My uncle traveled with his three cats... and he used a clipper on them. Sounds like they would look funny but they were just clipped short not bald. They had amazing thick coats but short hair and no tangles. Easy to brush. They didn't mind being clipped. I guess they got used to it.
Uncle passed and two of the cats are gone now, too. They traveled in a fold down open air crate that had a "shelf" across 1/4 of the middle. The litter box was under the shelf. Two cats liked to cuddle up in the cat bed on the bottom. One liked to be by himself on the shelf most of the time. The crate had a place near a big window behind the passenger seat. They watched the scenery go by. When they stopped for the night the cats roamed free but always had a leash on each one. If they crawled behind a couch the leash would give their position away. They did fine walking outside on a leash when there was time to go for a stroll.
That's what I remember. They traveled to Alaska with those 3 cats. Took the ferry up and drove back... in a van camper.