I’ve lived with debilitating panic attacks since childhood, and they are often triggered by flying, which is far from ideal when your content creator job requires airline travel multiple times a month. Flying had gotten so stressful that I considered giving up travel writing entirely — until I found the ultimate travel companion: my service dog, Poppy. Poppy is trained to alert me moments before I notice a panic attack is coming on and then assist me during the terrifying time it lasts. She now travels with me everywhere and we’ve enjoyed dozens of trips together from Mexico to Europe.
Last month, she hit her 98th flight in three years on a trip to Costa Navarino, Greece, to experience the seafront, design-forward (and dog-friendly) W Costa Navarino luxury resort about three hours southwest of Athens. Packing for travel with a service dog takes a little extra planning, but after doing it so regularly for so long, it’s a routine I’d say I’ve become an expert at….