Should you take your dog on holiday or leave them at home? The answer depends on how your dog handles travel, what your holiday involves and the care options available while you’re away.
Taking your dog can work well when they’re comfortable travelling, your accommodation welcomes dogs and your planned activities allow you to spend time together. But if your trip involves long driving days, dog-restricted activities or unfamiliar environments your dog struggles with, leaving them in suitable care may be the better choice.
You have three main options: take your dog with you, book a boarding kennel or arrange for someone to care for them at home. Each comes with different costs, responsibilities and practical considerations. The cheapest option won’t necessarily be the one that works best for your dog.
This guide compares dog boarding, in-home pet sitting and travelling with your dog in Australia. We’ll look at what each option can cost, the extra expenses people sometimes overlook and what to check before making a booking, so you can make a decision that suits both your dog and your holiday plans.
Is It Better to Take Your Dog on Holiday or Leave Them at Home?
Taking your dog on holiday can be a good choice if they enjoy travelling and the trip works around their needs. Boarding or in-home pet sitting may be more practical if your plans involve long periods apart, restricted activities or travel your dog finds difficult.
Here’s how the three options compare.
| Option | May work well when | What needs checking |
|---|---|---|
| Take your dog | Your dog handles travel well and the journey, accommodation and activities fit their needs. | Driving time, accommodation rules, dog-restricted activities and supervision. |
| Boarding | A suitable boarding facility can meet your dog’s care needs while you’re away. | Daily routine, supervision, facilities, care requirements and total fees. |
| In-home pet sitting | Your dog is more comfortable staying in familiar surroundings and suitable care is available. | Sitter experience, time spent with your dog, responsibilities, backup care and costs. |
If your dog prefers being close to you, that’s worth considering. But it doesn’t automatically mean every holiday will work for them. Think about the actual journey and daily arrangements, alongside the quality of care available if they stay behind.
How Much Does Dog Boarding Cost in Australia?
Dog boarding costs in Australia vary depending on the facility, your dog’s needs, the length of the stay and when you’re travelling.
According to Mad Paws’ Australian boarding cost guide, updated in June 2026, traditional boarding kennels generally cost around $40–$80 per night, while boutique or luxury facilities may charge $80–$120 or more.
These are indicative ranges rather than fixed national prices. For example, seven nights at $60 per night would cost $420 before any additional charges.
Individual providers may charge differently. For example, Rilten Kennels in Victoria publishes its boarding rates by dog size, with separate conditions for peak holiday periods. Checking actual provider rates gives you a better comparison than relying on a general estimate alone.
What Boarding Fees Usually Cover
Boarding facilities generally provide somewhere for your dog to sleep, daily care and supervision, along with arrangements for feeding, cleaning and exercise. Exactly what’s included depends on the provider.
Some facilities include food and exercise sessions in their standard rate, while others may ask you to supply food or pay separately for additional activities.
Before booking, check where your dog will sleep, how much time they’ll spend with staff, how exercise is managed and whether they’ll interact with other dogs. Ask how the facility handles your dog’s usual routine and any individual care requirements.
Additional Boarding Costs to Check
The advertised nightly rate may not be your final bill. Depending on the facility, additional charges or booking conditions may include:
- Higher rates or minimum stays during school holidays and other peak periods.
- Medication administration or additional care requirements.
- Extra walks, individual play sessions, grooming or bathing.
- Late collection, additional boarding days or transport services.
- Deposits, cancellation conditions or different rates for multiple dogs.
Published policies can make a substantial difference. For example, Rilten Kennels lists minimum booking periods, deposits and cancellation conditions for certain holiday periods.
Ask for an itemised quote covering your full travel dates, including drop-off and collection times. A slightly higher nightly rate may offer better value if it includes services you’d otherwise pay for separately.
What About In-Home Pet Sitting?
In-home pet sitting is another option if you’d prefer your dog to stay in familiar surroundings. A sitter may stay overnight in your home or visit at agreed times to provide care.
Mad Paws also lists overnight in-home house sitting at approximately $60–$100 per night and drop-in visits at $25–$45 per visit. Actual prices vary by location, sitter, dates and the care required.
House-sitting arrangements can work differently. Some involve an exchange of accommodation for agreed pet and property care rather than a nightly sitting fee. You may still have platform costs, and you’ll need to confirm the sitter’s availability, experience and responsibilities.
Whether you’re considering boarding or in-home care, compare the arrangements your dog will actually experience. Ask about supervision, time alone, daily routines and backup care if something unexpected happens.
Before you decide: Get a full quote for boarding and any in-home care options you’re considering. That gives you a more reliable figure to compare with the additional cost of taking your dog on holiday.
What Does It Cost to Take Your Dog on Holiday?
The additional cost of taking your dog on holiday depends on where you stay, what you plan to do and whether bringing them changes your travel arrangements. Some trips involve little extra spending, while others require different accommodation, paid dog care or additional driving.
When comparing travelling with boarding, start with the expenses that would change if your dog came along. Your own meals, accommodation and ordinary travel costs may be much the same whichever option you choose.
Dog-Friendly Accommodation and Pet Fees
Some caravan parks and accommodation providers allow dogs without an additional charge. Others may apply a nightly pet fee, a one-off cleaning fee or different booking conditions for guests travelling with dogs.
The accommodation price itself can also change your comparison. If you need to choose a different property or room because your dog is coming, include the difference between that stay and the accommodation you would otherwise have booked.
Check whether your dog needs prior approval, which areas they’re allowed to access and whether they can be left unattended. A cheaper booking may not work if its conditions prevent you from following your planned itinerary.
If you’ve found somewhere to stay but aren’t sure about its dog policy, our free Dog-Friendly Stay Checker can help you identify which accommodation conditions need confirming before you book.
Daycare and Dog-Restricted Activities
Activities where dogs aren’t allowed can affect both the cost and the shape of your holiday. If you plan to visit a dog-restricted attraction or spend time somewhere your dog cannot accompany you, you’ll need to decide what happens to them during that time.
Depending on your plans, that might mean arranging suitable daycare, changing an activity or taking turns staying with your dog. Check care availability and requirements before relying on daycare, particularly when travelling through unfamiliar areas.
It is worth identifying these days before booking. Several paid care sessions can change the financial comparison, while adjusting your activities may remove the need for daycare altogether.
Extra Travel, Equipment and Everyday Expenses
Bringing your dog may affect your route. You might drive further to reach accommodation that accepts dogs, choose different stops or spend more time travelling between suitable places. Include any additional fuel or overnight costs caused by those changes.
You may also need equipment such as a suitable car restraint, bedding, water containers or other supplies. If you already own what your dog needs, there is no reason to count the purchase cost again.
Dog food, treats and other everyday supplies still belong in your overall holiday budget, but some of that spending would happen at home anyway. For a fair boarding-versus-travel comparison, focus on the costs that actually differ between the two arrangements.
If you want to estimate your full road trip expenses, the free Dog Holiday Budget Calculator can help you work through accommodation, fuel, daily spending and dog-related costs. It estimates your holiday budget rather than directly comparing travelling with boarding.
Dog Boarding vs Travelling: A Worked Cost Comparison
Let’s compare the cost of leaving your dog in boarding with taking them on the same seven-day holiday. The important thing is to count the expenses that change depending on which option you choose.
In this example, two adults are taking a seven-day road trip with six nights of accommodation. They have one dog and would take the same holiday whether their dog joined them or stayed in care.
Example: Seven Days Away With One Dog
We’ll assume boarding costs $60 per day, including seven days of care. If the dog travels, the owners book accommodation costing an extra $15 per night, arrange one day of daycare at an illustrative $70, and drive an additional 100 km to reach suitable accommodation.
| Additional expense | Boarding | Taking your dog |
|---|---|---|
| Boarding or daycare | $420 | $70 |
| Additional accommodation costs | $0 | $90 |
| Additional travel costs | $0 | $24 |
| New equipment | $0 | $0 |
| Total additional cost | $420 | $184 |
In this example, taking the dog costs $236 less than boarding. That difference applies only to the additional expenses shown above, not the total cost of the holiday.
About these figures: This is an illustrative comparison, not a price quote or a national average. It assumes $60 per day for boarding, $70 for one daycare day, $15 extra accommodation per night for six nights, and $24 in fuel for an additional 100 km. Both options assume the necessary equipment is already owned and no extra transport to boarding is required.
Why Your Result Could Be Different
The outcome changes if your dog needs several days of daycare, your accommodation charges higher pet fees or you need to buy travel equipment. Equally, boarding may cost less than this example, particularly if you have access to another suitable care arrangement.
The easiest way to compare your options is to request a complete boarding or pet-sitting quote, then list only the extra costs caused by taking your dog. Include additional accommodation charges, daycare, driving and any necessary purchases.
Once you’ve compared the totals, check whether both arrangements would actually work for your dog. A financial saving is useful, but it shouldn’t be the only reason for choosing how they’ll spend the holiday.
Which Option Will Work Better for Your Dog?
Once you’ve compared the costs, consider what each option would actually involve for your dog. A well-planned holiday, suitable boarding facility or reliable sitter could all work, depending on your dog’s needs and previous experiences.
Consider How Your Dog Handles Travel
Think about how your dog responds to car journeys, unfamiliar places and changes to their routine. A short drive to a familiar destination may be quite different from several long driving days and frequent accommodation changes.
If your dog has experienced motion sickness, distress during car travel or difficulty settling away from home, consider how demanding the proposed trip would be. Speak with your vet about health concerns and seek appropriate professional guidance if travel has been difficult.
If you’re considering travelling together, our guide to making road trips easier for your dog covers practical ways to plan driving days, stops and recovery time around your dog’s needs.
Consider How Your Dog Handles Care Away From You
Think about whether your dog knows the proposed carer or environment, how they’ve handled being away from you before and what their daily care would involve.
For boarding, ask about sleeping arrangements, supervision, exercise and interactions with other dogs. If you’re considering a sitter, confirm how much time they’ll spend with your dog, whether they’ll stay overnight and how they’ll manage their usual routine and any individual care requirements.
Familiar surroundings can be helpful, but the quality of care and the arrangements for time alone matter whichever option you choose.
Check What the Holiday Actually Involves
Consider the driving distances, accommodation conditions and activities you have planned. A property may welcome dogs but prohibit leaving them unattended, while some attractions won’t allow dogs to enter.
If your itinerary includes several dog-restricted activities, you’ll need suitable care or alternative plans. A slower holiday with more flexibility may be easier to organise around your dog than one with fixed schedules and limited options.
What to Check Before You Book Boarding or a Dog-Friendly Holiday
Before booking, use these five checks to compare your options and identify anything you still need to confirm.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. Should I Take My Dog on Holiday if They Get Car Sick?
It depends on how your dog experiences car travel and what the proposed journey involves. If your dog regularly becomes sick or distressed in the car, speak with your vet before planning a demanding trip. A shorter journey, different travel arrangements or suitable care at home may be worth considering.
Q2. Is It Cheaper to Board My Dog or Take Them on Holiday?
Either option could cost less, depending on your trip and care arrangements. Compare the full boarding or pet-sitting quote with the additional costs of bringing your dog, including accommodation pet fees, daycare, extra driving and any necessary equipment. Don’t count ordinary holiday expenses that would be the same either way.
Q3. Is a Pet Sitter Better Than a Boarding Kennel?
Neither is automatically better. In-home sitting may allow your dog to stay in familiar surroundings, while a suitable boarding kennel may provide an established care routine. Check the experience of the carer, supervision, time alone and how your dog’s individual needs will be managed before deciding.
Q4. What if My Holiday Includes Places Where Dogs Aren’t Allowed?
Check the access conditions for each place before booking. You may need to arrange suitable daycare, choose alternative activities or adjust your itinerary. Also confirm your accommodation’s unattended-dog rules, as some properties allow dogs to stay but don’t permit leaving them alone.
Conclusion
Taking your dog on holiday can work well when the journey, accommodation and activities fit their needs. Boarding or in-home pet sitting may be a better choice when suitable care is available and the proposed trip would be difficult for your dog.
Before deciding, compare the full costs and consider how your dog is likely to manage each arrangement. Sometimes a change to the itinerary, different accommodation or a trusted carer can make the decision easier.
If you’re leaning towards travelling together, our practical guide to travelling Australia with your dog covers drive days, accommodation, access rules and recovery time.
Not Sure What Needs Your Attention First?
Take the free Dog Travel Readiness Check to see what already looks workable, whether the main pressure is preparing your dog, planning the trip, or a bit of both, and what to check next.
