Traveling for 5 days

[Bogertophis]

What makes it hard to answer is not knowing what the temperature of your car will be, or the temperature of the rooms you stay in. Because MOST of the heat provided by those heat packs will NOT remain in that ventilated & UN-insulated plastic container where the snake is. So no, that's not how I would do it, & I have in the past moved across country with many snakes & no problem.

Yes, bag the snake in the pillow case, making SURE it cannot get loose*, then transport that in a padded well-insulated ice chest or a thick styro-foam box (the kind perishable food or snakes are air-shipped in). I'd put an old towel under the snake too, just for comfort/padding, so at one side you'd also put your heat pack under the towel, so there's no direct contact or excessive warmth that your snake cannot get away from. Double check the temperatures for safety.

*I hate trying to untie pillow cases! So I use a twist-wire first to close the open end, then double that part over on itself & secure with a rubber band. It works very well, but take a few extra rubber bands in case one breaks.

Air (ventilation)- if using an ice chest, open it now & then for air-flow, or if you fear you'll forget, put a little wad of tape in the lid so it doesn't quite close tightly. Styro-foam box, just put a hole in it.

When I traveled with (15!) snakes, I NEVER mentioned them when I stayed in hotels- they were happy that I paid a deposit for my well-behaved & kenneled dog, & everyone assumes that an ice chest is merely YOUR food snacks for the trip that you take into the room each night.

All my snakes were relaxed & snoozed most of the way in comfort- in the rooms, I opened each bag for a short visit & to offer a drink of water- usually not taken. You'll want an extra pillow case in case your snake defecates on the way, & for best results, feed well in advance of your trip so that doesn't happen. They were actually quite content in their cloth "sleeping bags". But you don't want a snake trying to digest a meal enroute- they'll likely regurgitate- for the trip, you want them "empty".

You do not need to take hides... But when traveling in a car with a snake, even if you only intend a short trip, the best (safest) way is for that bagged snake to ONLY be in an insulated carrier as described above. Snakes have died from excessive heat too, when sun comes streaming into the car & no one's paying attention- snakes cannot cry out for help- they're just stuck. And vehicles can break down or get stuck in traffic- so plan for that & protect your pets.