It's definitely a personal decision and both ways are right-for each individual. I can't imagine life at home without a dog, but when we travel we have a tendency to go out for longer periods of time. We had to cancel a weekend away because Jesse got a skin infection and couldn't be boarded, so from that respect dogs can be a pain in the gizzard. On the other hand we're headed to Bar Harbor in October (renting a cabin) and I can't imagine going there without them (cabin owner allows pets). It's no one's business to criticize another for making the decision either way.