The Jet Set Pets: A new website dedicated to traveling in style with your furry friends

Kelly's 10 years of traveling with Lucy, her longhair Chihuahua, coupled with more than 15 years as a travel and lifestyle writer make her the world's foremost authority on globetrotting with our fabulous furry friends. As a Contributing Editor at Elite Traveler, and having written on the subject for USA Today, Departures, and the Los Angeles Times, Kelly's expertise can help with any pet travel question. Her A-to-Z site encompasses pet entry regulations to popular countries, domestic and foreign airlines' pet policies and a global luxury hotel search whether you're going to New York, Doha, Cape Town or Venice with your pampered pet. You'll also find videos of hotels, something no other pet travel site includes. “Because people travel more frequently than they did 20 years ago and pets are viewed as family members more than ever, it's just natural that pet parents would want to take their kids with them,” Kelly says.

Despite the economy, the pet industry is seemingly recession-proof: In 2011, Americans spent $50.96 billion on their pets, up 5.3% from the previous year, and are expected to spend over $53 billion in 2012, according to the American Pet Products Association. With that in mind, AOL/Huffington Post and BermanBraun teamed up for the upcoming re-launch of the pet site Paw Nation, appointing Kelly as the pet travel expert while Lucy will blog about her exciting life in her Everybody Loves Lucy column. “Early on, it was extremely rare to see anyone else on an airplane or at a hotel with their pet. Now it's customary to see someone with their pet going through airport security or someone walking their dog through the lobby of a fancy hotel,” says Kelly.

While several sites list pet-friendly accommodations, The Jet Set Pets is the go-to online destination, offering the latest news in hotels and transportation, pet events around the country, essential pet products, and pet spas and groomers for the well-manicured. Thanks to Kelly, it's no longer necessary to jump from one site to another looking for information so travelers know where their posh pups and fine felines will be most warmly welcomed, with treats and accoutrements befitting any VIP guest. Her first-hand knowledge and sharing of personal travels with Lucy adds a unique touch that sets her site apart.

Kelly first met Lucy at an airport on Nov. 18, 2001, enjoying their first flight together that day. Since then, they've traveled extensively throughout the U.S.A., Caribbean and Europe, including a two-year stop in Italy. They've stayed at many lavish hotels and experienced the best amenities hotels offer four-legged guests, including side-by-side massages for pets and their guardians, butler-served room service for Fifi and what's now become a luxury hotel standard, canine concierges to walk dogs. “It's important for pet guardians to realize there is no need to sacrifice luxury when traveling with your impawtant pal,” notes Kelly.

In addition to offering essential pet travel information, The Jet Set Pets features a social networking community for pets a la Facebook; forums for humans to communicate; and a directory that donates 10% of advertising revenue to pet-related charities.