Many Americans are devoted to their pets and consider their furry friends a part of the family. That means they want to include them in travel plans and vacations. A pet sitter or pet boarding can be pricey, plus pet parents will miss their pet companions while they’re away. The team at FloridaRentals.com created a valuable map for traveling pet owners, ranking U.S. cities by pet friendliness.

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The team considered several crucial factors when creating the ranking’s scoring system. Here are the factors considered:

• Percentage of pet-friendly hotels
• Average price of pet-friendly hotels
• Number of dog-friendly restaurants
• Dog park quality score
• Best cities to walk your dog score
• Pet health score
• Average review score of pet-friendly hotels
• Number of dog-friendly activities
• Dog parks per 100,000 residents
• Dog climate score
• Number of 24-hour vets
• WalletHub’s most pet-friendly cities score

All of these factors combine to help pet owners decide whether a city offers what they need. Many pet owners feel that the number, quality, and cost of pet-friendly hotels and restaurants are the most important factors. In contrast, others want to know they can have fun with their dog while vacationing with decent weather and plenty of walking trails and parks to explore. Others might put safety first and consider the presence of plenty of vet clinics to be most important.

After all scores were considered, a handful of cities rose above the others with the highest scores in the nation. Here are the ten cities with the highest scores:

• Portland, Oregon
• Albuquerque, New Mexico
• Phoenix, Arizona
• San Francisco, California
• Tampa, Florida
• San Diego, California
• Austin, Texas
• New York, New York
• Tucson, Arizona
• Colorado Springs, Colorado

Portland earned the top spot with high scores in nearly every category. The city has an abundance of beautiful parks and walking trails, paired with a strong pet-friendly culture. Albuquerque and Phoenix earned their high ranking thanks to plenty of affordable pet-friendly hotels and restaurants, paired with ample outdoor space. San Francisco, Tampa, and San Diego are great destinations for travelers seeking warm weather, walkable cities, and plenty of restaurants that welcome pets. In fact, many cities in Florida scored well, likely due to the warm climate and tourist-heavy culture.

We can see that cold-weather cities scored lower, like Boston, Milwaukee, and Detroit. Though accommodation prices are higher there and there may be fewer dog parks, there are still plenty of dog-friendly activities to enjoy in these bustling cities, especially if you don’t mind the cold.

Overall, this map shows that pet-friendly travel is not only possible but also a lot of fun, with many options for destinations. A great pet-friendly stay will combine affordability with comfort, safety, and fun for both you and your furry friend. As pet travel booms, these cities might even expand the accommodation they already offer.

The team at Stratus Building Solutions reveals which states have the cleanest and dirtiest workplaces in a new study. Cleanliness is often an overlooked but powerful influence on workers’ health, happiness, and productivity. People who work in an office spend many hours there and have a right to a clean, safe space to work, whether that’s at their desk, in the breakroom, or in the bathroom. The team’s study reveals that cleanliness depends on more than company policy and culture. It’s impacted by resources and state laws. While some states mandate rules that boost workers’ health and safety, other locations lack such protections and put workers at risk.

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The team created a scoring system based on some key criteria. First was the number of OSHA violations. OSHA is the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which sets federal workplace safety standards, including sanitation standards. A state with a high number of OSHA sanitation violations is a clear sign of dirty workplaces. These violations could include unclean restrooms, inadequate waste disposal, or the presence of mold and bacteria. The team also examined the number of janitors per capita, population density, air pollution, and sick leave laws in each state.

The team found that these states were the cleanest with the highest scores:

• Nebraska
• Colorado
• North Dakota
• South Dakota
• Washington
• Missouri
• Montana
• Idaho
• Michigan
• New Mexico

The top scorers had low rates of OSHA violations, clean air, and high janitor-to-population ratios. State laws mandating sick leave also play a major role, as workers are more likely to stay home rather than bring germs to work.

These were the states that struggled the most with these standards:

• Tennessee
• North Carolina
• Mississippi
• Virginia
• Connecticut
• Oregon
• Nevada
• Rhode Island
• Alabama
• New Jersey
• Pennsylvania

Many of these states are on the dirty end of the spectrum, lacking paid sick leave. Tennessee, Mississippi, and North Carolina do not have laws on paid sick leave, which, when combined with the absence of handwashing stations and disinfecting services, makes the workplace a petri dish for germs. We also see heavily populated states like New York and New Jersey on the low end of the spectrum because more people means a greater challenge to clean up waste and keep germs at bay. High populations also mean bigger cities and more air pollution. We do see, however, that lower population density doesn’t necessarily mean cleaner workplaces, as Vermont was near the bottom of the list and has a small population.

Clean workplaces are healthy workplaces. Dust, germs, and air pollution lead to gastrointestinal and respiratory problems among workers. Simple precautions like regularly disinfecting surfaces, installing handwashing stations, and removing dust can boost the cleanliness of the office and the health of workers. Healthy workers mean better productivity and greater safety for all. Not only will a clean space improve worker experience, but OSHA violations can be very costly. The team’s study provides fascinating insights into what affects workplace cleanliness.

Vacation rentals have opened up a whole new way to travel for people all over the world. Through platforms like Vrbo and Airbnb, travelers rent lofts, apartments, cottages, and ski chalets instead of a traditional hotel room. These options are very popular and can become a booming business for property owners. However, they come with their own set of risks to deal with. Property owners can take a well-rounded approach to guest and property safety by using Ooma’s pyramid chart, which displays the layers of vacation rental safety. They list the most important protections first and finish with insurance protection to top it all off.

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Here are the seven layers of safety according to Ooma:

• Access Control
• Life Safety Systems
• Perimeter Awareness
• Digital Protection
• Real-Time Monitoring
• Guest Education
• Liability Protection

Each layer comes with specific suggestions to implement safety precautions. Here’s the full list for property owners to check off:

1. Keyless entry system, cloud-based access control software, physical key hidden away, reset lock access
2. Smoke and carbon monoxide detectors, first aid kit, landline or VoIP service, fire code compliance, fire extinguishers
3. Outdoor cameras, outdoor lighting, smart doorbells, fencing, and gates
4. Secure Wi-Fi networks specific to guests, Wi-Fi password protection, and turn off unused smart devices
5. Noise monitoring, occupancy monitoring, utility monitoring, environmental monitoring
6. Guest safety guide, house rules, appliance instructions, emergency contacts, evacuation map
7. Vacation rental insurance, local compliance, document safety steps

Short-term rentals come with some unique risks that owners must account for. Property damage is common when inviting strangers to stay in your home. These can be mild accidents, like stains from spills, or major issues, like appliance and utility malfunctions and damage. If guests are injured, owners are liable and must be covered by insurance. Wi-Fi networks can leave guests vulnerable to identity theft, so they must be properly secured. Guests should be aware of house rules, but may abuse them anyway, so activities like noise and occupancy levels should be monitored. Rental homes might be vulnerable to theft and squatters, too.

The team offers additional tips for each layer of safety. They suggest providing easy-to-find first aid kits for guests, following all fire code compliance, setting up outdoor cameras and motion-activated lighting, smart doorbells, turning off unused smart devices, creating a guest rule book, posting an evacuation map and emergency contacts, and documenting each step you’ve taken to provide a safe guest experience.

On top of all this, vacation rental owners need to make sure they keep up on cleanliness and safety inspections. Guests should also be aware of hazards that could cause a slip and fall accident and make sure they’ve taken due diligence in securing their property. All of these steps can help property owners run a successful vacation rental business while keeping guests safe and the property in peak condition. All vacation rental owners can learn something from the team’s layered approach to vacation rental safety.