Leaving the Van

I get a lot of questions about what I do when I travel (fly) and where I leave the van. Flying is honestly a bit of a hassle with the van.

When planning air travel, I first book my flights (obviously), then work on finding a Rover to watch Marv. 

Rover is a dog boarding, dog sitting, and dog walking service that connects pet owners with people in their local area who are willing to watch them. Since Marv is a bit neurotic, I always check the filters ‘only one dog at a time’, ‘no children’, and people with ‘active’ lifestyles who will be happy to walk him often. I also try to find people who work remotely and/or are home more than they are away. 

Once I find someone that fits that description, I always read the reviews on their profile and look for people who have been ‘rebooked’ by previous people. Then I reach out with a message and ask if they are free to watch him! 

Then I will look into 24/7 monitored parking lots near the airport. Most cities have a lot of options to choose from and I look for ones that are well lit, have security and have shuttles to and from the airport throughout the day. You can usually book these lots ahead of time and reserve your parking space. 

Then when it comes time to fly, I typically add on an additional night with the Rover so I can drop Marv off and then run any last minute errands I need to run. I always make sure I am not leaving any perishable food in the van if I am traveling for an extended amount of time and then typically clean the van - remove any trash, tidy up, sweep the floors, etc. Nothing is worse than coming back to a messy van. Once I am at the lot, I ride the shuttle to the airport and then I am off. When I get back, I make plans to pick up Marv and we are off again. 

Some people ask if I get worried about leaving the van. The short answer is no. I can only control what I can control, which is finding a safe lot and hoping for the best.