Our lifestyle changed considerably when we've had dogs (currently have a mother and daughter cockapoo). We don't fly (except individually) and make cross country trips together by car, staying in pet friendly hotels (or in the coach). One of us always stays with the dogs, either in the hotel or in a parked car. The dogs love time in the coach and, if we're unable to take them on a car drive, we ensure that the coach thermostats are set appropriately, they have plenty of water, and we'll sometimes ask a neighbor to look in on the dogs &/or let them out for potty breaks.
Several months ago, while we were driving across country, I was going to post the following, but decided not to when I heard a news report of a couple of infants dying in a parked hot car when 'forgotten' by a parent. The timing just didn't seem appropriate to post...
It's mind boggling that freeway/highway signs have to be posted to remind folks not to leave their kids and pets in the back seat of a parked hot car. There are also numerous in-car alarm options and phone apps for the purpose, and we have proposed legislation - Hot Cars Act of 2019 - that would require auto manufacturers to design & build "child reminders" into new vehicles (some manufacturers already have this).
Tragically, a reported 'average' of 37 children and an unknown number of pets die each year, having been "forgotten" when an inattentive driver walked away from their car. In 2018, 52 children died in hot cars. We even have a name for it - 'forgotten baby syndrome', and a bunch of med/phsyc explanations/excuses for it.
It's been a habit of mine to do a headcount before taking off in a vehicle and when we disembark, and I'll ask out loud "everyone aboard? (or out)". With a growing family, the kids who could talk were encouraged to vocally join in the headcount tally, and the habit continued with grandkids. To add awareness, I'll ask "did we leave xxx behind?"