Coco's Journey
Coco Goes to Italy is a thoughtfully curated travel journal documenting what it truly takes to travel internationally with a small dog from careful preparation and training to daily life abroad and slow exploration one sniff at a time.
Centered around Coco, a gold and white Shih Tzu, the site shares real-world planning, routines, and decision-making designed to help pet parents navigate everything from short trips to extended stays with clarity, calm, and confidence.
This journey unfolds through the eyes, nose, and paws of Coco, offering an honest look at how dogs experience travel and how thoughtful preparation can create comfort, safety, and emotional ease in unfamiliar places.
Rather than focusing on highlights alone, the site emphasizes planning, routine, and lived experience from international health requirements and airline travel to daily life abroad and slow, intentional exploration.
This is not influencer travel.
It’s practical, calm, and intentional designed for people who want to travel well, travel responsibly, and bring their dog along thoughtfully.
So, Welcome
If you’re here because you’re planning something similar — welcome.
If you’re here because you’re curious — welcome.
If you’re here because you love dogs — you’re in the right place.
This is Coco’s journey.
I’m just the human making it possible.
Felicia
Coco is a beautiful gold and white Shih Tzu with a calm temperament and an easygoing nature. She loves to cuddle, never turns down a good belly rub, and has genuinely never met a person or another dog, she didn’t like. Friendly and affectionate by default, Coco moves through the world with quiet confidence and curiosity.
Her absolute favorite treat? Cheese.
No question. No competition.
Everything shared here reflects:
• Coco’s size, breed, and individual needs
• Breed-specific considerations
• Climate awareness
• Airline and country regulations
Coco is not an accessory, she’s my travel companion.
Coco Goes to Italy began as preparation for an extended stay abroad but quickly became a deeper exploration of what it truly means to travel thoughtfully with a dog.
As I prepared Coco for international travel, I realized how little real-life, experience-based guidance existed especially around emotional safety, routine, and slow, intentional exploration.
This space was created to document that journey through Coco’s eyes, nose, and paws and to share what we learn along the way, so other pet parents can feel informed, confident, and prepared.
Coco Goes to Italy isn’t about perfect travel. It’s about intentional travel.
Here, you’ll find honest insight into:
- What works and what doesn’t
• How far in advance things truly need to be done
• The paperwork, rules, and logistics people often miss
• Decisions guided by Coco’s comfort, safety, and well-being
Every post is grounded in:
- Real preparation
• Verified requirements
• Lived experience
• Careful planning and no shortcuts
If something changes, I update it.
If something is unclear, I research it.
Because thoughtful travel is built on clarity, patience, and trust.
This site is for:
• Pet parents considering international travel
• Travelers who value clarity over guesswork
• People who prefer preparation over panic
• Anyone wondering, “Can this really be done responsibly?”
Whether you’re traveling for a few weeks, a few months, or simply exploring what thoughtful travel with a dog can look like, I believe pets deserve the same level of planning, care, and respect as any traveler.
Coco represents what many small dog owners are looking for a way to travel well while keeping their dog safe, comfortable, and fully included.
Her size, temperament, and love of routine make her a realistic and relatable guide. Through her experiences, this site emphasizes process and preparation, not performance, showing what thoughtful travel truly looks like for a dog.
At the heart of it all, Coco is still a dog who wants to feel safe, stay close to her person, and enjoy a good walk or a small piece of cheese when appropriate.
Coco Goes to Italy is about honoring that reality while embracing adventure one thoughtful decision at a time.
As our journey continues, this space will include:
- Preparation timelines and documentation
• Airline and airport experiences
• Daily routines and emotional safety abroad
• Local rules, transportation, and life on the ground
• Honest reflections not curated perfection
Some posts are practical.
Some are reflective.
All are real.
Hi, I’m Felicia G. Harris, Coco’s human, travel planner, and the voice behind Coco Goes to Italy.
This site was created to document the real-life planning, preparation, and decision-making involved in traveling internationally with a small dog not in theory, but in practice.
As Coco and I prepared for an extended stay abroad, I realized there wasn’t a single place that clearly explained what it actually takes to do this responsibly, legally, and thoughtfully especially for first-time international pet travelers.
So, I decided to document our journey, step by step, with Coco as the guide one sniff at a time.
Click the photo below to follow along as we prepare for, and settle into, life in Italy.
Follow Coco's Journey
Slow travel, thoughtful preparation, and real-life international experiences explored through the eyes, nose, and paws of Coco. We share occasional reflections, lessons, and guidance quietly and intentionally.