Travel Stroller Comparison
I’ve included my Google sheet round-up below if you’re just looking for a quick glance - or keep reading for a more in-depth discussion.
When we first started the hunt for a stroller, we were mainly just concerned with daily travel from our house and from the car with our car seat. We didn’t really know what to expect with traveling - and we didn’t necessarily think we’d be traveling with an infant.
We had the Munchkin Sparrow on our registry and were kindly gifted it. We also received the Nuna Tavo Next as our everyday stroller. We traveled with it to Tampa and didn’t love it for travel. In planning our trip to Europe with a 7 month old we knew we’d need something she could take naps in, would be small enough to navigate crowded Europe, and could still fit a lot of stuff. That’s when this blog post originally started… and how I ended up buying an entirely new stroller lol. See more about my experience on our youtube or blog below.
I should also mention, in week one at home with babe I bought a bassinet stroller off of Facebook Market Place because I realized she’d be more comfortable (and I would be too) if she could lie flat AND face us. This $100 investment has been a game changer and is my current go-to stroller, except it’s not compatible with our car seat (it’s from 2014) and it is SO bulky. It’s almost impossible to take it with us and have the dogs or another person in the back seat.
I clearly have a problem. But hopefully my neurosis will help inform your decsion before you end up a stroller obsessed monster with a husband who says no more stroller please.
Flash forward to 2024, and I traveled alone and knew I’d want to be able to safely set her down, so I reached for the Munchkin Sparrow this time. It easily folds up and fits in the overhead bin. It’s not a trendy, name-brand travel stroller with storage, but when you’re traveling solo with a baby, it works super well. We also used it once we got to our destination for short shopping trips in tight spaces. HOWEVER, if this was going to be my only stroller for an entire week trip with a toddler I wouldn’t be happy. SOOOO we come back to this blog post once again…. LOL
So, that brings us to this blog post - my very scientific, unscientific roundup of my favorite (and some follower-recommended) travel stroller options and the reasons why you might want to invest (or not). Please keep in mind we’re specifically looking for a travel stroller that we could also use for our travels around town and walking from our home, which makes some of the more airport/quick-use strollers less interesting to us, but doesn’t mean they aren’t great choices!
Note: I found that a lot of the online reviews of some of these strollers seem like paid or compensated with product for reviews which was disheartening. It was hard to find reviews that had put a lot of thought into their responses and had used the strollers for more than one go around. If I ever get my hands on any of these strollers besides the ones we currently have I’ll be sure to update with my honest opinion after actual use!
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Bugaboo
Dragonfly $899 w/o bassinet | $1,099 with - This stroller is new on the market, as of the publishing date of this blog post it is still only a pre-order. I absolutely love the second-hand bugaboo I purchased on Facebook Market Place, it’s just very bulky and this looks SO similar to what I have in a much more compact and accessible form. I cannot say enough great things about my secondhand bugaboo, it’s from 2014 and feels brand new - I feel like that speaks volumes about the longevity of the stroller.
What I love: the compact fold, the bassinet, the toddler seat that faces both ways and the style.
What I don’t like: the price. I know it would be worth it but it is hefty in comparison to some of the others on this list! This is literally the only thing stopping me from having already purchased this stroller.
Butterfly $449- This stroller is one of the top-rated travel strollers and is super lightweight. It has a great-looking one-handed fold.
What I love: compatibility with car seats, weight, fits in overhead bin, style
What I don’t love: seat only faces one way, only works for infants with car seat attachment
Thule
Shine $699.95- this was a surprise find, it was advertised to me on Instagram after some of my searches. I’m surprised that I haven’t seen more of this stroller, like the Dragonfly it seems like an awesome all-around stroller option for traveling families.
What I love: The compact fold, the two-way facing seat, the bassinet option, style
What I don’t love: The way the wheels fold seems a bit bulky, and honestly the lack of content about this stroller was interesting.
Guava
Roam $649.95- Originally on the list as Drew’s top pick, the weight comparison removed it from our list. While this might be a great option for someone in the market for a jogging stroller that travels, it just doesn’t fit with our needs at this time.
What I love: Car seat compatibility, fold design
What I don’t love: only for 6mo+ or for a car seat, bulky weight
BabyZen
Yoyo2 $449 w/o Bassinet | $629 with- I’ve been seeing more of this stroller since I started looking around the airport and it seems like the stroller of choice for European families. I love the compact size of this one.
What I love: compact size, customizable, bassinet for newborn use
What I don’t love: doesn’t seem sturdy enough to be our every day AND travel stroller, it seems like it would be great just for travel days.
Nuna
Trvl $500 - Had to look at this one because it’s compatible with our car seat. However, since we already have the Tavo it doesn’t really make sense to replace the Tavo with another Nuna that might just weigh less.
What I love: lightweight, easy fold, style
What I don’t like: only compatible with Nuna car seats, small basket, doesn’t seem great for heavy every day use
Tavo Next $550 - We have this stroller and its a really high-quality stroller with a great ride. However, its just super bulky and so much better as a toddler stroller than a from-newborn option. We walk a lot of places from our house and I don’t want to have to use the car seat to take her from home. I would not choose this stroller again given the choice - but that just means its not for us, it could be for you!
What I love: the color, the style, the quality, lie-flat seat, fits our Nuna car seat
What I don’t love: babe can’t face us except when using with car seat, the lie-flat seat isn’t fully enclosed so she has to be strapped in any time we use it, wheels are SUPER bulky when folding it up.
Colugo
The Compact Stroller $325.99 - HELLO I love colugo, they are amazing and our colugo carrier has been the best thing I bought for travel for baby. I recived this one to try from Colugo and it lives up to the hype. It handles GREAT for a compact stroller, folds up easily and has so much storage.
What I love: can use from birth, comes with Carry Backpack, Rain Cover and Cupholder!!, has an infant kit
What I don’t love: not car seat friendly
Mountain Buggy
Nano $219.99 w/o bassinet | $297 with - This was recommended by a follower and is one they’ve used for a few trips. They said it’s held up well and they enjoy that it reclines.
What I love: Reclines, compatible with any car seat, price, bassinet attachment can be removed and used on a stand
What I don’t love: doesn’t seem compatible with heavy everyday use
Uppa Baby
Minu $449.99 w/o bassinet | $650 with - This is an awesome option if you already have an Uppa Baby stroller and/or car seat. The bassinet from any other Uppa Baby stroller can be used on this frame. You can also attach a car seat. Had I started with a base Uppa Baby I’d definitely be interested in this option, but we travel with the Nuna Pipa Car seat and don’t already have an Uppa Baby Bassinet. A follower recommended this option stating she just got it and loves it.
What I love: adjustable recline, bassinet option, colors
What I don’t love: design of base basket
Munchkin
Sparrow $204 - This is an awesome option for an older childer who may only need to ride for a little bit and prefers to walk. It folds down sooo small into a bag that’s so easy to carry and will be great to store in our car when baby g is older. I wouldn’t get this stroller this early if I had to do it again.
What I love: compact size, weight
What I don’t love: doesn’t recline, not suitable from birth, not car seat compatibility, definitely not great for every day heavy use
Did I miss one you’ve been looking at? Let me know if you have one you’d recommend!
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