If you've ever cut a trip short because you missed your dog — or skipped the trip entirely because boarding felt like a small betrayal — this page is for you.

Here is what I've learned as a dog-friendly travel expert, and it's the distinction that matters more than any other: there is a world of difference between a hotel that tolerates dogs and a hotel that welcomes them. Tolerating looks like a steep fee, a room by the parking lot, and a list of rules delivered at check-in. Welcoming looks like your dog's name known at the front desk, a proper bed waiting in the room, a treat menu, a map of the best walking routes, and a staff that lights up when the leash comes through the door. Both hotels say "pet-friendly" on their websites. Only one of them means it — and knowing which is which is precisely what I do.

I plan trips where the whole family travels, four-legged members included. New England inns where dogs are practically the point. Coastal escapes with beaches that allow a morning run at the water's edge. Mountain lodges with trails from the front porch. City hotels — and there are wonderful ones — where a dog is a delight rather than a liability, with parks and patios mapped out. For the ambitious, even Europe is possible: some of the great hotels abroad are more dog-devoted than anything at home, and I can walk you honestly through what international pet travel requires before you commit to it.

The planning itself goes beyond the hotel. I think through the drive and where the good stops are. Pet fees and policies read in the fine print before they surprise you. Which rooms in the hotel are actually the right rooms with a dog. What to do on the day you want a museum or a long dinner — the vetted sitters and daycares near where you're staying. The restaurant patios that mean it when they say dogs welcome. A trip only works if it works for every member of the family, including the one who can't read the itinerary.

And of course, everything comes with my usual advisor care: hotels I'd choose for my own family, VIP perks through my partnerships at the same price as booking direct, and a human to text if anything wobbles on the road.

Your dog thinks you hung the moon. The least we can do is bring them along to see a few new ones.