Cargo-hold restrictions make flying back to the US with a cat nearly impossible west of Tahiti

Lauren can fly out of Tahiti with Mo in the cabin, but on the return leg, and essentially everywhere else across the South Pacific including Australia and New Zealand, he would have to travel in cargo. She considers that unacceptable unless she were leaving the boat for six months straight, which is not practical. This means her previous rhythm of flying home once or twice a year for roughly two months at a time is no longer feasible, and it creates a growing challenge the further west she sails.