Finding the best compact travel stroller can be a daunting task because each family has different priorities. To make it easier for you, Bébé Voyage has compiled a list of the best compact strollers currently on the market. Most are highly recommended by Club Bébé Voyage members who have taken them on board their flights. From one that folds into the size of a backpack to a super quick fold light stroller, there’s a stroller for each family’s needs and budget. For your next family trip, choose what suits you best from this round-up of the seven best compact strollers of 2022:
Quick-Fold Light Stroller par excellenceBébé Voyage Club Members have been recommending the gb Pockit since it came out in 2017. This year we’re excited about the gb Pockit Air All-Terrain which comes with most of the same benefits as the Pockit, such as the collapsible design reducing it to the size of small airplane hand luggage, making it a handbag-shaped package. Better yet, gb Pockit Air All-Terrain weighs almost a kilo (2 lbs) less than the Pockit.
For features like a large canopy with UV protection, car seat compatibility, and backrest recline, consider gb Pockit+ All-Terrain. It fits in the overhead compartments of most planes and trains.
Eileen Orzoff Baranyk can attest to the portability of a Pockit+ and says, it was “such a lifesaver!” She adds, “it’s small enough to toss in a large reusable shopping bag, so there were no problems on airplanes.”
Reflecting upon their experience with a Pockit+ during a trip to Switzerland, this world history teacher says, “I was so grateful to have it while moving my three-and-a-half-year-old through airports during transfers and after an eight-hour plane ride. And, It was super easy on trains and buses.”
In addition, both gb Pockit Air All Terrain and gb Pockit+ All Terrain compact travel strollers feature double wheels and lockable swivel front wheels, allowing confident maneuvering on different surfaces and reducing worries about getting stroller wheels stuck in European cobblestones. Both qualify as quick-fold light stroller.
Certainly smaller and lighter than a couple of other strollers by UPPAbaby, the MINU can grow with your baby from birth. Your little one will be protected from UV rays under the extendable pop-out UPF 50+ canopy. The MINU can be folded by using one hand.
The original compact travel stroller, our Club Bébé Voyage members have been fans of Babyzen since it started. An improved frame, harness, and suspension take Babyzen YOYO2 a step further than YOYO, which many traveling families swear by. All of the fabrics of Babyzen YOYO2, including the UPF 50+ Anti-UV fabric, are washable. The backrest recline accommodates multiple positions. This is one of the lightest and most compact strollers. With YOYO2, you’ll have no problem with some airlines known to be very strict with carry-on luggage size limits, including Emirates.
This is also one of the sturdiest strollers we’ve seen. “Going strong at three and a half years and we’ll be taking it to London, Paris, and Spain in a few weeks,” says Danchuk, a Babyzen YOYO owner.
The ErgoBaby Metro+ is not as light as other compact travel strollers but it comes with several features including rain and UPF 50+ sun protection, car seat compatibility, full recline, and spring suspension that merit consideration. It folds down easily to fit into most overhead airplane bins.
Check out our side-by-side comparison of the ErgoBaby Metro+ vs the BabyZen YOYO for more details on all its features.
One of the most lightweight strollers on this list, the Inglesina Quid comes with great features. It’s easy to open with one hand, to brake with a touch of a foot, and is a quick fold light stroller. Reclining backrest, multi-point suspension system, weather shields, and more will keep your infant or toddler comfortable. A quick-fold light stroller, it folds down easily to fit nearly anywhere.
For any of our readers in (or going to) Latin America, you should also check out the Carestino SMART. On the lower end of the price spectrum of the strollers listed here, it has some great features to put it in the running for the best compact travel stroller for globetrotting families:
Bébé Voyage co-founder Marianne Perez-Fransius says, “I’ve seen this stroller in action and literally gone up to moms in the airport to ask them about it! I was impressed how a mom traveling by herself was able to fold it easily at the gate while holding her 9-month-old baby and then effortlessly board the plane with her diaper bag, baby, and pulling the stroller like a rollaboard.”
Traveling should be an exciting and fun experience for everyone. For great fun and adventure, we sometimes pay a small price: a lengthy layover at the airport or check-in lines that seem to take forever to move.
But let’s face it: traveling is stressful. Managing a baby is stressful. Both at the same time? Woozers!
Make sure your ability to bring stroller on board or not doesn’t add to it. We hope that reference our list saves you time in finding a suitable compact stroller for your trips. Bon voyage!
Other articles you might be interested in:
BabyZen Yoyo Or ErgoBaby Metro: Which Compact Stroller Is Best For Travel?
