Before the era of air travel, parents weren’t very likely to bring their infants with them on trips. If they did go out for a vacation, it was usually on the outskirts of the city. Today’s parents, on the other hand, can take their kids to the other side of the world safely and without any issues. But you don’t just bring a kid with you; there are a lot of things that come with them. One of these things is a stroller.

Should you bring a stroller with you?

If you asked one hundred random people this question, you’d get very mixed results. A large group will say one hundred percent, yes, especially if you have twins, then bring the Wonderfold stroller wagon. In contrast, the others will say that you are just wasting your money by buying a stroller in the first place. While both of these extremes are true to some extent, they are not the answer we’re looking for. The proper answer to this question is a big old “it depends.”

Let’s look at scenarios where it is viable to bring a stroller with you and where it isn’t.

You should bring a stroller with you, when

1.You have more than one baby:

Caring one baby on your shoulders as a couple? Easy. Carrying two or more? Extremely difficult and challenging. In this scenario, a stroller is a must-have in addition to the knowledge of some practical stroller hacks; otherwise, you’ll end up ruining the entire vacation. This is extra true in vacation spots that require a lot of walking on clean paved sidewalks.

2. You’ll be spending some time at the airport:

Air travel to faraway places can be a bit more complicated than just hopping on a plane and getting to your location. There are often, very often, connection routes and delays. You’ll have to stay within the confines of the airport in these scenarios, and keeping your kids contained in an airport is already very difficult. A stroller will help calm them down and will also provide a place for them to fall asleep completely.

3. Your kids like to nap:

Kids love naps; at least some do. If they don’t get their expected nap time, they can get grumpy and angry pretty fast. To avoid this fate, parents travel with a quality stroller that gives kids a place to nap, while the canopy provides shade as well as noise reduction.

4. Your destination has extreme weather:

Carrying a baby is hard as is, but it gets criminally difficult under extreme weather conditions. The summer weather will make you both sweaty and gross, while winter might do the same. Strollers also allow you to cover your kid in warm clothing without having to worry about the added weight.

Now let’s move on the other side of the coin and look at scenarios where bringing a stroller with you is dumb.

You should not bring a stroller with you, when

1. Your destination has cobbled paths:

This is a massive trend among older European cities and an absolute nightmare for strollers. You cannot take a stroller out with you on a cobbled street, no matter how hard you try. If you still bring your stroller out, your child will not be comfortable in it, and something will surely break due to these hundreds of small bumps.

2. Your destination rents them out:

Today, most theme parks and other touristy locations offer rental strollers. The pricing on these tends to be fairly cheap, and if you utilize them correctly, you can save some cash while also having a ride for your baby. Do your research beforehand if your destination has stroller rentals; bringing one alone is just unnecessary.

3. Your kid is grown up to walk small distances:

Kids, especially the ones that just learned walking, love this activity, and they will walk at every chance they get. This means that if you are traveling small distances, just letting your baby walk is not a bad idea. You might go a little slower than with a stroller, but the happiness on your child’s face will be well worth it.

Are there any alternatives to strollers?

There are plenty. You can find baskets that you carry, baby-carrying backpacks, and much more. But, unfortunately, none of them are as convenient and effective as a good old-fashioned stroller design.

Final words:

Whether you should or shouldn’t bring a stroller is not something that can be answered by someone else. These are just guidelines to point you in the right direction. 

The final decision depends heavily on your living conditions, destination, age of the kid, its behavior around strollers, and whether you even have a stroller or not in the first place. Just think about everything thoroughly, and you should be fine for the most part.