When our family recently decided to spend a week in Southern Louisiana, I knew there would be some challenges. Heading on a family vacation with three kids is something we’ve done before, but we’ve always been visiting family that can help us once we arrive.
Also, on our earlier trips, our youngest was just starting to walk and wasn’t quite so independent (in other words, challenging)! I knew we’d need to make some serious preparations if we wanted our trip to run as smoothly as possible. And one of those preparations was finding the perfect stroller!
So, when Diono, whose Radian RXT car seat I’ve featured in the past, agreed to let me review its Traverze travel stroller, I was thrilled. This stroller was designed with travel in mind, something that I knew was a priority if we were going to make it through four flights and a week of driving.
What makes the Diono Traverze stroller a traveller’s dream? It all starts with the easy one-hand folding design complete with pull-along handle and case. When the stroller is folded up and covered, it can be easily rolled along with our carry-on luggage as we move through the airport. A gate check and a flight later, it’s waiting for us on the walkway so we can roll the baby through the airport in comfort!
Once unfolded, it boasts extra features that I knew our family of three would need. The most important one for me is one that’s often missing on travel strollers…an extra-large basket! The roomy space beneath the stroller was big enough to hold my camera, purse and diaper bag as we moved from place to place.
The stroller is also incredibly easy to manoeuvre. Even when I could only use one hand to push because my other was loaded with gear, moving down the sidewalk or through the airport couldn’t have been smoother. And the simple flip brake on the bottom center bar of the stroller kept my baby safely in place when needed.
For Baby Cormac, top features included a reclining seat, an optional comfort cushion that increased the recline even more for comfortable napping when he wanted, a padded five-point harness for security and a sunshade with optional rain cover!
Best of all, the Diono Traverze only weighs about 12 pounds! That doesn’t just mean it’s easy to roll and carry through the airport, though. It also means that when we’re driving from place to place, it’s easy to pack in the car and take out again in just seconds.
On our recent vacation, we stayed at three different hotels in seven days, and visited over a dozen different attractions. That meant a lot of moving the stroller around! The compact size when folded and light weight were key for our family in being able to get from place to place easily.
And it was so cute to see how much Baby Cormac loved his stroller! He started referring to it as his “Doe doe,” and would often request it even if we were just making a quick stop and the stroller wasn’t necessarily needed. Seeing him climb in and try to buckle up his straps by himself had me grinning more than once!
While we still had a few hiccups along the way in our travels, moving the baby around from place to place wasn’t one of them. The stroller was so lightweight even with Cormac sleeping in it that we sometimes just carried it to the second floor in houses we were touring!
The stroller is definitely designed more for smooth city streets and walkways, so the wheels sometimes catch on gravel or rough terrain. But once we got a feel for it, we were able to steer for harder ground and mostly avoid any sudden jolts. And with five stylish colours to choose from, I got to feel fun and fashionable pushing this stroller around, too!
We learned a lot about how to effectively travel with our three children on our recent trip, and there’s definitely some things we’ll do differently on our next family vacation to California this September. But one thing we won’t be changing is our stroller! From plane to car and city to country, the Diono Traverze helped us see and do it all with Baby Cormac enjoying every minute of the ride!
I would take it outonour adventures especially the zoo’s,malls, amusement parks,etc. Or how perfect for those airports. Light weight,compact and perfect.
I would love to go to Hawaii
We would use it at the mall.
All over ! The park , shopping , walks , family trips !
My daughter is due to have her first baby July 22/19. They have a wedding to go to in Toronto in October and this would be perfect for them to take along as well as everyday use at home.
We’re planning on taking a warm winter vacation, hopefully Hawaii, and this would be perfect for our little one (who should be arriving any day now).
To the park
I need this! Our current stroller is a hand me down and is SOOOOO frustrating to pack up and take anywhere!
Would be a perfect gift for our active new mumma friend
Love to travel to japan with this stroller! Perfect time for my 16 month old baby!
I would love to travel to Toronto with this stroller. Thanks ?
We would travel up island to Parksville with our grandbabies! This is perfect for us and I love that it only weighs 12lbs!
Such a great idea! I love how light weight it is for travel as well!