Honest picks from real parents
What Travel Stroller Do You Actually Need?
No sponsored rankings. No top-20 listicles. Just four strollers we'd genuinely recommend to a friend.
Here's something most stroller review sites won't tell you: you probably don't need an expensive travel stroller.
We use a Hamilton. It's lightweight, folds up tiny, and we bought it secondhand. It's not fancy. It doesn't have Instagram-worthy aesthetics or all-terrain suspension. But it gets on planes, fits in taxis, and if it gets a dent at gate check? We don't lose sleep over it.
That said — where you're going matters. Pushing a cheap stroller through Rome's cobblestones or up Lisbon's hills is a different story. If rough terrain is in your future, it's worth spending a bit more on suspension and build quality.
So here's our honest take: start cheap, upgrade if you need to. Below are four strollers we'd genuinely recommend to a friend — depending on budget and where you're headed.
Some links earn us a small commission at no cost to you. We only include strollers we'd actually suggest over coffee.
If you want to keep it simple
Summer Infant 3Dlite
⭐ Our Pick~$100 · 13 lbs · shoulder carry strap
This is the one we recommend to basically everyone who asks. Under $100, 13 lbs, has a shoulder strap for carrying through the airport, and a decent recline for on-the-go naps. Over 100,000 Amazon reviews with 4.5 stars — it's the crowd favorite for a reason.
It's not going to win any design awards, and you'll feel every bump on rough surfaces. But that's the point — it's a travel stroller, not your everyday one. Buy it, beat it up, and don't stress about it.
If you fly a lot
Joolz Aer+
~$450 · 13.4 lbs · cabin-size fold · travel bag included
If you're the kind of family that flies multiple times a year, the Joolz is the upgrade that makes sense. It's barely heavier than the 3Dlite but folds to cabin-luggage size — it actually fits in overhead bins. Comes with its own travel bag, which most brands charge extra for.
It's a Dutch brand (like us 😊), beautifully designed, and handles airports and metro stations like a dream. Just know it won't love cobblestones as much as the Bugaboo below.
If you're heading to Europe
Bugaboo Butterfly
~$450 · 16.1 lbs · all-wheel suspension · one-hand fold
Here's the thing about European cities: they're gorgeous and they're brutal on strollers. Cobblestones, uneven sidewalks, narrow alleys. The Bugaboo Butterfly is the only travel stroller we'd trust on that terrain, thanks to genuine all-wheel suspension.
Your baby stays asleep over cobblestones. That is worth $450. It's also a Bugaboo, so build quality is excellent — this thing will last through multiple kids. The canopy could be bigger, but everything else just works.
Bonus: the long-haul flight hack
Stokke JetKids BedBox
~$200 · ages 2–7 · ride-on suitcase + in-flight bed
OK, not a stroller — but if you're doing long-haul flights with a toddler, you need to know about this. It's a little ride-on suitcase your kid can scoot through the airport on. Then on the plane, the lid extends the seat into a flat bed.
Every parent travel group we've ever seen raves about this thing. Pair it with any of the strollers above and you're set. Just check the airline compatibility list first.
Not sure what you need? Check your destination.
We have stroller-friendliness guides for 250+ cities. They'll tell you if you need suspension, whether you can skip the stroller entirely, and what to expect on the ground.