Wolf & I Co. Blog | Adventures Of The Wolf Pack

How many countries have you ticked off your bucket list? When we heard that Bear the Chocolate Labrador had already ticked off five we were pretty impressed but you might be wondering how on earth it's possible?

Thats right, Bear the legendary Labrador has been cruising the globe with his awesome parents since 2021, living the proverbial good life and has never looked back. Not unlike his parents the urge to explore and discover new grounds and uncover new experiences, albeit smell by smell, has led to an extraordinary life only the happiest of pups could ever imagine.

So let's introduce you to Lloyd and Mandy. They are an amazing Aussie & Canadian couple that quit their jobs, sold everything they had and left Australia to become full time digital nomads but not without their beautiful dog Bear who was able to join them for the adventure of a lifetime!

If you're thinking of moving overseas with your dog and embarking on that epic new adventure, read what Lloyd & Mandy had to say about their experience thus far.

How did you go from living in Australia to travelling and working a digital nomad lifestyle?

In 2019 we both were working for ourselves, Mandy was a Beauty Therapist, and Lloyd was a Landscape Gardener, we heard about Amazon e-commerce on a podcast and went down a rabbit hole.

We decided to move out of our house and sell our cars and belongings so that we could start our own e-comm business, we lived in a caravan for six months and then moved into Lloyd's sisters house when our first business grew and we needed storage. After the bushfires and Covid in 2020, long story short we ended up selling our business and from there we continued building e-comm businesses.

We decided to try to move to Bali at the end of 2021 as we were predominantly making our living online, and our YouTube channel was supposed to be a way to share our experience with others, however, our channel ended becoming our main business and now is our primary focus.

A day in the life of digital nomads that travel with a dog!

When did you decide to get a dog, how did that come about?

We decided in 2018 when we were living on the Gold Coast, funny story, Lloyd is a huge NBA basketball fan and he placed a bet on the Golden State Warriors to win the championship, the condition was that if he won the bet, Mandy could buy a puppy. So we watched the whole playoffs cheering for a new puppy which we got!

How hard did you think it would be to take Bear with you when you made the decision to move overseas?

Yes, we knew it was going to be tough, but luckily Lloyd's sister helped us out and looked after him while we got setup in Bali, however Bali turned into Mexico and North America as we decided Bali wasn't a good choice to bring a dog.

What did Bear have to undertake to be able to travel Internationally?

The biggest one is the Rabies vaccine, it's pretty much a non negotiable anywhere, we have not brought him anywhere that requires quarantine yet.

Has it been an easy process overall to fly a dog overseas?

Yes, we have used agencies twice for long haul flights, but we flew him on our own from LA to Mexico and from Mexico to Canada, while it's easy it does cause a lot of anxiety, it's hard to see your dog in a crate.

Bear the Chocolate Labrador swimming in a cenote in Mexico

Who have you flown Bear with and were there any standout services or ease of processes you could explain?

We used Petraveller for his flight from Sydney to LA, and they only fly with Qantas. We also used Alaskan Airlines and Westjet in North America. When we flew him from Canada to Thailand we used a company called Wearpetadventures, and he flew with Air Canada. While you don't need to use an agency it does make the process a lot easier and we would advise it if you are flying your dog a long way. The cost to fly him unattended from Australia to USA for example was around $7000. For a short trip he was flown as oversized baggage which is only a small fee of around $200 to $300.

How old is Bear?

He is 5 (almost 6).

What is his favourite activity?

Swimming, nothing else comes close, as soon as he sees a body of water it's game over.

Bear is always happiest when he is swimming, look at that face!

What is his favourite food/treat/snack?

Any kind of jerky.

How many countries has Bear been to?

Five so far, Australia, USA, Mexico, Canada and Thailand.

What has been his favourite country and why?

While he loved the nature and weather of Canada and North America, we were living in an RV so it made it difficult for him. We think he loves Thailand the most because we have a pool and live near the beach.

What are the most standout adventures Bear has been able to do with you guys overseas?

We took him to an island in Mexico called "Isla Mujeres" where we stayed in an Airbnb and drove around the island in a jeep, that was cool.

Travelling dog friendly Isla Mujeres, Mexico

As frequent travellers, How easy or not has it been to find accommodation in each country that allows dogs?

USA and Canada is the easiest to find, they are very pet friendly and it's quite normal to bring your dog places. We haven't tried in Thailand yet, we will probably leave him at home as he has a pet sitter here where he has lots of friends to play with, we don't want to force him to travel too much.

Did you find local dogs a problem in any country you have visited? E.g. street dogs or strays.

Yes, mostly in Mexico. But they are all bark and no bite.

How dog friendly are the countries Bear has been to compared to Australia?

We would say USA and Canada are more dog friendly than Australia, Australia has the strictest rules when it comes to dogs.

How does Bear seem to handle the jet lag, does he adjust quickly to his new routine?

He is usually tired for the first day just like us, but as soon as he goes for a swim he is fine.

What are your top tips for adjusting to a new country with a dog?

Be careful with them eating anything of the ground, he developed a parasite in Mexico and give them bottled water. Just let them ease into it.

Just a dog sitting by a campfire with a stick, two paws up!

Are you worried about Bears security or safety at all?

No, he is always with us and when he's travelling or being looked after it's always someone trustworthy.

If anyone was hesitant about flying internationally with their dog what would your advice be?

Just know that the dogs are well looked after, the people who handle the dogs are professional and the area that they fly in is well lit and temperature controlled, it's really the same as flying with you in the cabin. However, do not ever sedate your dog, it is too dangerous if they have an adverse reaction mid flight.

Now you’ve settled in Thailand, will you bring Bear on all your adventures or have a dog sitter?

We will have a dog sitter for the most part if we travel too far, but he will explore all of the surrounding areas with us for sure. 

Bear the Chocolate Labrador hitting the beach in Hua Hin, Thailand

Any big adventures planned in the future?

Not right now, but we never know, he will probably come back to North America with us at some stage if we got for an extended trip.

Is the digital nomad dog life for everyone?

While we are grateful to have brought our dog with us on our adventures, it's not a decision we've taken lightly, we always want what is best for Bear and try to minimise his travel as much as possible, however we can't imagine ever leaving Bear behind for good.

We decided that we didn't want to make having a dog an excuse to not live our life the way we wanted to and we're so happy we did, Bear has developed a big fan base and everyone always asks about him, he is a superstar and he doesn't even know it.

Want to follow Bear’s adventures? Check them out on YouTube and Instagram or Subscribe for more epic adventures sent direct to your inbox!