Day One: Melbourne, Florida to Mobile, Alabama
Starting out June 21, 2021, from Melbourne, Florida, we were confident for our first day of driving. We previously stayed in Mobile, Alabama, when we moved Cross Country with Three Dogs.
We had a lot of last-minute things to do, including loading things the movers wouldn't transport (plants, liquids from the garage, and our classic Karmann Ghia) and dropping off our Mini Cooper with a friend who agreed to ship it for us. We've always used UShip for transporting vehicles and have had good success.
We loaded Ginger, our 11 year old Jack Russell mix, and Ellie, our 85 pound Great Dane puppy mix along with beds, toys and food and set out for Mobile.
Because we got on the road later than we hoped, we had some scary moments driving after dark in a thunderstorm while towing a trailer.
We finally arrived at TownePlace Suites Mobile after what should have been an 8.5 hour drive, but in reality was more than 10.
We had really been looking forward to another meal at Briquettes Steakhouse but after the long, stressful drive, all we wanted to do was sleep.
At TownePlace Suites, we reserved the room for $110.00 and paid a $100 pet deposit. That doubled the room rate but having made a trip across the country before, we were expecting the up-charge. Ellie's first time in a hotel was an event. In the middle of night this giant puppy decided she wanted to sleep in the bed too and we woke up with her violently jumping all over us!
Before booking I highly recommend reviewing my original blog Cross Country with Three Dogs where I explain all the necessary steps to make reservations when traveling with pets. Winter brings its own worries of snow of and ice, but spring or summer driving in the south and mid-west bring thunderstorms, hurricanes and rain. It's best to have emergency supplies on hand just in case. I also cover what my kit included in the post above.
With good planning, a trip with your dogs can be memorable with little stress.
Check out my Day-to-Day posts where I describe each hotel and area:
**For Transparency, I do not receive any monetary benefits from Hotels or Restaurants. I am providing the links for your convenience. If you purchase an item through Amazon via one of the links provided I may receive compensation of less than $1 directly from Amazon.
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