Can I Travel with a Stroller?

• » Jump to Best Strollers

You’re never too young for new experiences. We’ve been on plenty of trips with our children. When our son was around one year old we went to Tromsø in northern Norway, and we saw northern lights. However, before each trip, we always wondered how to deal with the stroller. In this article, we will share some of our experiences.

You can travel with a stroller pretty much regardless of how you travel. While different companies have different rules, in general, companies do not want to discriminate against you in any way just because you are a parent. You should always check with the company you are traveling with to get accurate information. But we have yet not encountered a case where having a stroller was a problem or even caused extra costs.

If you already know you want a lighter second stroller for flights, trains, or day trips, see our best travel pushchairs.

Let’s now jump to our experiences and learnings from actual trips.

Going by Ferry

Perhaps not a big surprise, but going by ferry is generally no problem at all. Naturally, if the ferry is very small, perhaps you could encounter some troubles. But if you’re taking a large ferry, it’s likely the nicest and easiest way possible to travel with your little one, barring that anyone gets seasick.

We have taken a few small ferries (no cars) out in the archipelago of Gothenburg (Sweden’s second-biggest city) with our baby in a stroller. There were no problems at all.

We also took a large ferry (operated by Stena Line) from Gothenburg to Frederikshavn (a small city in Denmark). It took 3h 30min. It was by far the best travel experience we had if just looking at the time in the “transportation vehicle”. When our baby was awake, we let him play in the playground or just crawl around. Once tired, I just went for walks with him in the stroller. I believe the “white noise” from the ferry helped him fall asleep extra easily. Or perhaps it was just all the new experiences and fresh air. If our son would rate it, he’d definitely give it a five out of five.

Note that we didn’t go with a car. If you do that, it might be wise to also have a carrier, or be prepared to carry your little one. Just in case the stroller must be folded and carried, as from experience we know it can be quite narrow on the parking deck, and sometimes only small elevators or staircases are available.

Going by Bus

Can’t be completed by going on a big ferry. But also going by bus has always worked fine for us. We once went from Szczecin to Rewal (Poland) in a fairly old bus, and the trip took around 2 hours. It was not ideal as we had to bring the stroller up on the bus rather than putting it in storage (which didn’t exist). But it did work and the bus driver was helpful.

The trip itself went fine too. Even if we think it was just at the limit of how long you can travel with a toddler and infant. We had to fold the stroller, and at one point move it, when many passengers came on. The bus had a very very narrow aisle.

While it works, going by bus can be risky. During our trip, we realized that if multiple parents had gone with strollers, things could have gotten very challenging. It was also slightly unclear what the policy was, e.g. if we had to inform the company that we were bringing a stroller (we didn’t). In general, bus companies seem to be flexible and let you bring a stroller for free, e.g.:

Going by Plane

Traveling by flight is not the nicest due to the limited space. But many airlines do a good job of making it as pleasant as possible. We have always been able to bring our stroller for free, which seems common in both the US and Europe. The most useful examples depend on where you are flying, so start with airlines that actually operate in your market.

You often get additional benefits, such as priority boarding. Note that you need to check with the staff at the gate though. We noticed that they often don’t say that families can board early, but once you ask they always let you.

We went on a trip to Barcelona from Berlin with our infant. We brought out Bugaboo Donkey. While we were a bit worried as it is expensive, all worked fine. We put it in a stroller protection bag and checked it in. Once we landed we picked it up where you always pick up checked-in luggage. Our trip continued to Nice (in France) and then to Gothenburg in Sweden. No issues at all.

Another trip went to Tromsø in northern Norway (yay, we saw northern lights). To here we took a smaller and cheaper stroller (Hauck Sport Buggy). We put it in our stroller protection bag and checked it in. All went good also this time (and later we flew to Berlin from Tromsø, which also went fine).

While we read that you can also leave and retrieve the stroller at the gate sometimes, we always were directed to check it in.

Do I need a stroller protection bag?

We used a cheap noname bag we found on Amazon. We realized it couldn’t do much more than perhaps protect our stroller from smaller stains or scratches. In Barcelona airport, we also met a woman who traveled with her Bugaboo Fox without any protection. She claimed she did so frequently, and never had any problems.

However, we also heard horror stories of completely broken strollers. So if you have an expensive stroller, it might be wise to invest in a protection bag. E.g. Stokke’s excellent PramPack stroller protection bag or if you have a Bugaboo: Bugaboo comfort transport bag.

Going by Train

Going by train is the next best after the ferry in our experience. There’s more space and generally easy to just lift the stroller onto the train and put it away somewhere. We didn’t even have to fold it, but I suppose that might vary. Perhaps in some cases it even has to be checked in.

We traveled from Berlin to Szczecin by train and then used regional trains in Poland. It did get quite busy at times, but it all worked just fine. No hassle with the stroller.

While you should check with your train operator, for instance when you buy the ticket, it often seems possible to bring a stroller free of charge without much hassle. The most relevant example depends even more on region here, so start with the operator you are actually using.

Note that some trains can even offer childcare/entertainment, such as ICE trains in Germany.

Our son loves going by train. It’s a good alternative to consider as it is likely the best for the environment as well.

What if I don’t want to bring my stroller?

We often considered leaving our stroller just to simplify the trip even more. Especially if flying, but also with any other means of transportation. In the end, we always brought it, as it is quite nice to have a stroller.

Our main alternative was to just bring a baby carrier. I do not mind carrying my little daughter in a carrier for as long as needed. And our son is old enough to be without a stroller (he might not always agree though!).

The main issue with a carrier is that it can get quite warm if the temperature is high. And another inconvenience is that your child shouldn’t be in one for more than around 2 hours at a time according to many, including our midwife. It’s not ideal, but definitely doable. So if you worry about bringing a stroller, or it is just a big hassle in your case, a carrier might be an alternative.

Consider a Cheap Compact Stroller

Another alternative is to get a cheap compact stroller. Of course, doesn’t have to be cheap if your economy allows for it. There are excellent compact strollers, but they charge for their comfort and quality. But you can also get decent compact strollers cheaply, cheaper than a stroller protection bag. So it can be a good alternative to not bringing a stroller. As long as it is certified for safety according to your local standard, it won’t be a big deal to use a budget stroller for a week or two, even if you and your child are used to a premium stroller.

Final Thoughts

We hope our experience is helpful. Do not see having children or having to bring a stroller or pram as a hindrance to travel. It isn’t a big deal and there are workarounds if you worry about damage to your fancy stroller. E.g. buying a cheaper one or just having a carrier. There are also stroller protection bags if you don’t want to compromise on quality, perhaps because your infant is very young.

Traveling with children can be fun for the whole family and we’re convinced the experiences can help children grow, just as they do for us adults.