We booked a $100K private jet to fly our dogs around the world

January 31, 2023

It was an un-fur-gettable journey.

Three dogs from Texas got to fly in style as their humans embarked on a $100,000 trip around the world in a private jet.

Melanie, 26, and Albert Demi, 27, had long dreamed of traveling with their three dogs — a 15-year-old golden retriever, a 6-year-old dachshund mix and a 2-year-old Great Dane.

Speaking to South West News Service, Melanie said the idea of taking the dogs across the pond came to the couple in May 2020, at which point they began aggressively saving.

They said that before leaving on the jet plane, they had saved up $45,000 in nearly two years by selling all their possessions — including their car.

“Getting the dogs from the US to Europe took so much planning, but we couldn’t leave them at home — we want to see the world with them,” said Melanie. “We saved around $45,000 over two years and sold everything we had to be able to afford it.”

The couple said that before the trip they had saved up $45,000 for nearly two years by selling all their possessions -- including the couple's car. — Melanie and Albert Demi took two years to save up $45,000 by selling all of their possessions.

The couple would come to learn — the hard way — the unique nuances of traveling with pets.

After driving from Texas to New York, the Demis were told that their Great Dane was far too big to travel in the cargo hold of a boat and that the only pet-friendly cruise line did not accept that breed.

Forced to look at alternative means of travel, the duo attempted to book a private flight to Portugal or England but were unable to fly on the provided dates.

Dog on a jet — “Taking my traveling zoo on a world tour has been fun,” Melanie Demi told South West News Service.

Thankfully, they didn’t have to ruff it alone. Melanie explained that they were eventually able to find 10 other people on social media — all traveling with their pets — to split the cost of a private flight.

“We planned our own charter trip and managed to find 10 other people heading to Europe with their dogs,” explained Melanie. “It took three months of planning and cost $11,000 per person and over $100,000 for the whole flight.”

Melanie equated the stress of the trip to that of a full-time job. “I knew how much work was going to go into finding people who wanted to do the same thing … I’m a very busy person with essentially two full-time jobs,” she said. “In order to book the flight, we had to ask people to send the money over, and that’s a lot of money to ask someone to send when you’ve only spoken over Facebook.”

Thankfully, the plans managed to take off and the group managed to land in France with their pups in tow. — Thankfully, the plans took flight and the group managed to land in France with their pups in tow.

"Sitting at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and seeing them roll on the grass, or at the Christmas markets where they got a lot of pets, or running on the beach in Edinburgh, it's all just incredible," said Demi. — “Sitting at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and seeing them roll on the grass, or at the Christmas markets where they got a lot of pets, or running on the beach in Edinburgh, it’s all just incredible,” said Demi.

The group managed to land in France with their pups in tow. “Sitting at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and seeing them roll on the grass, or at the Christmas markets where they got a lot of pets, or running on the beach in Edinburgh, it’s all just incredible,” Melanie recalled.

The Demis have said that they wouldn’t be able to do this if they weren’t able to work remotely.

The couple said that they usually work from late afternoon until late in the evening, so they are able to spend the mornings exploring with their dogs.

“Being able to travel in general is something I’m very grateful for, but doing it with the dogs makes me feel very lucky,” said Melanie.

"Being able to travel in general is something I'm very grateful for but doing it with the dogs makes me feel very lucky," said Demi. — “Being able to travel in general is something I’m very grateful for, but doing it with the dogs makes me feel very lucky,” said Demi.

According to Melanie, several people have asked her why she and her husband don’t just leave their dogs at home.

“I think it’s important for them to see more than their backyard or couch,” she said.

“I think it’s amazing for people to see the world with their dogs by their side. Taking my traveling zoo on a world tour has been fun,” Melanie continued. “We’re making it work with a Great Dane — it doesn’t have to just be little dogs.”

Demi said that traveling with three dogs and luggage has been very difficult, so she came up with a way to donate clothes that the couple doesn’t need.

“Moving from place to place with the dogs has made me realize we have too much stuff to get on a train, for example,” explained Demi. “We’ve been trying to donate clothes as we go — I gave a full suitcase to a friend.”

As of now, the family has been to six countries: France, Germany, Austria, the Czech Republic, England and is currently exploring Scotland. The plan is to go to the French Riviera and then Italian wine country.