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Choosing the best travel stroller these days is a lot like buying a car. With so many options and features to choose from, it is easy to get overwhelmed: Do you need a jogger or something more conventional? Is it compact and convertible? Is it airplane-friendly? We’re here to help make the decision a little easier! From lightweight to luxury (including those that hold up to 50 lbs), get ready to dive into our list of TravelingMom favorites for your next trip.
Updated February 2021
Best Travel Stroller: Easy To Use And Lightweight Strollers
Going on a vacation with a little one and without a stroller? No. Never. Wouldn’t do it. The best travel stroller not only carries a tired kiddo (or two). It also carries a whole lot of stuff. There’s the stuff we bring along — like snacks and the diaper bag. And then there’s the stuff we pick up along the way because, well, sometimes it’s easier to just buy that stuffed animal than endure the meltdown.
Bringing the right stroller is the key. For the purposes of this list, our No. 1 concern was weight — how much does the stroller weigh? And how much weight can it hold? The first is important for flying — some airlines have a 20-pound weight restriction on items at gate check — and the other is critical for ensuring the stroller grows with your kiddos.
Then we looked at cost. Our budget strollers are the best strollers we could find that met our minimum needs at the lowest price. The luxury strollers are simply the best we could find, without regard to cost. So put one of those on the gift list you send to that rich aunt who just loooooves to buy stuff for your kids!
Of course, we had to include some of our favorite strollers for Disney. Check out our full post of Disney stroller tips here.
Best Compact Strollers for Travel
Best Compact Stroller: Budget option
With more than 3900 4.5 star reviews on Amazon, the Summer Infant 3DLite stroller is worth its weight in gold. It has a four-position recline, a sizable storage basket and carry strap. It folds compact enough to easily meet most airline weight restrictions for gate check and carry-on.
- LIGHTWEIGHT – A lightweight stroller makes any outing a little easier. The Summer 3Dlite Convenience Stroller has a durable aluminum frame that weighs just 13 pounds and has a large seat area, plus anti-shock front wheels and lockable rear wheels.
Best Compact Stroller: Luxury Option
This is a difficult category. There are so many choices. The GB Pockit is a great stroller, but I was looking for more features.
- The revolutionary ultra-compact folding mechanism of the Pocket Air All-Terrain reduces the stroller into a handbag-shaped package in seconds and is airplane hand luggage compliant.
Bugaboo has entered the compact travel stroller market with a bang with the Ant. Along with the typically amazing Bugaboo smooth ride, it also offers one of the highest weight limits for this type of stroller, at 50 pounds. That, in my opinion, is very important. It also has a reversible seat, is reclinable, can be wheeled onboard the plane, attaches to several car seats, has a bassinet feature, and offers a really nice sibling ride-along attachment accessory. Overall, the Bugaboo Ant is very a travel-friendly airplane stroller.
- Infant to Toddler: The Bugaboo Ant travel stroller accommodates infants from birth (with cocoon insert) to toddlers up to 50 lbs
Best Compact Stroller: Honorable Mention
The GB Pockit All City Stroller is a very good stroller. It was the first stroller company to change the way we think about compact/easy to travel with strollers. The All City Stroller has a decent recline, a five-point harness, and can accommodate children up to 37 pounds. The All City boasts about its 3-in-1 travel system that is car seat compatible. A very solid contender!
- The Pockit+ All City folds up into a compact, handbag shaped package in seconds and is airplane carry-on compliant
Best Lightweight Strollers
Best Lightweight Stroller: Budget Option
With more than 1300 4.5 star reviews on Amazon, the Kolcraft Cloud Plus sure offers a lot of bang for the buck. It is a one-hand, easy-folding stroller with a large canopy. It has a reclining seat for children with head and neck control, a roomy storage compartment to stow all of the gear, and will work for children up to 40 lbs.
- LIGHTWEIGHT -- Travel friendly lightweight design (only 11.8 lbs), perfect for traveling and day trips. Disney Size Approved!The assembled dimensions are 17.6 x 29.9 x 41.7 inches
Best Lightweight Stroller- Luxury Option
UPPAbaby Minu is a relatively new stroller. It is TravelingMom approved, and it has a wide range of features. It is very lightweight, works from birth with a compatible infant car seat, has lots of accessories (yay, cup holder!), and has a one-hand fold. The best part: the weight limit is 50 pounds! Reviews on Amazon include photos of it stored in the overhead bin on an airplane. And the Minu’s under seat storage space is still big enough to fit a diaper bag.
- Suitable from 3 months to 50 lbs
Best Lightweight Stroller: Honorable Mention
One TravelingMom loves her MacLaren Mark II. It can stand up to city streets, even cobblestoned ones, folds compact and was sturdy enough to make it through three kids before she sold it.
- Basic weight of 3.3kg/7.2lb; Ideal for children 6 months and up to 25kg/55lb
Best Lightweight Double Strollers
Best Lightweight Double Stroller: Budget Option
The Baby Trend Lightweight Double Stroller was the obvious choice for me. At 20.7 pounds, and accommodating up to 100 lbs, it has the most options for the lightest weight. It has a really great sun visor, reclining seats, and adjustable leg rests. Perfect if you need to lug around a stroller for Disney that folds down easily and keeps kids comfortable.
- Lightweight aluminum frame
Best Lightweight Double Stroller: Luxury Option
This was a difficult category. After changing my mind twice, I finally went with the perennial favorite: Baby Jogger. The City Tour 2 Double stroller has replaced the much-loved City Mini double and is even better. Suitable from birth with the infant carrycot bassinet accessory, The City Tour Double can hold kids up to 33 pounds in each seat and weighs only 23.21 pounds. As with the City Mini baby stroller, the ride will be smooth on rubber tires, it has multi-position leg rests and the visor/sunshade is UPF 50. This Disney-approved double stroller meets all the stroller size restrictions.
- Lightweight double travel stroller features a compact and easy-to-maneuver design
Best Lightweight Double Stroller: Honorable Mention
Joovy Twin Groove Ultralight Umbrella Stroller has a peekaboo window, UPF 50 sun canopy, newborn compatible recline, aluminum frame, five-point safety harness, and swivel front wheels. Why did this stroller get Honorable Mention instead of the best for the budget-priced double? It’s a little overweight. At 26 pounds, it is over the gate-check weight limit for some airlines.
- Your children can nap from newborns to 50 lbs. in a near-flat recline, 100 lbs. max weight
Best Full-Size Travel Strollers
Full-Size Travel Stroller: Budget Option
The Graco Verb is a great stroller for the price. It weighs less than 20 lbs, has a one-handed fold, can hold children up to 50 pounds, and the reviews report that it is very easy to open and close.
- Accepts all Graco Click Connect infant car seats with a secure, one-step attachment to create your own custom travel system
Best Full-Size Travel Strollers: Luxury Option
The Bugaboo Donkey is a true engineering marvel. It can expand from a single to a double stroller. It can be the width of a single, or it slightly expands to hold a side luggage basket (that holds 22 pounds), or another seat. Even with the second seat installed, it is still very narrow and easy to maneuver.
Best Full-Size Travel Strollers: Honorable Mention
My pick without a doubt is the UPPAbaby. It is one of the best strollers on the market. It is suitable for children from birth (with the carrycot) to 35 pounds, and it is expandable. That means if you have more than one child (or plan to), the only thing you will need to buy is an additional seat. It is a one-handed push over flat terrain (with two toddlers as I tested it), and the single weighs a little bit over 26 pounds. Certainly not the lightest stroller, but a versatile, comfortable everyday stroller, and for travel.
An Unconventional Choice Worth Mentioning
The BOB Gear Revolution Pro Duallie Jogging Stroller is my Disney and jogging go-to stroller for more than one kid. It isn’t light to travel with, at 36 pounds, but it can hold 100 lbs of kids. That means I can put two of my kids in the seats, and one sitting on the foot rest in the front. Probably not what they would recommend, but it’s within the weight limits. This stroller is a beast, and fantastic if you are a runner, or going off-roading with its all-terrain wheels. We are flying Southwest to Disney, and Southwest Airlines will happily gate check it for us after it holds all of our luggage throughout the terminal.
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I have a newborn who is just 2 month old and a 4 year old daughter. I am looking for a lightweight stroller which is suitable for flight travels, for the younger one, which can also be used by 4 Year old. Would appreciate any recommendations.?
I didn’t have so many information about before. As you have told I think Gb Pockit is the best lightweight stroller. But I want to check it by myself. Besides I am looking for a perfect travel stroller. Now I have two choices between Mountain Buggy and Gb Pockit. Let’s see which one is best.
“Uppababy G-Lite” Stroller is really awesome baby stroller what I got it before traveling. I’m so happy to get your article what helped me to get the right decision. Thank you!
A cheaper side-by-side stroller for two is the JEEP twin umbrella stroller. Lightweight and easy to tote around and not break the bank. We use it as our theme park stroller.