12 "No-Nos" for Traveling with Pets Overnight – These Habits Break Pet-Friendly Homestay Owners' Hearts

▲Lulu believes staying at pet-friendly homestays requires following rules; convenience shouldn’t mean carelessness. (Photo/Lulu & Sikuaiyu, excerpted from *Let’s Go: Spend a Night at a Pet-Friendly Homestay*)

Reporter Lin Yuling / Interview & Report

Traveling with furry kids is a laborious yet joyful experience, but the hardest part is often finding suitable accommodation.Taiwan currently has over a hundred "pet-friendly homestays," all meticulously managed to cater to pet parents' needs. Yet, many owners treat convenience as carelessness, ruining these spaces.Blogger Ye Jieru (Lulu), through her interviews, heard heartbreaking stories from homestay hosts and hopes these reminders will encourage more responsible pet owners, thereby improving pet-friendly environments.

▲Traveling with furry kids is tough but also fulfilling. (Photo/Lulu & Sikuaiyu)

Lulu loves traveling and has backpacked through New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Japan, and Southeast Asia. But since adopting her two furry kids, Bibi and Tiantian, even when entrusting them to friends, overseas trips have become increasingly agonizing. She started traveling around Taiwan with her husband and their "dog daughters," realizing there’s still much room for improvement in Taiwan’s pet-friendly infrastructure—largely due to outdated owner mindsets.Many homestays originally allowed pets but, due to a few rule-breakers, reluctantly reinstated "no pets" policies. This made her wonder, "What can I do for this environment?"

She interviewed 50 homestays, and over half were especially warm to pet guests because their owners had pets themselves. They’d immediately ask, "What are their names?" and swap pet-raising tips, leaving a deep impression. Many also vented about guests who ruined spaces, almost making them revoke pet policies. "But thinking of past polite guests, we just couldn’t bear it. We treat the few rule-breakers as exceptions and blacklist them."

▲If Taiwan is to have more "pet-friendly environments," owner mindsets matter. (Photo/Lulu)

Lulu compiled the following "12 No-Nos" that break pet-friendly homestay owners' hearts:

1. Letting pets on beds, leaving footprints, drool, and fur:Most homestays prohibit pets on beds, but behind closed doors, some owners sneak them up, leaving sheets covered in footprints, drool, and fur—extremely hard to clean. A single stray hair can instantly ruin the next guest’s impression.

2. Indoor accidents, urine stains on wooden floors:Most owners walk their pets outdoors and prepare pee pads indoors just in case. But some pets have accidents inside, and owners don’t clean up. Urine stains on wooden floors can ruin entire rooms.

3. Using homestay towels meant for guests on pets:Homestay towels are for guests, yet some owners use them to wipe their pets’ faces or bodies, leaving lingering odors and fur—impossible to clean. The towels are then ruined. Owners suggest bringing your own pet towels—it’s polite and more hygienic.

4. Leaving pets alone in rooms while owners go out:Though homestays allow pets, supervising them remains the owner’s duty. Some leave pets alone, causing them to bark anxiously in unfamiliar settings, disturbing other guests and worrying hosts about their safety.

5. Bathing pets in homestay bathtubs, clogging drains with fur:Homestays provide space, but that doesn’t mean anything goes. Some clueless owners treat rooms like their own homes, bathing pets in bathtubs, only to clog drains with fur—a nightmare for hosts.

6. Pets damaging furniture, owners checking out silently:Pets may damage facilities or furniture out of curiosity or mischief, which owners should compensate for. Yet some hide the damage and leave without a word, leaving hosts shocked and disheartened.

7. Grooming pets in rooms, shedding fur everywhere:Some breeds shed heavily. Grooming them indoors releases fur that clings to walls and ceilings due to static, forcing rooms to sit empty for days until the fur settles. Strong pet odors also require airing out. Hosts bear these losses silently. Owners should groom pets outdoors; heavy shedders might even wear clothes indoors to reduce shedding.

8. Asking homestays: "Why no pet supplies?"Lulu always brings her own pet gear, like bowls. Public items may raise hygiene concerns, and since hosts already offer spaces, she advises owners to bring their own supplies for safety and cleanliness.

9. Asking homestays: "Why should I pay cleaning fees?"Many pet-friendly homestays charge pet parents a partial cleaning fee because environments where pets have stayed often require double the cleaning time compared to those of regular guests. Considering factors like labor and costs, this fee helps sustain a pet-friendly environment—not out of an "entitled" mindset.

10. Not using a leash in shared spaces, leading to tragic incidents where other pets are harmed or killed:There have been cases where dogs, unleashed, attacked other guests’ pet rabbits, resulting in deaths. Many animals have also injured each other due to conflicts. While it’s heartbreaking, it’s best to keep your pet on a leash in shared homestay areas.

11. Letting your pet roam freely in the homestay restaurant:Even though the homestay is pet-friendly, you may encounter guests without pets—or those who dislike animals—in shared spaces. Leashing your pet is not just for safety but also a matter of mutual respect.

12. Not informing the homestay in advance that you’re bringing a pet, or not clarifying details:Although the homestay promotes itself as pet-friendly, pre-arrival communication is crucial. The host may need to make arrangements, such as assigning rooms to balance pet-owning and non-pet-owning guests. Some guests fail to mention they’re bringing a pet, causing unexpected issues, while others bring more pets than promised—all of which can be problematic.

▲ Seeing your pet’s happy face makes all the exhaustion of traveling with them worthwhile (Photo provided by Lulu and Sikuaiyu).

▲ Pet-friendly homestays display various "pet strollers." (Photo provided by Lulu)

The pets aren’t at fault—most of the time, it’s the owners who haven’t trained them well or let them run wild, damaging the space and eroding the homestay owner’s trust.Lulu later compiled her experiences interviewing pet-friendly homestays into a book, *Let’s Go: Spend a Night at a Homestay with Your Pet*, featuring 42 spaces she wholeheartedly recommends. The earlier pages cover travel tips and shared experiences—essential reading. She’s often thought, “Traveling with a dog is exhausting and troublesome!” But flipping through trip photos and seeing her pet’s joyful expressions always reminds her, “It’s all worth it.”

She knows some people will still break the rules even after the book is published; but“If even one more pet parent sees it, it’ll help the environment!”She also added, “I know spending time, money, and effort on this project—even publishing a book—won’t make me rich. But I believe it can improve Taiwan’s pet-friendly environment and shine a light on the homestay owners working hard to make it happen.”

*Lulu’s Fan Page:Travel Nourishment – Travelers & Pets

▲ Many pet-friendly homestays are run by people who own pets themselves, so they truly understand pet parents’ feelings. (Photo provided by Lulu)

▲ If more pet parents follow the rules, it’ll benefit the pet-friendly environment. (Photo provided by Lulu)

▲ Lulu compiled her invaluable dog-travel experiences and pet-friendly homestay recommendations into the book *Let’s Go: Spend a Night at a Homestay with Your Pet*. (Photo provided by Sikuaiyu Cultural Creatives)