I left the life template with one backpack and moved through more than a dozen countries. 

Once life settled, I brought my dog Mochi and my cat Luna to join me. 

Our first trip together ended at the check-in scale: the carrier was too heavy, and Mochi couldn’t fly. 

That day gave us two things: an airline rules checker, and carriers picked to fit those rules, so your trip starts a little easier than ours did.