Bugaboo Travel Bag: Best stroller bag for travel

By Helen Wright

As you know, we travel as much as we can with our children, Finn and Isobel, and I am often asked about our family travel essentials, including whether we use a Bugaboo travel bag for our Bugaboo Cameleon3. If you follow me on my personal Insta account, you will see the kids (mostly Isobel these days) cruising around in the Bugaboo. People are curious about whether we take the pushchair with us on our travels by plane and if I would recommend getting a travel stroller bag, for a Bugaboo or a similar-priced ‘main’ pram.

Cover image: Scannadog

Do I need a Bugaboo Travel Bag?

I have no shame in admitting I absolutely love our Bugaboo Cameleon3. I confess, it was a bit spendy. Ours was a limited edition number, purchased in January 2017 (tweed grey and black, with brown leather handles and blue lining) and cost £850. Simon was absolutely aghast that a pushchair could cost more than a used car, but my mum offered to help us buy the pram and so I got my own way in the end. I don’t regret it for a second – the Cameleon3 is lightweight yet spacious, agile and smart, and both kids have been really happy travelling in it. However, due to the price tag and the fact I wanted to keep it all shiny and new, we decided we’d also need to invest in the Bugaboo travel bag and I am so glad we did. I highly recommend you do too.

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Why is a stroller bag travel essential?

I talk about this in my post on our tried and tested baby travel essentials but, in my experience, airlines don’t love your pram as much as you do. Depending on the airports you use, other items in the airline hold with your pushchair, the mood of the baggage handlers, incelemt weather and other flying logistics, there is a good chance your premium baby carriage may take a bashing. There are two ways to conquer this: invest in a travel pram or go for the stroller bag travel option.

For clarity, we actually do both, depending on the trip. For long-haul travel (and especially when the children were travelling in the Bugaboo bassinet) and for UK destinations, we travel with the Bugaboo travel bag (the Bugaboo Comfort Transport Bag). When we take shorter, city-breaks or travel to destinations using hand-luggage only, we use our GB Pockit cabin-size buggy or, now with both kids in tow, our Joie Twin stroller.

Is it worth the money?

When it comes to accessories, it’s definitely worth investing in a Bugaboo travel bag or another stroller bag travel case, especially if you have spent some wedge on your main pram and don’t want it to get damaged. Also, the resale value on Bugaboo strollers is really good, so you’ll definitely want to keep it in great condition so you can sell it on and use the money to go on a brilliant holiday!

Bugaboo have two travel stroller bags; the Compact Travel Bag, £74.95 (which is only suitable for their smaller, city style stroller, the Bugaboo Bee) and the Comfort Transport Bag, £124.95. This is the Bugaboo Bag that we have and that I review here. It is sizeable enough for the Bugaboo Cameleon, Bugaboo Fox, Bugaboo Donkey, Bugaboo Buffalo and Bugaboo Runner – they sure do have a lot of prams now! It is worth checking out Bugaboo.com because they have all the accessories available for the Bugaboo prams, such as mosquito nets, sun canopies and (important for new mums) coffee cup holders, plus they offer free shipping and free returns on any order, which is cool. Better still, they always have promotions on site and so if you get there at the right time, you could bag yourself a bargain – and not just on the travel bag!

The Bugaboo travel stroller bag is designed to protect your pushchair from water damage, dirt and scratches, but also keeps all the components of your Bugaboo together, which is actually really important when you travel. One of the reasons I liked Bugaboo strollers to begin with is because they have super agile wheels that can be easily removed for storage and for cleaning. You definitely don’t want one of these wheels to become detached when in the aeroplane or coach/ ship hold. The bag comes with a separate wheel bag and I would advise using it because it keeps the wheels from becoming damaged and helps you fit the pram into the case more easily.

baby-travel-traveling-with-a-baby-packing-list — The size of our pram bag made a funny Instagram post (Photo: @passportbaby)

Be warned, the bag is pretty big! We fell about laughing when it came and you may be surprised by its size! Don’t worry though, it folds much flatter and compact for when keep it in storage and for inside hotel rooms. The Bugaboo travel bag stands upright and has a handle on the top and side, making it user friendly for stairs. It also has shoulder straps, like a backpack, but it’s far too large for me to carry it that way! It also has its own wheels so you wont have to worry about carrying it around! Inside there is protective padding, but it isn’t heavy.

You can buy cheaper travel stroller bags online but a lot of them are inferior. I like the fact that the Bugaboo travel bag (compact transport bag) is padded, yet remains lightweight, which when I am travelling on my own, without Simon, is extra important!

Does the Bugaboo Comfort Transport bag fit the bassinet inside?

bugaboo travel bag mammoth with kids — We’ve taken our Bugaboo all over the world (image: Helen Wright)

I’m really surprised how many people ask me this, but when you actually look at the Bugaboo Cameleon with the bassinet, it is a real bit of kit, so it’s a good question. And, yes, the Bugaboo Comfort Transport bag does fit the Cameleon with the Bassinet. It’s slightly trickier to get it in, but Simon has it down to a fine art now! The benefit of travelling with the bassinet pram is that it is wide enough to use as a crib (for short periods). I found both my children slept much better in the bassinet. I tried to keep it as long as possible, even though Simon was eager to change to the seat setting because it’s more streamlined. Also, if you don’t have a foot muff, it’s much warmer if you are travelling to a cold destination.

Secret Bugaboo stroller bag travel hacks!

Ok, so this is a bit cheeky but another huge benefit to having a stroller bag travel essential is that you can hide things inside it! WOAH, back up, nothing dodgy I assure you! Most airlines allow two child travel items, per child, in the plane’s hold for free, but extra suitcases usually incur a charge. So, the secret is to save space in your case by using the Bugaboo travel bag to transport some extra baby essentials that you want to take with you – such as nappies, wipes, powder formula tins, toys and heavier clothing items such as blankets or coats. We have used our Bugaboo bag to do this on almost every trip and we’ve never been stopped.

Disclaimer: This is just what we sometimes do. I am not for a second suggesting you do the same…

Just a quick word of caution on storing baby food sachets, liquid formula or breast milk in the airline hold (either in the travel stroller bag or in a suitcase), erratic temperatures in an airplane hold change from really hot to freezing cold and so advice is not to store liquid milk or baby food items in hold luggage.

Is the Comfort Bugaboo travel bag the best travel stroller bag for the Cameleon 3

Yes, the Comfort transport bag is the only official Bugaboo travel bag that fits the Cameleon and the Donkey / Fox / Buffalo etc. There are competitor options out there but I like the Bugaboo one because of its stand up design (it stands up unaided), wheels, padding, waterproof material and stylish look. It’s a cool product.

We have also used our Bugaboo travel bag to transport other items and strollers, including the Phil and Teds Smart Buggy and a Maxi Cosi car seat. Obviously this pram travel bag is perfectly designed to fit a Bugaboo stroller but it will fit other, similar size prams too. It’s big, but unfortunately, it doesn’t fit our Joie double – sad times.