A video documenting a small pup’s travels through Europe with his owner has gone viral on TikTok.
The clip was posted by Jill Xu (@minihersheybar.k), 28, who lives in New York City with Hershey, her 4-year-old Maltipoo–a cross between a Maltese and a poodle. The video has garnered over 542,000 views since it was shared on October 6.
Text overlaid on the clip says: “Don’t bring your dog on your Europe trip. He’ll slow you down,” as Hershey is shown looking up at the camera.
The video later features glimpses of the pair’s travels through different parts of Europe, including France, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Greece, Croatia, Malta, Italy, and Estonia.
Xu told Newsweek: “There is more prep work behind every trip because I do need to make sure it’s as dog-friendly as possible, but it’s definitely worth it.”
“Not the Europe trip I expected… but better than anything I could have asked for,” she notes in the caption of the post.
The viral post comes as the travel industry continues to see strong growth in the post-pandemic era.
According to the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), international travel surged in early 2025, with around 300 million tourists crossing borders in the first quarter of the year—14 million more than in the same period last year. The UNWTO attributed this to “robust and sustained travel demand,” even as global events have created economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
‘My Heart Just Melted’
The viral video shows Xu and Hershey in various settings across Europe, from cityscapes to seaside breaks.
“Hershey almost always comes with me on my travels. He is the best travel companion. You can tell how much he enjoys it by his body language and facial expressions,” Xu told Newsweek. “Lots of new smells for him to explore. He also gets to meet a lot of new people and sometimes, try the local cuisine.”
A caption overlaid on the clip says: “You’ll miss trains, take longer routes, skip a few museums,” as the video shows a scenic train journey.
“You’ll spend hours looking for parks instead of landmarks,” a subsequent caption says on the clip, as Hershey is shown walking along a cobblestone street.
“Some mornings you’ll be up for walks before the whole world wakes,” as the pair are pictured against a sunrise backdrop by the water.
Hershey is shown being fed a piece of food at an outdoor restaurant, as text overlaid on the video says, “you’ll feel compelled to share a taste of the local cuisine…and stop to watch the world instead of rushing through it.”
The viral clip has captured the hearts of viewers on TikTok.
User lucy said: “My heart just melted,” and mglvngs said: “This made me teary.”
User nexus tok wrote: “you notice he’s always looking at you no matter where you go with him? that’s cuz you’re his whole world.”
User @lifeofafurmom noted: “’he’ll slow you down’—maybe, just maybe, that’s the point and that is okay.”
“He is living his and your best life. Enjoy every minute with him. They go so fast…” wrote user967239563784.
Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.
