One Dog’s Travel Bucket List Adventure

Traveling to Maine in a car — Dog-friendly road trip

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post and also has affiliate links. However, I will always try to offer my readers great product selections. Your trust is very appreciated, and never taken for granted. ~Tonya, Dexter and Angel Nutter

LIVE life to the fullest each and every day. That’s one of the phrases I try to follow. As I’m sure some of you are already aware, Dexter The Dog is my heart dog. He’s the dog that continually inspires me to do better, enjoy life and put down the work, and connect with him and my surroundings.

He also has a neurological condition that I’m continually trying to manage at the same time as providing him a full and rich life. Dexter and I love to seek out new adventures and travel destinations. I’m pretty sure the reason Dexter and I both love to travel by car is to reconnect with each other. There’s no “work” for Mom and plenty of sniffing and investigating for Dexter.

Last year I decided to make traveling to new destinations with Dexter a top priority. He’s almost 10-years young and I didn’t want to wait until his final days to start our travel bucket list. 2019 was going to be the year!

My goal is to visit all of the contiguous United States with him by my side. We already have a nice dent in the Midwest, East and Southern states. But Maine has been on my wishlist of states to visit for many, many years, and now is the time!

Dexter and I always travel by car for a few reasons. One, he’s too big to fit under the seat in a plane and I’m not about to put him in cargo. And two, it’s a great way to experience new towns, communities, roadside attractions, and to hang out with my boy. But Ohio to Maine was going to be a long haul in my 11-year-old car.

Dog road trip ideas — From Ohio to Maine

Enterprise Rent-A-Car to the rescue! Enterprise has been inspiring and enabling travel experiences since 1957, and I’ve always had a great service when renting a car through them. I felt renting a car would be a better option than my older, yet well cared for car, especially since during my last big road trip my car wound up in a mechanic’s shop!

When booking my car, I knew I needed enough space for two people and two soft-sided dog crates, luggage, dog stroller, and a standard cooler. When I checked in for my car rental, I spoke with the friendly man behind the counter. He set me up with a Chevy Impala. I was blown away at how much space was inside that trunk! It would be perfect.

Luxury travel cars — Chevy Impala from Enterprise Rent-A-Car

Packing the Chevy Impala for our Maine trip was a breeze. Before placing the dog crates in the back seat, I placed sheets on the top and bottom of the seat to help keep them free of any flying fur or any rubs from the crates. Once we were all packed, we were ready to hit the road. Three a.m. was going to come very quickly.

Renting a car with a dog — Traveling with a dog in a rental car

I split our trip up into two days, and we stopped along the way to sightsee. Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and ending in Brattleboro, Vermont all in one day. Thank goodness the car provided a smooth and comfortable ride. I found myself stopping along the way to admire the scenery. There were so many mountains and streams along our route.

How to travel with a dog — Frequent potty breaks are important

Along the New York-Vermont border we found ourselves at the Big Moose Deli & Country Store in Hoosick Falls, New York. This was actually our second time stopping in at the deli because it’s quite the site to see. If quirky roadside attractions are your thing, this is a must-see.

Fun things to do with your dog — Big Moose Deli

Big Moose Deli & Country Store doesn’t just offer sandwiches and wraps. No. They are so much more. The country store offers a large variety of gifts, foods, candy, souvenirs, and syrups. But there’s more. A lot more. The outside of the store is decorated in hundreds of quirky sculptures, and fun cutouts for photo ops. You can find enormous moose, cow, monkey, bear, and even gnome sculptures around the building.

Best car for a road trip — Stops along the route

We continued our journey until we arrived at our stopping point, Brattleboro, Vermont. After checking into our hotel, we headed to a local dog-friendly restaurant, The New England House. The outside patio was fully covered and very inviting. The restaurant offers fresh local ingredients and a mouthwatering menu. The food and service were superb, and everyone enjoyed the dogs and even stopped at our table to say hello to them.

Driving with a dog across country — Milk & Sweet Tea 🙂

Dog-friendly Maine road trip — Chicken for Dex

Day two, we were Maine bound! After grabbing a light to-go breakfast, we were only about 3 hours from the Maine Visitor Information Center in Kittery, Maine. I have to admit, I was a bit giddy and bopping around in my seat.

Dog-friendly Maine activities — Maine Bucket List

I think the dogs knew we were excited because they, too, had a spring in their step. We walked the dogs around the visitor center, took some great photos with Smokey Bear and the Maine state sign. Inside, I grabbed some Maine maps and visitor information for the Greater Portland & Casco Bay area. Our dog-friendly Maine road trip was about to begin.

Stay tuned to hear all about our dog-friendly adventures in Portland, Cape Elizabeth, and Bethel, Maine.