traveling with Uppababy stroller, am I nuts?

[Anonymous]

Leaving for a weeklong trip and meeting family where we will do a lot of walking with the baby in the stroller. DH can take me to the airport, but then I am on my own from there until I reach the hotel on the otherside. We have an UP vista, which baby and I love, but I just got the travel bag and it is huge with the wheels on or off. I would only gate check the stroller in the bag (take wheels off at the gate), baby in ergo, checked carseat (needed for any cab in the state) and luggage. I could hardly sleep last night thinking about once I get off the plane I will have more than I can handle. We thought of buying a smaller stroller, like a citimini with that great fold, or a maclaren. But, the UP's basket will be very convenient it is such a sturdy stroller for a 7 mo on old streets 9and we won't fold it at all once we are there). Should I just bite the bullet and buy another stroller for travel, even at this age? I'd have to buy the bug and rain shield and travel bag for the new stroller too, yikes we are looking at another $300! Baby would sleep well in the citi mini, but those Maclarens dont recline much. I can imagine what will happen to baby's nap schedule on this trip. Is this crazy?

[Anonymous]

I travel with my bugaboo, also a large stroller. Baby is comfortable in there and will sit happily for longer periods of time, so for me it is worth it. Why won't you check it with your luggage? I keep baby in carrier and check the stroller and car seat at the counter, before security, makes it much easier.

[Anonymous]

Op here, isn't the stroller less likely to be smashed about if I check it at the gate? I thought it goes through less handling.... I could be wrong.

[Anonymous]

We don't travel with ours. Too expensive to risk something happening to it. Can you plan your walking around baby's naps? Or have baby nap in ergo on those days you absolutely can't?

[Anonymous]

OP here. DD can only take about 30 minutes in the ergo without getting mad. We will be sightseeing for days, so we'll go back to the hotel for naps only. THe rest of the time we'll be on foot walking around town. I still have some time to buy a smaller stroller if needed, but I am still debating the cost.

[Anonymous]

Buy a $20 umbrella stroller. Much smaller and you won't be mad if it breaks. And they are small enough for you to just use a trash bag for stowing. At 7 months, your baby will enjoy looking out and seeing sights.

[Anonymous]

I also say buy at $20 stroller. The only time I took our $400 stroller on a trip the security guy almost broke it trying to "help" me and then it got really scratched up from being thrown on the plane. I've literally seen airport employees throw strollers and other baby stuff down chutes and onto luggage carriers - strollers can easily get broken.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Op here, isn't the stroller less likely to be smashed about if I check it at the gate? I thought it goes through less handling.... I could be wrong.

If you use the bugaboo travel bag, bugaboo will fix your stroller for free if it is damaged. So, that is why I feel fine checking it at the counter. Does uppa baby have a similar policy if you use their travel bag?

I totally understand why you want to travel with it. I have a cheap umbrella stroller for the car and baby just won't sit in it very long without screeching. In the bugaboo, the baby will be happy for hours of sight seeing. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

OP here. UPPa doesn't have the same warranty from flight problems like Bugaboo. I bought the travel bag, not to hard. Ithought I would just use the stroller in the airport and then just sit baby down in a safe spot next to me and put the stroller in the bag. Then ergo baby and check stroller at the gate. I tried to put her in a little umbrella stroller and she wiggled in protest. I have a longer trip this summer with many flight legs. I will buy her a maclaren for that one because we'll be in many cars too. I guess I will just take a chance with the big stroller this t ime. Having it will make everyone a lot happier on the trip as we are out and about on sidewalks all day.

[Anonymous]

We took ours to Paris and Germany and never regretted it, in spite of the pain of putting in the bag at the gate and the fact that it did not fit through many of the metro exits in Paris. It survived both trips beautifully.

[Anonymous]

We are wondering the same thing, and I am leaning towards taking it. My DS is just so much more comfortable in it than the Maclaren. The only hesitatioin I have is that we will be taking a lot of taxis, and I know it would be much easier and faster to stow a Maclaren in the back of a cab. But the napping and the comfort on cobblestone streets really give me pause about the MacLaren and I think I may have to spring for the Uppababy travel bag.

[Anonymous]

Love my Uppa and plan to travel with it in July -- can't wait to fold one thing at the gate instead of the car seat and snap & go base. I think I need the large basket underneath for my own bag so I can push just one thing through the airport.

[Anonymous]

OP here, no problems on the trip. But, it did not do well at all with cobblestone. Suspension is just so-so. It was actually kind of fun to put the whole thing in a bag, baby enjoyed the show! But, baby napped well in the uppa and we shopped till we dropped with the huge basket. but, I will buy a smaller stroller for family trips.

[Anonymous]

I don't travel with mine. Its just too big and I am worried it will get banged up. We bought a Inglesina umbrella stroller (100 bucks) and we love it. I was really looking for something that had a good recline (spoiled by the Vista) and this has it. Plus the sun shade provides decent coverage too.

[Anonymous]

PP here. I also forgot to mention that a rain shield is included in the price of the Inglesina