Most caiques travel well as long as they have their roost box at night. When you travel, however, be sure that the bird's wings are clipped. It is difficult to retrieve a frightened bird that has flown away. If you clip, you can take your pet bird out for an occasional short pleasure drive. One of my birds truly enjoys riding in the car. Sometimes I take her along when I go to a fast food joint with a drive up window. I give her the freedom of the inside of the car, but take care to keep the windows up. Invariably the bird will end up on the dash, my shoulder, or the back of my seat. She enjoys watching the scenery as it whizzes by and chortles of delight. I have another pet, however, that seems to always get car sick and regurgitates if the ride takes too long. However, if the bird is put into a carrier from which it cannot see, it usually tolerates the trip.

For longer overnight trips, you have to pack a cage. This is one of the advantages of a small cage with a budgie sized roost box. Alternatively, there are collapsible cages especially manufactured for traveling. If you travel by car, take along the cage, making sure to dump out the water and replace it with plenty of fresh watery fruit. Also, if you leave any pet, including your bird, in a closed car during hot weather, it can have a heat stroke. If your trip requires a stop at a motel, be sure it allows pets in the room. Most do, but not all. If you travel by plane within the United States, check with the airline on what restrictions they impose on traveling with your bird. All airlines must comply with Federal regulations on the interstate transport of birds. Most allow you to carry it on board with you in the cabin. Some, such as Delta Airlines, do not. Next, you need to buy one of the gray travel cages that fit under the seat. These cost about $20. Most airlines request you obtain a recent certificate of health from a veterinarian, but they seldom ask for it when you hand-carry a pet bird onto a domestic flight. Prepare your bird for the flight by supplying it with plenty of seed or pellets, as well as plenty of fruit in place of water. When you reach the airport, go to the ticket counter and inform them you are traveling with a bird. Usually they charge an extra fee even though you carry it on the plane yourself. Thereafter, just treat the bird and carrier as a piece of under-the-seat luggage. Of course, during the flight you can pull it out from under the seat and play with your bird, but it is not a wise idea to remove it from its cage. You may not realize it, but there are a few people, such as my sister, who have an extreme fear of birds.

If you are planning a cruise, you can pretty much count on leaving your pet at home. The only cruise line that accepts pets is the Queen Elizabeth 2. It has an on board kennel for dogs, cats and birds. Unfortunately, this ship only accepts pets on its trans-Atlantic cruises and it charges a fee. The fee is the least of it, when you arrive in the United Kingdom, where the ship usually docks; there is a six-month quarantine. (Information from The NY Times, Sunday June 27, 1999.)

If you must travel without your bird, be sure to make arrangements for its care while you are away. I feel the best thing to do if your entire family has to go away for a short time is to have a trusted friend come in once or twice a day. You should give them instructions to add or replace seed or pellets, refresh the water, and replace the old fruit and with fresh. If your trip is only a day or two, you can prepare the food ahead of time. You should also provide a phone number and the location at which you can be reached if necessary. Also, be sure to leave the phone number of a local avian veterinarian and the local animal emergency clinic if the bird should acquire a health problem in the event you cannot be contacted. If you cannot make an arrangement for someone to come in, you may be able to arrange for a pet shop to sit your bird. Pet shops are normally reluctant to do this. Typically they only offer this service to their established customers. There is a good reason they are reluctant--they are concerned about introducing diseases into their shop. For the same reason, you should try to avoid leaving your bird at a shop. There are two organizations of professional pet sitters in the United States. They are the National Association of Professional Pet Sitters (NAPPS) and Pet Sitters International (PSI). Information on how to contact these organizations may be found in the front of this Manual.