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Traveling is a beloved pastime for millions, leading to treasured memories in different places, experiencing new cultures, seeing a family member who lives far away, or riding that roller coaster you had always wanted to ride. Thanks to all the ingenious products available today, you don’t have to set aside your passion for traveling just because you have kids. As long as you have the right tools, traveling with kids can be much easier.
At the top of that list, a quality travel stroller. That’s why I spoke to globetrotting parents to get their recommendations on the best travel strollers available today. Read on for those picks, plus everything you need to know about choosing the best travel stroller for your family.
“My family used the Doona for our girls when they were infants as it was the two in one travel solution of a stroller and car seat in one and is FAA approved,” shares Jennifer Saxton, a mom and the Founder and CEO of Tot Squad, an online parenting marketplace. The Doona is a car seat that can safely be buckled into a car that also has fold-out legs with wheels and an adjustable handle to transform it into a stroller in seconds, making it the perfect all-in-one travel system for on-the-go.
The Doona is the ultimate all-in-one car seat and stroller combo for travel.
We have loved our Uppababy Minu. While it’s a little bigger than other travel strollers, our son has always been tall for his age. The recline allows him to nap while on the go. He is now 4 and 45 inches tall and still naps comfortably,” shares mom Carissa Cummings. “The wheels are also sturdy enough to handle the cobblestones of Europe, and it fits in the overhead bin. Uppababy also makes a nice backpack bag for it.” If your kids are tall, this stroller is an A+ pick. “My kids are now 7 and 5 (and in the 99% for height) and they still took turns riding in it on a recent trip to Denmark and Norway,” adds mom Megan Harrington. “10/10 recommend!”
Whether your toddler is average height, tall, or growing fast, they will be comfortable in this stroller.
For the travel stroller that will grow with your baby from their youngest, the BabyZen Yoyo2 can’t be beat. Simply add the newborn pack or bassinet at purchase and you’re good to go for years. “We got a BabyZen Yoyo for both our kids. We found it to be sturdy enough to use both as an everyday stroller and as a travel stroller,” shares Perez-Fransius of Bébé Voyage. “I love how easily and compactly it folds. We've definitely had it under the table in a crowded restaurant and stored it in our very full coat closet. And it lasts from infancy all the way up until kids are approximately 5 years old, so definitely worth the investment considering how long you can use it for.”
This high-quality stroller will grow with your baby from infancy, though it’s certainly an investment.
“The Joovy Kooper X2 has been great for our twins!” says Sheetal Patel, a parent of four. “It’s easy to fold, lightweight, and I can push it with one hand while keeping track of our other two kids or pulling a suitcase.” Add in tons of storage space on the bottom and trays that fold with the stroller and you’ve got a surefire winner.
The Joovy Kooper X2 has everything parents look for in a travel stroller, just doubled.
“A lot of our community members love the GB Pockit because it folds down small enough to fit in a tote bag and is very lightweight while still being sturdy,” Perez-Fransius says. “I would definitely consider that one to be a top pick, especially if you go between baby wearing and using a stroller.” The lowest profile version, the Air All Terrain, is guaranteed to fit in an overhead bin and doesn’t break the bank. “I used this exclusively with my first child for airplane travel (fits right under the airplane seat or overhead bin so you don’t have to check it!) and typically kept it in the car for quick errands and outings since it was so compact and easy to open,” adds Elizabeth Mitchell Kadar, writer, children's product expert, and mom of three.
Sturdy and reliable for less than half the price of most of my other picks.
“This stroller has been through Europe airports and cobblestones, frequented NYC at least twice a year—it’s great for a rush hour-packed subway car—and been to spots in central and North America. The wheels are lasting forever,” says mom Alisa Brenner. “Plus it works with all infant car seats! I know 5 is probably too old for a stroller now, but I take it on all our trips as it’s so compact and just more enjoyable. We did a tour of German castles this summer and I can’t imagine carrying my kid up the roads that much.”
Regardless of the city or country you’re in, this stroller is perfect for those tight spaces and busy streets.
“We’re active people and this stroller’s big tires ensure you’re ready for any terrain, even off-road. We just did Italy and this was a huge factor with all the cobblestones. It will even gently go up and down steps,” says parent Ted Hoz. “I like to run on vacation and bringing one of the kids with me isn’t uncommon. And at nap time, the seat back can recline very quickly without removing the child. The rear tires pop on and off super easily and it folds down into a more compact form than you’d expect.”
While not a traditional travel stroller, the Thule Urban Glide can handle any activity you have planned.
If you’re doing more road-tripping than flying, an umbrella stroller may be the more functional pick than one of the other travel strollers on this list—it folds into a long, narrow package instead of a flat(ish) rectangular one, meaning it can take up less space in the trunk of a car or even tucked at the feet of a little one’s car seat. And when it comes to umbrella strollers, you can’t go wrong with the Chicco Liteway. It has a sturdier construction and more storage space than most umbrella strollers, in addition to a reasonable price tag.
A quality, low-priced pick for road-trippers.
I recently flew with my two-year-old using this stroller and it was a breeze. The one-handed fold is one of the best I’ve seen; we gate checked the stroller and I was able to lift him out, hold him in one arm and fold the stroller and place it to the side with the other hand while barely breaking stride before getting on the plane. This is also the stroller we take on daily walks with the dog and the wheels have held up great, even after a mad dash through the airport on that recent trip.
Functional and sturdy enough to use as your everyday stroller and also a breeze to travel with.
To come up with my list of the best travel strollers, I consulted the people who would know best (hint, it’s the same folks who know about the best baby bibs, high chairs, and kids bikes): the parents who use them. Specifically, I consulted with members of the Bébé Voyage community of traveling parents, who were eager to discuss the strollers that they love and why. From there, I looked for patterns in their feedback to determine the stroller that best fit each category.
Below are important factors experts consider when shopping for a travel stroller.
“For most people, the most important factor when considering a travel stroller is how compactly it folds and if it will fit in the overhead bin on most standard flights,” says Marianne Perez-Fransius, the co-founder and CEO of Bébé Voyage, an online community for traveling parents. “Always check what the dimensions are when the stroller is folded and how easy it is to fold down at the door of the plane.”
“For some, weight considerations are important: either what the weight of the stroller is (many prefer lighter weight strollers) and/or what the max load weight of the stroller is (especially for those with older or bigger children),” Perez-Fransius says. These two measurements don’t always correlate directly, so check both. While I can’t recommend it officially, especially for a stroller that has some wear and tear, many of the parents I spoke to noted that they have continued to use their favorite travel stroller even after their child surpassed the weight limit.
Are you an amusement park family? Museum frequenters? National park aficionados? The types of activities your family likes to do while traveling are going to dictate how durable of a stroller you will need and how much storage space it will need to have.
If you do a lot of traveling, I think so. The most prominent features of travel strollers, in comparison to regular strollers, are that they are lightweight and fold into small, compact packages. Regular strollers, and most of those that are sold as part of travel systems, are large and heavy—and if they do fold, can still take up tons of space. Plus, many of the travel strollers on this list can do double-duty as your everyday stroller, making them well worth the investment. A kids smartwatch on the other hand? That’s up to you.
A travel system is a car seat and a stroller that are sold together. The car seat is fully mountable on the stroller without any extra accessories and the stroller can also be used on its own once the child is big enough. Travel systems also typically come with a car seat base for use in the car. A stroller, on the other hand, is just a stroller: some are compatible with attaching car seats, while others are not.
Fitting in the overhead bin on a plane was one of the biggest considerations I made when selecting the best travel strollers. Many of the strollers on this list will do just that, and the parents I spoke to agree that the Babyzen Yoyo2 and GB PockIt will fit in the overhead bin anywhere you go, while the Uppababy Minu, Mountain Buggy Nano and Bombi Bēbee likely will if the bins aren’t too packed. That said, gate checking is always an option.
Of all the travel strollers on our list, the GB PockIt Air All Terrain folds the smallest, with the Babyzen Yoyo2 coming in second.
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