Moving Atlanta to Lakeside with a plan and open for suggestions.

The wife and I have decided to move to Lakeside. I played pro basketball in Guadalajara back in 1972-73 and loved my time there. The owner of the team used to vacation Lakeside and tell me how nice it was. So when the time came to retire I googled it and was blown away. Wish I had bought property in 1972. Brought the wife down for ten day last October and she loved it. She has a friend that moved there a year go and is happy. As soon as we have a contract or are close to selling our house here I will go down to Lakeside and find us a rental for the first year. Hopefully I will have several lined up to look at before arriving.

Since we have three cats and two small dogs we worried about how to get everyone there safe and sound with the least problems. We decided to rent an RV, load up the crew and head out. We won't have to worry about motels or taking animals on planes. Our animals get along great and we even have leashes for the cats. After much research we found that it is not possible to rent an RV in Atlanta to go into Mexico, but American Dream Vacations near San Antonio has been doing it for years.

So the plan is: rent RV in Atlanta, drive to San Antonio (est. 3-4 days). Spend a day in San Antonio changing out vehicles and then head Lakeside (est. 2-3 days). I will help the wife get settled and then return RV to San Antonio and fly back. The company we rented from in Atlanta will have someone drive their vehicles back to Atlanta.

It will not be inexpensive, but it is a once in a lifetime move (hopefully) and safety and comfort are foremost. The route from Atlanta to San Antonio has plenty of places to stay in the RV. As we get closer I will be asking for any suggestions on the best route from SA to Lakeside in our situation.

So that is the plan, and as with all plans, it is subject to change after the first mile. I also invite anyone with experience doing something similar for any insight/advice they may have, as well s anyone else who cares to comment.

I love it! We came down with three cats and my only advice is to drug them from day one. The only one who didn't complain (and thus receive a tranquilizer) was the one who was traumatized by the trip. He's fine now but he would have been happier if he had been drugged.

elevator wrote:The wife and I have decided to move to Lakeside. I played pro basketball in Guadalajara back in 1972-73 and loved my time there. The owner of the team used to vacation Lakeside and tell me how nice it was. So when the time came to retire I googled it and was blown away. Wish I had bought property in 1972. Brought the wife down for ten day last October and she loved it. She has a friend that moved there a year go and is happy. As soon as we have a contract or are close to selling our house here I will go down to Lakeside and find us a rental for the first year. Hopefully I will have several lined up to look at before arriving.

Since we have three cats and two small dogs we worried about how to get everyone there safe and sound with the least problems. We decided to rent an RV, load up the crew and head out. We won't have to worry about motels or taking animals on planes. Our animals get along great and we even have leashes for the cats. After much research we found that it is not possible to rent an RV in Atlanta to go into Mexico, but American Dream Vacations near San Antonio has been doing it for years.

So the plan is: rent RV in Atlanta, drive to San Antonio (est. 3-4 days). Spend a day in San Antonio changing out vehicles and then head Lakeside (est. 2-3 days). I will help the wife get settled and then return RV to San Antonio and fly back. The company we rented from in Atlanta will have someone drive their vehicles back to Atlanta.

It will not be inexpensive, but it is a once in a lifetime move (hopefully) and safety and comfort are foremost.  The route from Atlanta to San Antonio has plenty of places to stay in the RV. As we get closer I will be asking for any suggestions on the best route from SA to Lakeside in our situation.

So that is the plan, and as with all plans, it is subject to change after the first mile. I also invite anyone with experience doing something similar for any insight/advice they may have, as well s anyone else who cares to comment.

First, let me say that I am not speaking from experience, however, I have done quite a bit of reading on this forum as well as other places. My first concern would be the five animals. I think the number of pets may be a problem. I suggest you check this forum for that type of information first.

Luisa wrote:I love it!  We came down with three cats and my only advice is to drug them from day one.  The only one who didn't complain (and thus receive a tranquilizer) was the one who was traumatized by the trip.  He's fine now but he would have been happier if he had been drugged.

These animals may be perfectly happy in the RV. Insofar as giving animals drugs for travel, I did some research on that for our animals, and the advice from vets was to not do it. A friend of mine is quite knowledgeable in animal husbandry and expert in natural remedies and she recommended Dr. Bach's products as he offers something to help pets cope with stressful situations.

I believe the limit is two animals per person.
I drove down here with one cat and one dog.
As for drugging the cats: my vet recommended against it. However, he gave me three tranquilizers in case the cat freaked out. He said to start with one fourth of a tablet, no more than one whole tablet in a day.
First day, the cat yowled, pooped her carrier and sat in it. One-fourth tablet within two hours of leaving home. After being smuggled into a motel, the cat got one fourth more tablet and a bath in the sink. Then she allowed me to brush her and slept on the bed next to me all night.
No more tablets were necessary. She was not happy, but she was stoic. I guess she figured the worst had already happened to her.

Lady Otter Latté wrote:I believe the limit is two animals per person.
I drove down here with one cat and one dog.
As for drugging the cats: my vet recommended against it. However, he gave me three tranquilizers in case the cat freaked out. He said to start with one fourth of a tablet, no more than one whole tablet in a day.
First day, the cat yowled, pooped her carrier and sat in it. One-fourth tablet within two hours of leaving home. After being smuggled into a motel, the cat got one fourth more tablet and a bath in the sink. Then she allowed me to brush her and slept on the bed next to me all night.
No more tablets were necessary. She was not happy, but she was stoic. I guess she figured the worst had already happened to her.

Sounds traumatic. I am concerned as well for ours when we have to bring them in our car. They already complain loudly on just a brief ride.

We've talked to many folks who have brought pets in over the years and most have said that they do not enforce the two per person rule strictly most of the time, so we are hoping that is the case, especially if we have all the papers in order.

Our cats have never had a problem in the car, although this will be a much longer trip. One of them curls up in the crate with the dogs. With the size of the RV we are driving they can walk around freely if needed. Some drugs may be involved, even for the animals, but only if absolutely necessary.

Coming in by motor vehicle I would be surprised if they even pay attention to your animals. They should be fine in the RV without need of medicine assuming they are used to riding in a car.

If I'm not mistaken, you can have 2 pets per person, and after that you may have to pay a fee, but you can bring them in. Coming in via an RV lessens your chance of problem, but I'm quite certain you can bring all of them in.

Get a prescription for cat tranquilizers and dosage instructions for all three cats before you leave; you can decide whether to use the drugs on a day-by-day, cat-by-cat basis. But better to have them and not need them than the other way around. If you have an unusually nervous cat, you might even test a drug out in advance.

One of my two cats has PTSD and turned out to be immune to the Xanax my vet had prescribed (and or course none of the 'herbal remedies' or hormone sprays had any effect). He yowled nonstop for the first twenty-six solid hours of our trip (including right through the night in the motel) before we finally managed to make on-the-road arrangements for a stronger animal tranquilizer. It makes a good story now but it was a really miserable couple of days at the time ...

I would be astounded if anyone at the border paid the slightest attention to the number of pets you have.

Of course we'll take some sedatives just in case. But, I won't use them unless I have to because they make me sleepy. Our cats travel well and I believe they'll do fine. Just gotta be sure they are crated when we open the door so they can't bolt.

elevator wrote:We've talked to many folks who have brought pets in over the years and most have said that they do not enforce the two per person rule strictly most of the time, so we are hoping that is the case, especially if we have all the papers in order.

Our cats have never had a problem in the car, although this will be a much longer trip. One of them curls up in the crate with the dogs. With the size of the RV we are driving they can walk around freely if needed. Some drugs may be involved, even for the animals, but only if absolutely necessary.

Having crates available as a secure haven for your animals while traveling is a stress reliever all around!
Travel safely.

We brought 3 dogs and 4 cats and no one said a word about it. I recommend Feliway spray rather than giving them tranquilizers as it's safer. Spray the inside of their crates or bedding and let it sit for about an hour before you let the critters in. It kept all of mine calm on the drive from SoCal.

If you don't mind living in the 'burbs', Chapala Haciendas and Las Brisas have lots of quiet, safe homes for rent, many are pet tolerant. It would be interesting to you because many of them were built in the 1970's. I know of two houses that own over 6 dogs, and two who own more than 13 (!) dogs. It is quiet here (unless cattle or horses are on the loose - of course making the dogs bark) and lots of large, mature gardens. Contact a company called "Rental Locators".

Thanks for all the interesting posts. We will not be in a hurry and a day or so extra won't matter. It was 95 and humid here today and 97 tomorrow.

I came down with a 15 year old cat with a tendency to get very car sick. I brought Bach Flower Rescue Remedy and gave her a few drops a couple of times a day for the first two days. She settled in after that and only complained when the dog sat in front of her carrier - "The dog is breathing all my air. His stinky dog breath is going to make me sick. I can't see out the window anymore..."

Rescue Remedy is safe and wonderful for taking the edge off. It can be given to cats, dogs, kids...

An RV sounds like a great idea - have a wonderful trip.