When it comes to traveling, many parents find it to be a constant struggle, especially if they have younger kids. This is understandable as the thought of needing to constantly look out for their kids as well as needing to “lug” their stroller around can quickly make the idea of traveling with kids unappealing.
On the flip side, most parents do not think about the downsides when it comes to traveling with their kids. Personally, I have found traveling with my kids to be an extremely rewarding experience because it represents a very unique parent-child bonding opportunity. How many times do you get the chance to work through a quiz with your kids in a Nobel Museum in Stockholm? Probably once in a lifetime for most of us.
I truly believe that traveling with your kids is one of those “one in a lifetime” opportunities. With some planning, and by selecting a suitable stroller for traveling, any family should be able to travel and explore different places with their kids.
In this article, I’ll go over some of the key things you should consider while selecting a stroller you want to bring along with you on your travels. For a breakdown of the main categories of strollers, be sure to check out this post.
Your Travel Party
This one’s pretty obvious, but still worth a mention. Knowing the size of your travel party as well as defining how many children will need a stroller is the very first thing you should be doing.
Some questions you can ask yourself include: How many kids will be needing a stroller? Will I be traveling with a newborn?
(Photo Credits: Flickr)
Answering these questions will provide you with a clearer idea of what type of stroller you should be bringing. For example, if you have two kids that will be needing a stroller, you’ll need a double stroller instead of a single stroller.
If you’re traveling with newborns, you’ll want to make sure that your stroller is newborn-suitable. Strollers that can accommodate newborns are either car seat compatible or has seat(s) that can are fully reclinable. The Combi MiracleTurn Elegant stroller is an example of a stroller that is suitable for newborns.
Places You’ll be Visiting and Things You’ll be Doing
Planning your trip and knowing beforehand where you’ll be visiting can help tremendously in selecting the best stroller for your travels. If you’ll be traveling to metropolitan cities like New York City where you know you’ll most likely be using the subway system pretty frequently, then a lightweight stroller (any stroller that weighs 15 pounds or less) will be a lifesaver! You’ll be able to navigate through crowded areas and get around places much more easily with a stroller that’s light.
On the other hand, if you’re just traveling to places such as beach resorts and family rental homes, or in general, places that you won’t be out and about that often, then figuring out what activities you’ll be doing will be more important. For example, if you’ll be taking a few days off to relax in a family rental home and plan to do some hiking, then a jogging stroller would likely be a good option.
In short, I highly recommend a lightweight stroller for parents who will be flying to their destination and foresee themselves constantly being out and about. For those of you who will be driving to your retreat destination, determine what you plan to do at your destination and pick a stroller that works best for those activities.
Stroller Specific Factors
Aside from these travel specific factors, other things you want to look into for a stroller include its size, weight and portability and storage space.
Size, Weight and Portability
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Both the size and weight of the stroller can literally make or break your travel experience. As discussed, if you’ll be exploring a metropolitan city or crowded areas, you’ll want a lightweight stroller that is portable. For portability, pick a stroller that is not only lightweight, but also has a strap that you can use to carry on your shoulder.
If you’ll be traveling via plane, you might also want to consider choosing a lightweight stroller that can be carried onto the plane rather than one that is required to be checked-in. Most stroller companies should be able to let you know which strollers can be carried onto the plane.
Personally, when comparing which lightweight stroller to bring along with me on my travels, I have found that a lighter stroller (even if it’s just a few pounds) can do wonders when I’m exploring a new city.
Again, these factors are not much of an issue if you’ll be staying at one place for the most of your travels.
Storage Space
(Photo Credits: Flickr)
Depending on how many kids you have, a stroller with a large storage basket might be a must for your travel stroller in order to store the essential items for you and your kids.
I tend to go with a stroller which has a larger storage basket because I have three kids which means there’s plenty of essential items we need to bring on the go. In addition, having some extra storage space is great especially if we are planning to buy some souvenirs while traveling.
Closing Words
One of the biggest challenges for parents with kids is traveling or constantly being on the go. However, traveling with kids doesn’t have to be stressful as long as you do some planning beforehand. From personal experience with my three kids, I have found that by taking into account all the factors discussed in this article, I am able to select the most suitable stroller that meets my traveling needs.
About the writer:
Evelyn is the main person behind Mommy Stroller, which focuses on helping parents figure out which stroller they should get. Evelyn and her husband, Paul, decided to blog about strollers after the overwhelming feeling they experienced when trying to pick out their first stroller. Both of them enjoy spending time with family and friend, live music, and going on jogs with their kids (in a stroller).
