Some of our wonderful Facebook fans have said they want to easily locate dog parks while they’re traveling. Do you feel the same way? Well, so did we – Buster is a young German Shepard after all! He as a lot of energy to burn. (Ty, not so much.)

When we launched the new Road Trip Planner, we included an easy way for you to find dog parks – as well as pet friendly beaches, National Parks, and other attractions like wineries and shopping centers to make your pet travels more fun and interesting. Here’s now it works:

First, go to the Road Trip Planner. Tell it where you’re starting from, where you’re heading to, and then hit “Start Trip.”

As you can see, I’m mapping a trip from Naples to Tampa, Florida:

You’ll see your route show up on the map. Then, check the “Activities” box under “Locate Pet Friendly Places” and hit “Apply.”

PRESTO! All the activities – including off-leash dog parks – along your route will show up on the map. :-)

To see what pops up, simply hover your mouse over the dot on the map. To get additional details, click on the dot and an information bubble will appear.

From the bubble, you can do three things.

1. Click on “View Details” to see a description of the activity and any reviews that have been submitted for it on the GoPetFriendly.com website.

2. For places you just thinking of visiting use Save as Favorite and the activity will show up in your itinerary on the left side of the screen.

3. If you’re sure you want to visit a location, Add as Destination and the activity will be included in your itinerary, it will appear on the map, and turn-by-turn directions will be provided when you click “View Driving Directions.”

Yep, it’s that easy! Please let us know if you have any suggestions or comments on additional features you’d like to see on the Road Trip Planner.