Which stroller we were bringing to Italy was probably the hardest decision we made for the entire trip. Not destinations, or what accommodation to book, but strollers. We currently own two strollers- the Baby Jogger City Mini GT, which is a single jogger, and the Mockingbird double stroller, which is a tandem. I had thought about purchasing a travel stroller for our trip, but I was reluctant to buy something without having enough time to use it beforehand. Sounds funny, but you don’t realize how obnoxious a stroller can be until you’re pushing one with a crying baby, the wheels are getting caught, the ride is bumpy, and the seat doesn’t recline enough. Plus, we were going for a month. So whatever we were bringing, we were stuck with for awhile.
In addition to our two strollers, our friend also offered up her Evenflo tandem double with carseat. This was tempting since it would open up some options for us. We hadn’t considered taking a carseat.. Maggie would be listed as a lap child on the flight, and we planned on taking public transit while traveling. But with a carseat/stroller combo, we could potentially take a Flixbus, which requires a carseat (flixbus is essentially like a greyhound bus in the US.. larger charter buses for longer trips), we could pop it in and out of cabs, and also already have our own for a possible rental car while in Tuscany. So it was intriguing. In the end though, we decided against it. It was just too much to take and we were trying to simplify.
Our decision to take our single jogger basically came down to sturdiness. Both strollers had great wheels for cobblestone and uneven ground, but the tandem aspect of our double had me doubting it’s durability. It’s a solid stroller for sure, but seats that clip into attachments worry me with the flight. Something could just easily snap if mishandled. And then we’d be stuck with a broken stroller or a seat that doesn’t clip in securely. The single jogger was way smaller than the double as well.. still big for European standards, but loads smaller than the tandem double. Which looking back is hysterical that we even considered taking the tandem double.. it would've felt like maneuvering a cruise ship there. But anyway, the jogger worked beautifully for us and we plan to take it again on our next trip abroad in September.
This is also not by any means a post to deter you from purchasing or using a travel stroller. People love them.. they were honestly everywhere in Italy, and there’s a reason they’re called travel strollers. I’m only sharing our thoughts and experience because I don’t want you to feel obligated to buy a travel stroller if you already have something that can easily work for you. I included below the four big reasons why and how the single City Mini GT worked for us as a family of four going to Europe for 5 weeks.
The Flight Over
One of the big sells of a travel stroller is that it’s lightweight and collapses small enough to fit in the overhead bin of an airplane. People love this. I’m actually not into though. Traveling with children means we’re already traveling with more bags, which means we need more overhead bin space already. Securing that extra space means getting down to the plane in the earlier stages of boarding. This is typically easy to do when you have small kids in tow by the way.. gate agents are usually pretty accommodating when they see you have littles. If you aren’t able to get down though, you risk losing out on those overhead bins near your seat. Not a huge deal, but something to consider. I very much dislike finding and making room in overhead bins so adding a travel stroller sounds miserable to me. Instead, I like to use our stroller through the airport and then gate check it at the plane. You literally drop it right outside the boarding door and once you land they unload it for you and hand it back as you’re deplaning. You don’t have to check it at the check in counter outside security or get it at baggage claim. Of course, this is an option, but I prefer to keep it and do plane side checked.
The WHEELS
Jogger stroller wheels are king in my opinion. They’re always bigger, the ride is smoother, and I never have to worry about any kind of terrain. It’s a win win for parents and baby. Yes, I know we’re talking about strollers and not cars, but keeping a baby happy and sleeping while on the go is such a beautiful thing. We even took the stroller on trails outside San Gimignano and it was a huge success. At one point, Benjamin was pushing the stroller up a rocky, dirt trail. I highly doubt anyone else has taken a stroller up this stretch, but it worked for us!
Storage
The basket underneath the stroller was so helpful! To be honest, our double stroller’s underneath basket is even bigger and it was one of the few reasons we were considering taking it. But our single held for for sure! Traveling for such a long amount of time means we are going to grocery stores often. And in addition to groceries, we’re grabbing diapers, giant water bottles, and wine (lol). Having a decent sized basket to stow the bigger and heavier items was a total game changer.
Additionally, since the jogger is bigger than a travel stroller, it holds more in general. You don’t realize clipping a diaper bag to a stroller is luxury until you are lugging extra weight around with you at all times. On travel days, we moved through towns and on/off public transportation with two large backpacking backpacks, a diaper bag backpack, a jansport backpack, a roll abroad suitcase, the stroller, and two kids. While on trains, and sitting in train stations, we had Maggie in the baby carrier, Izzy hanging out in a regular seat or bench and we were able to stack a few bags in the stroller. This was so helpful just to keep better track of everything. Touristy areas in Italy are known for pickpockets so consolidating our things was a bit relieving.
One Stroller Two Kids
Having one stroller for two kids was the main thing we were worried about and it didn’t even come close to being an issue for us. Obviously all kids are different so I can’t say you’ll have the same experience.. but hopefully you do. Our toddler was mostly in the stroller and our 9 month old was mostly in a carrier. When our toddler insisted on walking or exploring, we would move our baby into the stroller for a change of scenery. If we were out and nap time hit for the little one, she would take the stroller and Izzy would either walk, or one of us would carry her. Basically, whoever needed the stroller, got the stroller and there seemed to be some weird understanding about it.