot in). Also, empty the water dish so that your pet doesn’t get splashed during the trip — getting soaked during car-rides is no fun! Also, check to see how the cage fits in your backseat. If it doesn’t fit snugly, you might have to strap it in for extra security.

Go on practice-runs. Before your road-trip, take your birds with you on short car-rides. Take this opportunity to see which is the best seat to place their cage, keeping in mind your blind spot and your ability to view your rear window clearly. Bring your birds to work, or to the local park, and reward them at their destination with treats, sights, and positivity. This helps them associate car-trips with good experiences and adventure, and eventually they will perk up with interest whenever you bring out the bungee cords.

Speaking of which. . . .

Bungee cords. These are incredibly helpful. Hook these around the bottom part of your bird’s cage to prevent rattling trays and shaky bars. They cost very little to get at your local hardware store, but you’ll find them to be one of the best investments in terms of travel. My birds feel so at ease that they’re able to remain on their perch without problems while we’re on the road.

(Related to that, you might also want to consider a Prevue Clean Life Cage for a less messy car and hotel room, as well as Comfy Perches, which are not only easily cleaned and adjustable to keep your birds’ interest, but are also secure enough for them to hold on to in a moving vehicle.)

Have a go-to bag. Whether it’s a short trip that only requires a small amount of bird food, or a major journey that requires you to pack up your worldly belongings, you don’t need to lug your entire supply of cuttlebone into every (pet-friendly) hotel room. Designate a single bag to contain birdie essentials, so that all you need to do at the end of each day is grab the cage, the go-to bag, and your own overnight bag before checking in.

Examples of items in the go-to bag (all in their own small plastic baggies): three-inch-long pre-cut millet, pellets, seed, cuttlebone, any necessary medicine. Also recommended: newspaper for lining, small towel, cage cover, water bottle or squirt bottle, tissue paper. Remember, it’s a go-to bag, so don’t over load it with extras.

Take plenty of breaks. Don’t set off on the road until after your birds have eaten their food and drunk their water. Allow plenty of time in your schedule to park and stretch your legs; this also gives them time to eat, drink, and sleep, which they won’t be able to do much of while traveling. Help keep their weight up with millet, and let them enjoy their surroundings — hey, they should have their share of the fun too!

I’ll add additional tips as they come along. If you’ve traveled with birds by car before and have some advice of your own, feel free to share. Happy travels!

With a major road trip coming up, I know I’m going to need plenty of liquids to keep me going. Something hot and toasty in the morning would especially do the trick. But considering my schedule — a four-day drive all the way across the country — it’s neither feasible for my time nor my wallet to have to stop at multiple coffee shops along the way. Not to mention I don’t even drink coffee, so it can be hit-or-miss finding a coffee shop that provides good tea!

Regular beverage cups only hold so much liquid, and I’ve found they don’t retain their heat that long either. I decided to invest in a thermos bottle, and what better one than the original Thermos? I got myself the Thermos Nissan stainless steel vacuum insulated bottle, and was delighted (and am still enamored) to find out that the raves and reviews are indeed true. Your favorite hot beverage, poured in during the morning, remains boiling hot even through the evening. Or, conversely, your ice-cold drinks remain crisp all along your hot summer journeys. Wonderful!

One might argue that a beverage cup allows you to sip while you’re behind the wheel, but really, when you’re on a road trip, you don’t want to break your budget on little things such as this. Having an effective, easy-to-clean bottle means I just have to fill it up once; I don’t have to spend money on overpriced drinks every few hours, especially when they go lukewarm quick as a snap. Plus, its being stainless steel means it’s environmentally friendly and safe to reuse without risk of leaching!

I would much rather take breaks on the road, unwinding with a hot cuppa before a lovely view, than duck into a rest-stop coffee shop all the time. And, well, who wouldn’t?

Tip: For regular water containers, chose reusable bottles that have “PE” marked in the bottom, such as The Planet Bottle. “PE” stands for “polythylene,” which is the safe non-leaching kind of plastic (certainly safer than Nalgene’s polycarbonate). Another way you can tell if it’s a PE bottle is if it’s slightly soft when you squeeze it. It should give in a little; polycarbonate bottles are rock hard.

Happy hydration!

Capilano Suspension Bridge

If you’re visiting Vancouver and the sheer sense of city life starts to wear you down after a while, flee up north for a soothing retreat. That is to say, enjoy a good deal of repose — and green — at the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

It’s not something you can indulge in every day, certainly — admission rates are at least CAD$25, depending on the season — but it’s definitely a must-see, and you should certainly enjoy it at least once while you’re in the area (and if you live within Greater Vancouver, well, you really have no excuse not to go a few more times).

To get there: Take the Seabus from Waterfront Station to get to North Vancouver, that grab the #236 bus to Grouse Mountain (check the Translink website for schedules).

A few tips:

View for the strong. The landscape steals your breath away as you gain a whole new respect for Mother Nature, but keep in mind that the Capilano Suspension Bridge isn’t for the tender-hearted. If you’re afraid of heights, this must-see is a strong mustn’t, and if you’re prone to motion sickness, be warned that the bridge does sway slightly with every step (the more people on it, the more it sways, so going in large groups will definitely not make it feel any better).

Ladies, leave your heels at home. Flats are the only kind of footwear you’d want to venture forth with here, and not just because of the obvious reason of crossing the bridge. If you want to venture down the Cliffhanger Boardwalk — and believe me, you won’t want to miss it — one end consists of a path made up entirely of loose stones, at a slightly steep angle. You’ll want to be able to plant your foot down sturdily.

Come out with the sun. Clear, sunny days are the best times to visit, not just because of the bright blue sky and crisp air adds to the view, but also because the bridges and platforms are slippery when wet. Certain paths and walkways may also be closed for safety reasons then, so make sure you don’t go on damp days if you want to make the most of your experience.

Indulging your inner Ewok

After crossing the main suspension bridge, you can engage your inner Ewok by going on the Treetops Adventure. One may feel that after crossing the suspension bridge the first time round, these mini-bridges don’t really feel that high off the ground. But there’s no denying the view as you make your way through. There are signs all over that provide fascinating tidbits about the forest, such as the various types of trees growing. or the fact that the platforms around the trees have to be adjusted every several years to accommodate the trees’ growth.

After walking high above the ground, through a canopy of trees that are many generations older than you, you’ll leave feeling refreshed and content, knowing that there’s not much a city can do to take you down after this. I know I did.

“Nope,” I replied, inserting a little wink, “I’ll take care of it.” The consequent relief on her end was unmistakable.

Traveling to a new destination is exciting and all, but the thought of having to actually plan what to do and when is enough to dissuade most people from forming an itinerary. “We’re just there to have fun,” they protest with an airy wave of the hand. “We don’t want to have schedules.“

True, it doesn’t do to have constricting deadlines — you don’t want to feel you’re on an organized tour bus, after all. However, having even a skeleton-frame outline will save you headache on your trip, be that headache a small twinge (endless back-and-forths on “so what do you want to do?” “I don’t know. What do you want to do?”) or a whopper (winding up on the other side of the city after the last train has left).

You don’t have to make a huge “divide and conquer” battle plan. One quick, easy way that I use to rough out my itinerary is to divide a small piece of paper into two columns: Must See on the left and Good to See on the right. The left column is for places and things that get you excited and you simply can’t miss out on (ergo the title, “Must See”). The right column is for things that sound interesting or places that strike your fancy, but not so high on the priority list.

When you’re reading guidebooks or websites on your intended destination, and happen to come across a description of a sight or location that sparks your interest, note it down in either of the two columns. Obviously, you leave out anything you don’t care about or ranks too low on your priority list.

How do you tell the difference between a Must See and a Good to See? A Must See gets you excited and telling people, “I can’t miss out on that!” A Good to See sets off the mental thought, “That’ll be good to see,” i.e., “Wouldn’t mind missing it if we don’t have time, but still, would be lovely to go.”

I’d mentioned before to list these on a small piece of paper. The reason is so that you can be quite discerning in your choices, and won’t be tempted to overburden your travel with excessive things-to-do.

Once you have your lists done, you can start grouping them by location. That way, it can be a simple walk to get from place to place, and your trips by bus, subway, or the metro are vastly reduced. The main focus of each group should be the Must See’s, so don’t have three Good to See’s to one Must See in any group. When I went to Paris, I arranged my places of interest according to arrondissement, and it was a great deal more relaxing and organized knowing that even if one of those places turned out not to be interesting at all, I can just stroll over to the next item on my list and the afternoon wouldn’t be a total bust.

Happy planning!